Ben Whishaw on whether ‘Paddington 2’ sends a message about immigration and Brexit

It may seem surprising now, but Ben Whishaw wasn’t supposed to play Paddington. In fact, Whishaw didn’t come onboard the 2014 “Paddington” movie until filming and partial animation had been completed and director Paul King decided he wanted a more youthful voice. In the midst of recording sessions for “Paddington 2,” Whishaw starred in a London production of “Against” at the Almeida Theatre, shot “A Very English Scandal” alongside Grant and embodied an adult Michael Banks for December’s “Mary Poppins Returns.” For a few months, Whishaw was shuttling between the two family flicks. I couldn’t quite resist when I was asked to do the sequel, even though I know it’s a big pair of footprints to follow in.” Whishaw doesn’t find much difference as an actor making something cheery like “Mary Poppins Returns” or something notably heavy like “London Spy.” He approaches everything with equal sincerity, which may be why Paddington feels so real as a character. Although “Mary Poppins Returns” and “A Very English Scandal” will emerge later this year, Whishaw doesn’t have anything on his schedule once “Julius Caesar” wraps in mid-April.