“Good Boy”, the short film starring BAFTA winning actor Ben Whishaw (“Black Doves”, “Paddington”) and Marion Bailey (“The Crown”, “Vera Drake”) is available to stream now on Disney+. The project, which released on January 1st, 2025, is executive produced by Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and Gia Coppola, was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2024. The film was written and directed by Tom Stuart and produced by Elettra Pizzi at 130 Elektra Films.
Out of money and out of luck, Danny (Whishaw) attempts to rob a bank with his overbearing mum (Bailey) but is scuppered by the appearance of their family doctor. With his mum in the back of his van, and a dead pigeon on the passenger seat, Danny has a growing sense of desperation. But as more and more figures arrive to disrupt his day, we begin to sense that everything is not as it seems.
The film has had an incredible journey, picking up support from the likes of Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Screen International. The film has also found supporters in industry luminaries, including director Mike Leigh who said ““Good Boy” is a delight. As moving and profound as it is quirky and hilarious, it is a miniature breath of fresh air”, and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, who stated “Gorgeous. I laughed and cried in the space of 10 mins! Most features can’t do that! Beautiful, funny AND heartbreaking. Marion and Ben are both brilliant. What a perfect pairing.”
Alongside being short listed for the 2024 Academy Awards in the Best Live Action Short Film category, the film screened at several illustrious festivals around the world, including Leeds International Film Festival 2023, BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024, Vancouver International Film Festival, PÖFF Shorts 2023, Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2023, HollyShorts and is a current Nominee at the British Short Film Awards.
Speaking about his inspiration behind the film, Stuart has said:
“I was very lucky to have an incredibly funny, naughty, brilliant Mum. This film is a both a love letter to her, and an attempt to understand my life without her.”
Co-executive producer and Industry icon Emma Thompson commented on the film:
“It’s hard to make grief funny at the same time as painful, and this beautifully realised story about letting go is as perfect as it gets. Ben Whishaw gives a performance of remarkable intensity and sweetness, seasoned with the rage of loss and confusion. Tom Stuart’s film has a light heart but a steely truth – its fifteen minutes is thrillingly touching. It’s beautiful and moving and profoundly needed right now.”
Ben Whishaw is a multi-award-winning British actor best known for his role as Norman Scott in the mini-series “A Very English Scandal” opposite Hugh Grant. This performance saw Ben recognised with a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, along with a Primetime Emmy Award and a BAFTA. Ben’s notable film credits include the role of Q in “Skyfall”, “Spectre”, and “No Time To Die”, the voice of Paddington in “Paddington” and “Paddington 2”, and Sarah Polley’s WOMEN TALKING, alongside Claire Foy and Frances McDormand. For this role he was nominated for a Satellite Award, a Hollywood Critics Association Film Award and longlisted for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor
He starred in the lead role of “This Is Going To Hurt”, the series adaptation of Adam Kay’s bestselling novel, for which he won Leading Actor in the 2023 BAFTA TV Awards along with Outstanding Performance in a New Series at the 2022 Gotham Awards and winning in the Best Actor category at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. Ben was nominated for numerous awards as well including Best Actor by the TV Choice Awards; a Critic’s Choice Awards for Best Actor In A Limited Series or Movie Made For Television and a Gold Derby Award for Limited / Movie Actor. He is currently appearing in Netflix’s “Black Doves” alongside Kiera Knightly.
