Bond star Ben Whishaw is the new voice of Paddington Bear. He takes over from Colin Firth, who graciously opted for ‘conscious uncoupling’ from the upcoming film, called Paddington, because he couldn’t find the right vocal tone for the much-loved character.
Producer David Heyman and director Paul King told me that Colin sensed early on, before they did, he wasn’t right for the role.
‘He was saying: “Are you sure I’m right?” He was way ahead of us,’ Heyman admitted. ‘Colin was brilliant, but his voice was, ultimately, too mature.’
Paddington, he says, is an optimistic bear...