Simon Russell Beale makes a supporting character difficult to dismiss. We value the care he brings to a part: the kindness he gives the husband in The Deep Blue Sea makes the central romance more painful.
Fi1m perspective
Sir William Collyer's kindness is a problem in The Deep Blue Sea (2011). Simon Russell Beale gives Rachel Weisz's Hester a decent husband to be unhappy with, denying us the convenience of a brute. We were moved by that kindness, because it makes her wish for another life hurt without making either of them easy to condemn. Beale allows us to feel for William without asking us to take his side against her. His performance changes how we understand the woman at the centre.
His precision has its roots in classical theatre and an approach that pays close attention to the words. Early comic roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company widened into dramatic work, while his film career began with Orlando (1992) and has mostly involved supporting parts. Those parts include Lavrenti Beria in Armando Iannucci's historical comedy The Death of Stalin (2017). The variety matters less to us than the care given to characters who might otherwise exist only to move somebody else's story along.
Terence Davies makes good use of that care in The Deep Blue Sea, where the actors have to allow affection and hurt to exist together. Weisz gives Hester an understanding of her predicament without the ability to bear it, and Tom Hiddleston makes Freddie Page's volatility credible. Beale has to make William matter beside them without turning him into a spokesman for sensible behaviour. The film gives us less access to Freddie's feelings than to Hester's, so the sympathy is not evenly distributed. Still, Beale ensures that the husband is someone worth considering, even when Hester wants more than he can offer.
Our recommendation is The Deep Blue Sea, though its music sometimes presses harder than the performances need. Weisz remains the principal reason to see it, and Beale's contribution should not be inflated at her expense. Go to it for Weisz, and do not be in a hurry to dismiss William.
Biography
Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE is an English actor known for his work in theatre, film and television. He was born on 12 January 1961 in Penang, Malaysia. Beale trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama after studying at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and began his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
He has received three Laurence Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in The Lehman Trilogy. Beale was knighted in 2019 for services to drama. His film roles include Sir William Collyer in The Deep Blue Sea (2011) and Winston Churchill in De Gaulle: Liberté (2026). Other screen credits include My Week with Marilyn (2011), Into the Woods (2014), The Death of Stalin (2017) and Mary Queen of Scots (2018).
