Kingsley's doing it for England

Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley maintains he is not acting for the money or for awards – he is doing it for England.

“I don’t know how else to put it,” the recently-knighted Kingsley told the New York Daily News.

“Before, I was acting more for myself. Now I’m doing it for my country because my country has asked me to.”

Kingsley, nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe for his performance as the Iranian immigrant Massoud Behrani in House Of Sand And Fog, which is based on the novel by Andre Dubus, claims he was the author’s only choice for the role.

“Andre’s wife sent me a copy of the book 18 months before it was even considered to be a film,” he said.

“She said that her husband had always envisaged Behrani as me, that I was the scaffolding for the building that was Behrani.”