Joe Alwyn never spoke to on-screen dad Ben Kingsley on set

Joe Alwyn didn’t speak to Ben Kingsley when they worked together, despite the fact they played a father and son.

The actors starred in the 2018 historical drama Operation Finale, which told the story of Israeli intelligence officers’ attempts to capture former SS officer Adolf Eichmann in 1960. Kingsley, best known for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, played Eichmann, while Alwyn played his son Klaus. And the 27-year-old explained the lack of communication between the pair made for a very “interesting” experience.

“I’ve never been on set with someone who didn’t make contact with anyone else and just wanted to stay in their own mental headspace and in their own zone,” he recalled in an interview with British GQ. “It was interesting to watch... and also slightly intimidating. But it suited the film. Eichmann’s son loves him but is fearful of him, so it played into that.”

Alwyn went on to name his favourite actor as Skyfall star Ben Whishaw, adding that he believes his portrayal of Hamlet is the reason he decided to become an actor when he was 14.

Though he’s more than happy to talk about his career, Alwyn, who has been dating Taylor Swift since early 2017, is adamant that he won’t open up about his private life while he’s in the public eye.

“Someone’s private life is, by definition, private. No one is obliged to share their personal life,” he said.

The British star has recently starred in The Favourite, Boy Erased and Mary Queen of Scots, and is currently filming alongside Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr. in Harriet – a biopic based on the life of African-American abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman.