“I do my best to remain as teachable as possible,” admits Bill Camp about his work on “The Queen’s Gambit,” which brought him a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination earlier this year. For our recent webchat, he adds, “This experience just reinforced my understanding of listening as an actor. And I learned a little bit about chess too.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“The Queen’s Gambit” is a Netflix limited series that follows the rise of chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) during the Cold War. Camp plays Mr. Shaibel, a custodian at an orphanage where he introduces a young Beth (Isla Johnston) to the complex game. Camp reveals that if his character were a chess piece, “he would be a knight. He leads the way for Beth. The knight is the second piece moved, in many openings. It’s also my favorite piece.”
The depth of Shaibel and Beth’s relationship is often mined in quiet while they play chess. The actor explains, “There are debates in silence on the board. He slowly unlocks this ability. That’s why he’s such a great teacher. There’s that special trust that develops when a teacher unlocks something with a student, who has no idea that they even possess a certain ability. He has compassion for her, as someone within this place of confinement and lack of attention. They both pay attention to each other. That’s important.”
In the first episode of the series, aptly titled ‘Openings,’ Shaibel says, “To tell you the truth of it child, you’re astounding.” It’s a powerful line from a character of few words. Camp reflects, “I am very interested in silence, quietness and the economy of words. But they work hand in hand with lines. You can’t have the payoff in one, unless you have the other. If writer Scott Frank had not written this character from Walter Tevis’ book with such little use of words, then that line would not have had the resonance that it does. It’s the first time, I think, we have such an uplifting affirmation about the possibilities that lie in front of her; instead of thinking she’s confined to this life of sadness.”
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