Sir Ben Kingsley made a rare red carpet appearance with his wife Daniela Lavender at the premiere of the Thursday Murder Club on Thursday.
Stepping out in a trim blue suit at London’s Leicester Square, the actor, 81, posed with his wife, 50, who he has been married to since 2007.
Daniela, a Brazilian actress, was dressed in a stunning silver halterneck gown that she paired with pink open-toed heels.
She wore her hair down in the London sunshine, accessorising with a pair of silver earrings.
While the couple have a 30-plus year age-gap, Sir Kingsley previously insisted to the Evening Standard that it ‘makes no difference’ when you love each other.
The actor was also photographed at the premiere embracing director Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg.
Sir Ben Kingsley, 81, has made a rare red carpet appearance with his wife Daniela Lavender, 50, at the London premiere of the Thursday Murder Club on Thursday
Daniela, a Brazilian actress, was dressed in a stunning silver halterneck gown that she paired with pink open-toed heels
The Thursday Murder Club was released by Netflix on Friday and sees Sir Kingsley step into the shoes of former psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif, who leads the group of retirees who spend their time solving cold cases.
Based on the Richard Osman novel of the same name, the film also stars Helen Mirren as Elizabeth Best and Pierce Brosnan as Ron.
However, the film has left critics seriously divided following its much anticipated Netflix release.
While the book received universal praise and sold 10 million copies worldwide as well as spawning three more novels, the movie has failed to please everyone, with some comparing it to a ‘flimsy ITV2 drama’.
The Daily Mail’s Larushka Ivan-zadeh was full of praise in her four-star review and said she was relieved Hollywood and Home Alone director Chris Columbus had not ‘messed up’ the British cosy crime story.
‘Thank heavens this movie adaptation is great, or there might have been a’ the (well-behaved) riot.
‘This amiable, undemanding and knowing (yet never too knowing) caper is like Miss Marple meets Only Murders In The Building; or a knitting circle version of Knives Out. Celebrating friendship, resilience, and the humour of aging, with just the right dash of emotion, this is feel-good murder at its finest.
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey couldn’t have disagreed more and claimed the script dumbed down the novel’s mystery and failed to make the most of its all-star cast, giving the film two stars.
The Thursday Murder Club was released by Netflix on Friday and sees Sir Kingsley step into the shoes of former psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif, who leads the group of retirees who spend their time solving cold cases
The actor was photographed at the premiere embracing director Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg, who was also in attendance
Meanwhile Radio Times’ David Brown was more complimentary in his three-star review, but also pointed out that the film appeared to be better suited to TV than a movie.
‘For what we have here is a tale that, were it to be deprived of its stellar cast, would fit snugly in the weekend schedules alongside the murderous yet somehow comforting goings-on in the likes of St Mary Mead or Midsomer’.
He said the story had ‘touches of pathos’ which despite being streamlined for the big screen were ‘still affecting’.
‘These moments may be fleeting, but the odd rumination on belonging and mortality add some welcome emotional shades to what can, at times, be a broad take on the source material’.
