Photo: Jay Maidment / Marvel
What terrified Cumberbatch
With a sturdy portfolio spanning popular titles from BBC’s “Sherlock” to The Imitation Game — which earned him a Best Actor nomination in the 87th Academy Awards — Cumberbatch reveals why coming on board Doctor Strange terrified him.
“[Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] was convinced I was right for it so they delayed filming and the release of this film, which is the first time [Marvel has] ever done that,” reveals Cumberbatch.
He shares with the Sydney Morning Herald, “They reorganised their schedule around mine, which shows a massive amount of faith. That was the most terrifying aspect. I thought, ‘Wow, these guys have really invested a lot in [me]… So I’d better deliver.’”
Photo: Jay Maidment / Marvel
And deliver he did: Not only did Cumberbatch live up to his role; he even wanted to make adjustments to it. He says, “I wanted there to be more humour… I wanted to know how it would be recontextualised now.”
That’s when he suggested bringing more hubris to his celebrity-surgeon-turned-superhero character and taking him on a divine discovery.
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