Benedict Cumberbatch (20 page)
Read Benedict Cumberbatch Online
Authors: Justin Lewis
Any A-list actor finds his name associated with numerous projects, whether or not he signs up in the end. A big-screen version of
Frankenstein
, with Guillermo del Toro directing, and to potentially feature Cumberbatch has been mooted, as has the part of Brian Epstein in
Sherlock
director Paul McGuigan’s biopic,
The Man Who
. At the time of writing, both of these projects remain possibilities rather than certainties, as did the whisper that he might soon become a nemesis of Daniel Craig’s James Bond. ‘It would be a childhood ambition fulfilled,’ promised a statement from Bond HQ. ‘Playing a Bond villain is one of the plum roles in film history and he’d jump at the chance.’ Especially since his previous Bond audition (for a computer game) had gone nowhere: ‘This seemed like the best chance to play Bond I’d get. I went along to this shabby sweatbox in Soho. After a two-hour wait, they made me leap over sofas. The worst of it was, I did it.’ He wasn’t called back.
A mysterious omission from the Cumberbatch CV which hardly anyone has seen is
The Dark Side of the Earth
, a
sci-fi
story made in 2008 about a hypochondriac who inhabits a sealed bodysuit. Despite being an expensive project, it never reached the public domain. Cumberbatch misfires are few and far between, and it remains to be seen if
The Dark Side of the Earth
emerges in some form or other in the future.
He had turned some things down flat. Hollywood asked
him to be in a screen version of
Dracula
. He said no. ‘I’ve been fighting it rather than being in it,’ he told the
Radio Times
. ‘I don’t like to repeat myself too much. There are too many vampire franchises.’ He pulled out of the horror flick
Crimson Peak
, to be replaced by Tom Hiddleston and was supposedly being considered for a new
Star Wars
movie as ‘a Darth Vader-style villain’, but denied any association with it. He was even offered the part of King Edward VIII for Madonna’s directorial feature film debut, W.E. After being invited to her home and expecting a brief chat and a
read-through
at most, she suggested a dress rehearsal. ‘I ended up in a suit and tie with Madonna operating the camera herself. We walked around the room trying to do the scene, with her going, “This shot’s not working, I don’t know why.”’ The part went to James D’Arcy, although given the ferocious critical reception the released film received, Cumberbatch may have had a lucky escape.
* * *
Besides, he had quite enough on his plate in 2013. After filming
The Fifth Estate
early on in the year, he took the place of Leonardo DiCaprio in
The Imitation Game
, the real-life story of the mathematician Alan Turing, with Keira Knightley co-starring. Turing had been instrumental in inventing the modern computer. He had also helped to crack the German Enigma code during World War II, saving thousands of lives in the process, but was persecuted in
post-war
Britain for his homosexuality and arrested in 1952.
Given the choice of being sent to prison or put on probation, so long as he would take hormonal treatment to reduce his sex drive, Turing opted for the latter. Two years later, he took his own life.
So, what’s next for Benedict Cumberbatch? Judging from IMDB, there’s a long list of screen commitments, stretching out to 2015. Future projects in various stages of completion include
The Lost City of Z
, an adaptation of
City of Angels
, and a favourite of Cumberbatch’s from his youth, in which he will play the Amazonian explorer, Percy Fawcett. ‘In order to get the whole film noir detective thing,’ he explained, ‘I smoked a lot and drank a lot of whisky. I used to smoke quite a bit and it deepened my voice.’
The one area he had neglected in recent times was stage work. His last stint in British theatre had been
Frankenstein
in 2011, but he fully intended to return, regardless of the film shoots abroad. ‘I’m aching to get back on the stage,’ he admitted in May 2013. ‘It’s weird in this culture that we have this idea that we own people: “Oh, we’re going to lose him to Hollywood”. No, you’re not. I’ve got a suitcase and my home and life are in London. I’m just thrilled that
Hollywood
appreciates what I’m doing at the moment.’
In his position he could just chase the big roles, but as Cumberbatch is interested in the long career and not fame, his ambitions remain varied. Directing is a possibility, partly so that he can experience the making of a film from conception to completion: ‘As an actor you are never there for every heartbeat of it.’
And what about dream roles? Once he had longed to play
Nick Drake in a biopic, although regretted that contemporary Ben Whishaw bore a closer resemblance to the singer-songwriter. Was he ready for Hamlet yet? ‘It’s been inflicted on audiences too much. I mean, fucking Jasper Carrott will be doing it next! It’s like there’s a queue. I think we’re just seeing people do their Hamlet, that’s where it goes wrong.’ Besides, he had another royal role in mind: ‘I’m more interested in Edward II at the moment.’
* * *
Benedict Cumberbatch still lives in Hampstead, North London. He nips around the city on his motorbike and plays five-a-side football whenever possible. He still has no plans to move away from the UK, but is more than happy to work almost anywhere. ‘My home’s in London, and my family and friends are all there. But I’m a nomad at the moment with no dependants, so I’m quite happy to pack a suitcase and travel wherever I’m asked to go.’
An ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, he frequently takes part in events for the charity. In October 2012, he cycled the Palace to Palace bike ride, westwards from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle in Berkshire. The distance was 45 miles, or 72 kilometres. ‘I don’t get the opportunity to cycle much so it was fantastic to take part on such a beautiful route through London. It’s worth it for such an important cause. The Prince’s Trust is a charity which I am passionate about helping. With so many young people struggling to find work in the UK, I feel it’s vital we
do everything we can to make sure all young people have the opportunities to succeed.’
In his late thirties, Cumberbatch has unwittingly become a role model, partly through his work but also through the fame which has accidentally engulfed him.
Sherlock
has made him a star, but how much longer can that show continue, in light of all his other work? Executive producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss certainly hope it can carry on. ‘We love the idea of the audience growing up with the show and the characters growing too,’ Gatiss said, just as series three was nearing completion. ‘There is something lovely in the idea of Benedict and Martin aged 55 sitting at a fireplace, being the age we associate with Holmes and Watson.’
Television drama in Britain had become event TV once again. Just as soaps, reality TV and sport had become
water-cooler
topics, so primetime drama with large casts was becoming equally popular:
Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, Broadchurch
, international crime dramas like
The Killing, Top of the Lake
and
Wallander
. DVD box sets had become the currency of TV drama, with a story arc over many episodes, as in a novel.
The trend for star vehicles, where an actor had an exclusive contract with a network and had shows created for them, had waned. ‘We are mostly dealing with ensemble casts,’ said one ITV executive. ‘
Broadchurch
was actually an ensemble drama with a cast of actors who all had a brilliant role to play.’ Even
Sherlock
was not really a star vehicle for Benedict Cumberbatch, but more about his association with Dr John Watson. Just as Cumberbatch’s parents, Wanda Ventham and
Timothy Carlton (both of whom guest star in
Sherlock
’s third series), had not had series built around them, but had appeared in numerous series as resident cast members, Cumberbatch had rarely been The Star of something.
In the case of
Sherlock
, it may be that keeping the series occasional and lean, at just three episodes per series every couple of years, could ensure that it lasts for some time yet. It enables the main cast – and indeed its writers – to work on other things. ‘There is a traditional model of making television,’ explained Steven Moffat, ‘where you make an awful lot of episodes over five, six or seven years, until you get utterly sick of it and never make the show again.’ Why not, then, take breaks to keep the creative process fresh?
The variations on the Sherlock Holmes character, in any case, show little sign of slowing down. The comic Joe Pasquale is, at the time of writing, playing Holmes on a stage tour of the UK. Sir Ian McKellen has been cast as an elderly Sherlock for a Bill Condon movie called
A Slight Trick of the Mind
.
At the time of the second series, Cumberbatch was in teasing, ambiguous mode about the future of
Sherlock
: ‘I should maybe say that I’m ready to say goodbye to him, but I would miss him. It’s much better to leave people wanting more.’
The extraordinary fame that
Sherlock
had brought Benedict Cumberbatch risked locking him into being perceived for just one role, always a peril for any actor. But there’s another side to that fame: when you’re that
well-known
, and that respected, you can use that power and clout
for other projects. For someone as ambitious and curious as Cumberbatch, he looked forward to a time when he would not be solely defined by the popular media as Sherlock Holmes. ‘[
Sherlock
] gives you the power to do the kind of work you want to do. So obviously, some of it’s constructive. That’s the bit I’m interested in.’
BBC,
Belfast Telegraph, Coventry Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, Design Week, Express on Sunday, Financial Times, Glasgow Herald, Guardian, The Harrovian, Hollywood Reporter, Independent, Independent on Sunday, Irish Independent, Irish Times
, ITV,
LA Times, Mail on Sunday, Marketing Week
, National Public Radio,
New York Times, Northern Echo, Observer, The People, Radio Times, Reader’s Digest, Scotland on Sunday, Scotsman, SFX, ShortList, The Stage and Television Today, Sun, Sunday Mail, Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, Sydney Daily Telegraph, Time Out, The Times, Total Film, Variety, Western Morning News, World Entertainment News Network
, TheWrap.com,
Yorkshire Post.
2001:
11 June–8 September
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Role: Demetrius)
Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London
Presented by: New Shakespeare Company
Revival of the play written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Alan Strachan
Cast included: Martin Turner (Theseus/Oberon), Rebecca Johnson (Hippolyta/Titania), Paul Kemp (Philostrate/Puck), Philip York (Egeus/Attendant to Oberon), Gideon Turner (Lysander), Candida Benson (Helena), Rebecca Callard (Hermia).
2001:
15 June–22 August
LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST (Role: Ferdinand, King of Navarre)
Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London
Presented by: New Shakespeare Company
Revival of the play written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Rachel Kavanaugh
Cast included: Adrian Schiller (Berowne), Gideon Turner (Longueville), Daniel Crowder (Dumaine), Candida Benson (Princess of France), Rebecca Johnson (Rosaline), Rebecca Callard (Maria), Lottie Mayor (Katherine), Martin Turner (Boyet).
2002:
5 June–5 September
ROMEO AND JULIET (Role: Benvolio)
Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London
Presented by: New Shakespeare Company
Revival of the play written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Dominic Hill
Cast included: Alan Westaway (Romeo), Laura Main (Juliet), Adam Levy (Tybalt), John Hodgkinson (Mercutio).
2002:
10 June–7 September
AS YOU LIKE IT (Role: Orlando)
Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London
Presented by: New Shakespeare Company
Revival of the play written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Rachel Kavanaugh
Cast included: Jon Cartwright (Duke Frederick), Caitlin
Mottram (Celia), Rebecca Johnson (Rosalind), John Hodgkinson (Touchstone), Abigail Langham (Audrey).
2002:
25 July–3 September
OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR (Roles: Various)
Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London
Presented by: New Shakespeare Company
Revival of the musical entertainment by: Joan Littlewood, Charles Chilton, Gerry Raffles, and members of the original Theatre Workshop Cast
Directed by: Ian Talbot
2003:
15 May–28 June
THE LADY FROM THE SEA (Role: Lyngstrand)
Almeida Theatre, London
Revival of the play by: Henrik Ibsen
Directed by: Trevor Nunn
Cast included: Natasha Richardson (Ellida), Claudie Blakley (Bolette), Geoffrey Hutchings (Ballested), Louisa Clein (Hilde), John Bowe (Dr Wangel), Tim McInnerny (Arnholm).
2005:
16 March–30 April*; 23 May–6 August**
HEDDA GABLER (Role: George Tesman)
*Almeida Theatre, London; **Duke of York’s Theatre, London
Revival of the play by: Henrik Ibsen
Adapted and directed by: Richard Eyre
Cast included: Eve Best (Hedda Tesman), Gillian Raine (Juliana Tesman), Sarah Flind (Berthe), Lisa Dillon (Thea
Elvsted), Iain Glen (Judge Brack), Jamie Sives (Eilert Loevborg).
2006:
16 March–29 April
PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT (Role: George Haverstick)
Almeida Theatre, London
Revival of the play by: Tennessee Williams
Directed by: Howard Davies
Cast included: Lisa Dillon (Isabel Haverstick), Jared Harris (Ralph Bates), Sandy McDade (Dorothea Bates).
2007:
21 September–15 December
RHINOCEROS (Role: Bérenger)
Royal Court Theatre, London
Revival of the play by: Eugène Ionesco
Directed by: Dominic Cooke
Cast included: Jasper Britton (Jean), Zawe Ashton (Daisy), Paul Chahidi (Dudard), Lloyd Hutchingson (Botard), Graham Turner (Monsieur Papillon).
2007:
1 November–15 December
THE ARSONISTS (Role: Eisenring)
Royal Court Theatre, London
Revival of the play by: Max Frisch
Directed by: Ramin Gray
Cast included: Zawe Ashton (Anna), Will Keen (Biedermann), Paul Chahidi (Schmitz), Jacqueline Defferary (Babette).
2008:
24 April–7 June
THE CITY (Role: Chris)
Royal Court Theatre, London
Directed by: Katie Mitchell
Written by: Martin Crimp
Cast includes: Hattie Morahan (Clair), Amanda Hale (Jenny), Child (Matilda Castrey or Ruby Douglas; alternate performances).
2008:
16–26 September
CARYL CHURCHILL 70TH BIRTHDAY EVENT (Guest Reader)
Royal Court Theatre, London
‘Far Away’ reading
Directed by: Martin Crimp
Readers included: Deborah Findlay, Hattie Morahan.
2010:
1 June–11 August
AFTER THE DANCE (Role: David Scott-Fowler)
Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, London
Presented by: National Theatre Company
Written by: Terence Rattigan
Directed by: Thea Sharrock
Cast included: Nancy Carroll (Joan Scott-Fowler), Adrian Scarborough (John Reid), Faye Castelow (Helen Banner), Giles Cooper (Dr George Banner), Pandora Colin (Julia Browne), John Heffernan (Peter Scott-Fowler), Jenny Galloway (Miss Potter), Juliet Howland (Moya Lexington), Nicholas Lumley (Williams), Lachlan Nieboer (Cyril
Carter), Giles Taylor (Lawrence Walters), Richard Teverson (Arthur Power).
2010:
14 November
THE CHILDREN’S MONOLOGUES (Participant/Reader)
Old Vic, London
Produced and organised by: Danny Boyle
Monologues adapted and compiled by: Lynn Nottage, Bola Agbaje, Polly Stenham, Kwame Kwei-Armah, and others
Cast included: Nikki Amuka-Bird, Romola Garai, Tom Hiddleston, Sir Ben Kingsley, Eddie Redmayne, Samuel West.
2011:
22 February–2 May
FRANKENSTEIN (Alternating roles: Victor Frankenstein/The Creature)
National Theatre, London
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Adapted by: Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Cast includes: Jonny Lee Miller (alternating roles: The Creature/Victor Frankenstein), Karl Johnson, Naomie Harris (Elizabeth Lavenza), Ella Smith, George Harris.
2000:
30 January
HEARTBEAT (Role: Charles)
ITV (Sunday, 2000–2100)
(Featured in one episode: ‘The Good Doctor’)
Directed by: Paul Walker.
2002:
8–9 June
FIELDS OF GOLD (Role: Jeremy)
BBC1 (two parts: Saturday, 2105–2235; Sunday, 2105–2200)
Directed by: Bill Anderson
Produced by: Liza Marshall
Written by: Ronan Bennett, Alan Rusbridger
Cast included: Anna Friel (Lucia Merritt), Phil Davis (Roy Lodge), Max Beesley (Mark Hurst), James Fleet (Alan Buckley), Mark Strong (Dr Tolkin), Phyllis Logan (Rachel Greenlaw), Alphonsia Emmanuel (Karen Delage).
2002:
9 October
TIPPING THE VELVET (Role: Freddy)
BBC2 (Wednesday, 2100–2200) (Cumberbatch features in
Part 1 only
of this three-part drama)
Directed by: Geoffrey Sax
Adapted by: Andrew Davies, from the novel by Sarah Waters Cast included: Rachael Stirling (Nan Astley), Keeley Hawes (Kitty Butler), Johnny Vegas (Gully Sutherland), Alexei Sayle (Charles Frobisher).
2002:
19–20 October
SILENT WITNESS (Role: Warren Reid)
BBC1 (Saturday, 2105–2205; Sunday, 2100–2200)
(Cumberbatch features in the two-part story,
‘Tell No Tales’
)
Directed by: John Duthie
2003:
9 May
CAMBRIDGE SPIES (Role: Edward Hand)
BBC4 (Friday, 2200–2300) (Cumberbatch features in
Part 2
only
of this four-part drama)
Directed by: Tim Fywell
Cast included: Toby Stephens (Kim Philby), Tom Hollander (Guy Burgess), Rupert Penry-Jones (Donald Maclean), Samuel West (Anthony Blunt).
[This episode was first broadcast on terrestrial television on BBC2 the following Friday, 16 May 2003, at 2100]
2003:
2 June
SPOOKS (Role: Jim North)
BBC1 (Monday, 2100–2200)
Features in the episode
‘Legitimate Targets’
Directed by: Bharat Nalluri
2003:
29 June–6 July; 19 July–9 August
FORTYSOMETHING (Role: Rory Slippery)
ITV1 (Sundays, 2100–2200 (eps 1 and 2); Saturdays, around 2300–0000 (eps 3–6))
(Cumberbatch appears in
all six episodes
of the series)
Directed by: Hugh Laurie (eps 1 and 2), Nic Phillips (eps 3–6)
Series cast included: Hugh Laurie (Dr Paul Slippery), Anna Chancellor (Estelle Slippery), Neil Henry (Daniel Slippery), Joe Van Moyland (Edwin Slippery), Lolita Chakrabati (Surinder), Peter Capaldi (Ronnie Pilfrey), Sheila Hancock (Gwendolen) (After two episodes, due to unexpectedly low ratings, the series was shifted to a late-night slot on Saturdays, and
replaced in its Sunday peak time slot by repeats of
Midsomer Murders
.)
2004:
18–20 February
DUNKIRK (Role: Lt Jimmy Langley (all episodes))
BBC2 (Wednesday–Friday, 2100–2200)
1: Retreat
2: Evacuation
3: Survival
Directed by: Alex Holmes
Cast included: Timothy Dalton (Narrator), Simon Russell Beale (Winston Churchill).
2004:
11 April
HEARTBEAT (Role: Toby Fisher)
ITV1 (Sunday, 2000–2100)
Features in the episode
‘No Hard Feelings’
Directed by: Judith Dine
2004:
13 April
HAWKING (Role: Stephen Hawking)
BBC2 (Tuesday, 2100–2230)
Directed by: Philip Martin
Cast included: Michael Brandon (Arno Penzias), Tom Hodgkins (Bob Wilson), Peter Firth (Fred Hoyle), Lisa Dillon (Jane Wilde), John Sessions (Dennis Sciama), Tom Ward (Roger Penrose), Phoebe Nicholls (Isobel Hawking), Adam Godley (Frank Hawking), Bertie Carvel (George Ellis), Alice Eve (Martha Guthrie), Carolina Giammetta (Lidia Sciama).
2005:
25 February; 3 March
NATHAN BARLEY (Role: Robin)
Channel 4 (Fridays, 2200–2230)
(Cumberbatch appears in
episodes 3 and 4 only
of this
six-part
series)
Directed by: Chris Morris
Written by: Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker
Main Cast: Nicholas Burns (Nathan Barley), Julian Barratt (Dan Ashcroft), Claire Keelan (Claire Ashcroft), Richard Ayaode (Ned Smanks), Spencer Brown (Rufus Onslatt), Charlie Condou (Jonatton Yeah?), Noel Fielding (Jones), Stephen Mangan (Rod Senseless), Rhys Thomas (Toby), Ben Whishaw (Pingu)
2005:
6–20 July
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (Role: Edmund Talbot (all episodes))
BBC2 (Wednesdays, 2100–2230)
Directed by: David Attwood
Cast included: Jared Harris (Captain Anderson), Jamie Sives (1st Lieutenant Summers), Sam Neill (Mr Prettiman), Denise Black (Mrs Brocklebank), Richard McCabe (Mr Brocklebank), Victoria Hamilton (Miss Granham), Paula Jennings (Zenobia), Robert Hobbs (Lieutenant Cumbersham), Daniel Evans (Parson Colley), Charles Dance (Sir Henry Somerset), Cheryl Campbell (Lady Somerset).
2005:
5 September
THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9/11 (Narrator)
Channel 4 (Monday, 2100–2200)
Produced by: Steve Humphries
2005:
31 October–5 December
BROKEN NEWS (Role: Will Parker (all episodes))
BBC2 (Mondays, 2130–2200)
1: Tomato Flu
2: Missing Island
3: Half Way There Day
4: Crime
5: Bolivian Crisis
6: Hijack
Directed by: John Morton
Produced by: Paul Schlesinger
Written by: John Morton and Tony Roche
Series cast included: Claudia Christian (Julia Regan), Duncan Duff (Richard Pritchard), Sharon Horgan (Katie Tate), Kim Wall (Phil Curdridge), Tom Goodman-Hill (Joe Reed), Sarah Hadland (Claire), Phil Nichol (Josh Cashman), Darren Boyd (Nick Burnham).
2007:
23 September
STUART: A LIFE BACKWARDS (Role: Alexander Masters)
BBC2 (Sunday, 2100–2230)
Directed by: David Attwood
Cast included: Tom Hardy (Stuart Shorter), Nicola Duffett (Judith Shorter), Claire-Louise Cordwell (Karen Shorter), Edna Doré (Gran), Frank Mills (Granpa), Candis Nergaard (Sophie).
2008:
6–20 January
PICTURE THIS (Narrator)
Channel 4 (Sundays, 1900–2000)
Produced and directed by: Tom Coveney
Panel: Martin Parr, Brett Rogers, Alex Proud
2008:
17 February–16 March
THE LAST ENEMY (Role: Stephen Ezard (all episodes))
BBC1 (Sundays, 2100–2225 (ep 1), 2100–2200 (eps 2–6))
Directed by: Iain B. MacDonald
Series cast included: Max Beesley (Michael Ezard), Anamaria Marinca (Yasim Anwar), Robert Carlyle (David Russell), David Harewood (Patrick Nye), Eva Birthistle (Eleanor Brooke), Geraldine James (Barbara Turney), Christopher Fulford (George Gibbon), Iona Serban (Nadir).
2009:
10 May–14 June
SOUTH PACIFIC (Narrator (all episodes))
BBC2 (Sundays, 2030–2130)
1: Ocean of Islands
2: Castaways
3: Endless Blue
4: Ocean of Volcanos
