Landing the role as the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness has made the British actor one of the most sought-after names in Hollywood
Benedict Cumberbatch was shooting the third series of his hit BBC show Sherlock in Wales until the middle of the night before this interview. And the hardworking 36-year-old from London is well on his way to becoming a Hollywood A-lister, having impressed critics with his performances in Frankenstein on stage and professor Stephen Hawking on television. He’s also starred in landmark British films including Atonement and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and is now landing the big roles, such as Smaug in the ongoing Hobbit films as well as the villain in the second movie in JJ Abrams’s rebooted Star Trek series, which is out this week.
Were you a fan of the Star Trek universe before making this film?
I was very much agnostic, that would be the term. I didn’t reject it. I got a sentimental kick during the reboot, though, so there must have been something there. I think because it was on [the UK’s] BBC2 before the news at 6pm. But as far as escapism went, Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark got more under my skin. I’ve got a respect for Star Trek now. I remember even at the time thinking they were quite tight morality plays and it wasn’t just about the fastidiousness and endless detail that people can obsess over in the Trekkie universe.
And of course, you play a human in Star Trek and a rather different species in The Hobbit.
Yes, I’m actually there. I’ve been asked before to play cerebral or manipulative masterminds, but not ones as brawny as this in Into Darkness, so I enjoyed all that, too. As a bad guy, you don’t just want to do nasty things and blow stuff up. Working on Star Trek, you can marry your role slightly to real-life experiences but, playing a creature like Smaug in The Hobbit, it’s impossible to do that – he’s a 400-year-old fire-breathing worm who lives on top of a pile of gold and likes eating doors.
Are you just a voice in The Hobbit?
Obviously in The Hobbit, I am personally performing as a biped rather than a serpent, so the motion-capture element is limited. I was mainly on my belly on the floor playing at being a dragon. It was like being a kid: no marks, no make-up, no continuity, no worries about camera positions. It was so much fun.
You’ve played several real people on screen, most recently WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for the movie The Fifth Estate.
I wanted to give a fair account of him. It’s a living story, and the moral responsibility was very much part of the job. I tried to reach out to him, to communicate with him, and he was having none of it as far as a meeting goes. He felt a meeting would condone a film he felt was too poisonous an account. He got hold of an old script and all sorts of issues blew up when we were filming. He tried to attack it and in his position I’d do the same, probably. We had a discussion, though, which was good. If Julian is feeling that way, politically, he’s right not to let that [a meeting] happen.
Have your theatre fans lost you to the big screen?
I’m actually aching to get back on the stage. This culture has an 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 family, home and life are in London. This is where I always go back to. I’m just thrilled Hollywood appreciates what I’m doing.
Star Trek is surely going to bring even more attention your way…
Yes, everyone’s saying that: ‘Benedict blasts off’, and all those terrible puns! But I go: ‘Well, yeah, I know James McAvoy, and he’s OK. Michael Fassbender I know a little bit, and he’s doing fine.’ It’s possible to remain grounded. I can’t be anything but flattered because of the attention towards the work. It is strange when people hang around for hours to get a glimpse of you doing scenes outside. A lot of the filming for Sherlock has become like street theatre in London. I got performance anxiety the other day when I went to Gower Street and there were 500 people there. I’m just there to work. This is kind of like my office!
Star Trek director JJ Abrams is directing the new Star Wars film. Fancy asking him for a role?
He knows where I live and I’ll always put another audition online for him should he need it. Yeah, that would be dreamy!
Star Trek Into Darkness is now showing in UAE cinemas.
