Okay ladies (and gents), everyone’s favorite Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, is on the big screen as Marvel’s Doctor Stephen Strange. Could there be a more perfect Doctor Strange? I think not. I got to interview Benedict, after an early screening, and he is just as charming as one would imagine, and even better looking. Come on – I know you wanted to know!
Benedict Cumberbatch on his role of Doctor Strange:
Working on set
The set is a huge mixture where there are rooms with 360 usable frames. Other days you are literally in a room where the walls, the floors,everything but the ceiling is diffused light; it’s green or blue. You don’t know what time it is and can’t get the horizons or space right. You know exactly where you are, what elements or environments are gonna be moving around you, and then it’s the same old game of acting.
The hardest part about being Doctor Strange
The hardest stuff is sometimes doing the movement, or the spells, or anything to do with what his powers are, or the weapons he used. So it’s just magic stuff out of the air, literally, to fight with at times.
Getting into costume
On wearing the cloak: Oh, well I felt like a kid. I mean it was just amazing. It was the first proper moment when I thought, I’m actually playing a superhero. There’s nothing like it and I was very giddy.
Auditioning for Doctor Strange
This was a very drawn out process. It started when we were doing Star Trek press and the journalist said “You’d make a great Doctor Strange.” I went Doctor who? And he went, no, that as well. The role didn’t immediately strike my box, but my slow brain woke up to the fact that in the 21st Century you can make magic look pretty cool on the big screen. Scott (the director) won me over after a sit-down. I was tied up with Hamlet so it went away for a bit and I was heartbroken. They came out and said they couldn’t make the film without me, so they postponed the making and release of the film.
What he’d like to see his future character do
Training for spells
For the specifics of the spell casting, there was this fantastic guy called Julian, who’s a world class tutter, which is this hand movement thing. It’s very specific to the fingers. It’s like break-dancing from the wrists up. It’s these stunning geometric, or abstract shapes he creates with his hands. The rest of the training was everything from Tai Chi to Kung Fu, to the fight style. The biggest thing I accomplished was the aerial gymnastics. It was tough, but really enjoyable. I was training every day just to get my body in shape. Then yoga to make sure my body was supple enough.
There you have it folks – Benedict Cumberbatch and just a touch of what he went through to perfect his role as Doctor Stephen Strange. Be sure to catch Doctor Strange in theaters everywhere November 4th!
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