Benedict Cumberbatch has two new interviews, and thankfully there’s nary a mention of “colored actors” (although he does call himself a “white boy” at one point). I was going to excerpt from his Rolling Stone interview, but it’s kind of boring – you can read it here. He literally says that “Alan Turing should be on bank notes” line for the millionth time. The LA Times piece was a lot better, perhaps because they spoke to Bendy in person. He wore a Pink Floyd t-shirt and sat by a fire pit, watching movie stars wander around Palm Springs. That’s seriously the setting for this LAT piece. Some highlights:
Acting silly at awards shows: “I’m drunk. That’s not actually true. I wish I could blame the evils of alcohol and say, “Kids: Don’t go there.” But that … happens when I’m sober. It would have happened. And I say “drunk,” but I had a little slurp of a tiny miniature. It was just the high of the whole thing. A friend of mine did literally say, “Get a photo of U2 if you can.” Not with them. Just of them. And I thought, “I don’t have my camera phone and I’m not going to ask for a selfie with U2.”
His jumping photobombs: “White boy can jump.”
Best advice for negotiating Hollywood: “I’ve been chugging away in my career 10 years. That helps you prepare for the exposure. And there are things now which make it easier to escape the obsession with self. If you have someone you love and you’re devoted to them and it’s a proper devotional love — as I do in my life — there’s nothing better than that tonic. First of all, you have your world between you and that person. But also, being devoted to that person takes you away from yourself. There’s someone more important. Not that that’s a reason to be in a relationship, but it’s a very healthy byproduct of it when you’re doing such an obsessional job as acting can be.”
His regret at not being a father by the age of 32: “When I was growing up, I had a weird obsession with 32 being the mark of adulthood and that was part of what I thought that might mean, naively. It was just a hunch about a number. I was always a bit of an old soul. I wasn’t really interested in being young. I mean, I wasn’t eccentric. But I’m glad it didn’t happen. Things happen for a reason. And I’m definitely with the right person for that. So no regrets …”
Towards the end of the interview, they get interrupted by David Oyelowo and David and Bendy chat amicably, then David leaves and Bendy talks about the historical accuracy in films, and whether TIG should have shown more of Alan Turing’s homosexuality. I found his thoughts interesting, for what it’s worth. Incidentally, Benedict has joined Stephen Fry’s campaign to pardon the more than 49,000 men who were arrested and charged with crimes involving their homosexuality – you can read more about it here.
As for Benedict referencing his “devotional love” for Sophie Hunter… eh, I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t think he’s really “devoted” to her. I think they were casually dating and she got pregnant and they decided to make a go of it. What’s interesting to me is that he’s trying to convince himself that this is some kind of epic love story.
Last thing – Sophie Hunter sat front-row at the Valentino show this week. She sat beside Anna Wintour!! This means that Sophie will be wearing Valentino at the Oscars or her wedding (or both). And that Sophie is probably going to be featured in Vogue very soon.
Theatre director SOPHIE HUNTER and Anna Wintour at the 2015 Valentino Fashion Show in Paris http://t.co/I2ZPEYJlcM pic.twitter.com/0ML6lIDuUM
— Sophie Hunter Photos (@sophiehphotos) January 28, 2015
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.
Special thanks Cele Bitch
