Having already been established as one of the Multiverse Saga’s key players through Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch is poised to become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s anchors between now and Avengers: Secret Wars.
He’s already assumed the “goateed mentor/father figure” role from Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark after taking Peter Parker and America Chavez under his wing, and there’s a lot of fans who think the actor will get the distinction of being the first name listed in the credits the next time Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are assembled.
A great deal of Cumberbatch’s time in the MCU has been spent standing in front of a green screen waving his arms around and casting spells to tennis balls on sticks, though, so it’s not really entirely surprising to hear the two-time Academy Award nominee admit to The Talks that playing the character doesn’t exactly require him to flex every single one of his acting muscles.
“It’s not some sort of acting gym where you’re stripping off layers of self to reveal a layer of truth all the time. You are working to do some of that but in the heartbeat of making a massive film like The Avengers, for example, it can be tough getting that one moment of emotion absolutely nailed in five minutes because that’s all the time they have because of the other, bigger things around it.
In this instance, it’s not a massive development of the character, it’s about how to service the story at the same time as balancing the integrity of a now much-loved part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, I learn on every job. I would like to think I learn. I learn by watching other people. It was wonderful to watch Robert. It is wonderful to watch him, and to watch people who really know what they are playing inside out.”
Cumberbatch obviously isn’t saying he turns up, goes through the motions, and then goes home with millions of additional dollars in the bank (although that certainly helps), but it’s interesting to hear one of the MCU’s biggest stars come clean about how the approach their performances when they know they’re working solely in service of something a great deal larger than they are as a single moving part among many.
