The Doctor Is in

Benedict Cumberbatch is the perfect man to take on the role of the somewhat arrogant but charming and likeable title character in Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange.

It might be his first superhero role but the British actor is no stranger to playing a slightly flawed but lovable lead character, as he does in the hugely popular TV series, Sherlock.

Cumberbatch has also been in movies such as The Imitation Game, 12 Years A Slave and Star Trek Into Darkness. Here, he tells us what it’s like to play a superhero, what made him want to take on the role and why he loved filming in Nepal.

How did you come onto the project?

I didn’t know much about the comics initially but I heard about this project and knew that Marvel had interest in me. Once Scott Derrickson was attached, I met with him. He was really on board with me being cast in the role. There was a huge space of time whereby I couldn’t do it because of Hamlet and Sherlock, which were sandwiching this project quite tightly. But they worked it out and were graceful enough to move the shooting dates. So, I got to do it.

Did the character appeal to you?

Yes. I found Stephen Strange to be incredibly good company despite his occasioned arrogance. And his journey is extraordinary! He is utterly broken down to be reconstituted into the superhero that becomes fully fledged by the end of the movie. And, very importantly, there’s a lot of humour on the way. There’s a lot of action, a lot of drama. All those elements really appeal to me as an actor. So it was mainly the character arc and the journey he goes on in the film that drew me to the material.