Benedict Cumberbatch is not like Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt.
The actor pushed back against the idea of being a “typical movie star,” distinguishing himself from the Hollywood icons.
In an interview with Variety about his upcoming film The Thing with Feathers, Cumberbatch, 48, reflected on his unique appeal in the entertainment world, which skyrocketed after his role in the BBC series Sherlock.
“I’m not Brad, I’m not Leonardo, I’m not a typical movie star. People were scrambling for ‘Why is he at all attractive to us?’” he said.
Addressing his status as a sex symbol, Cumberbatch admitted that the public’s perception of him has always been baffling.
“But for me to guess and try to understand that is so f—— weirdly navel-gazing. I’m not sitting around thinking, ‘Why am I sexy?’ I worry about myself in the mirror as I age, like every other f—– does.”
Despite being featured in multiple PEOPLE magazine Sexiest Man Alive issues, Cumberbatch expressed discomfort with the term “celebrity.”
While acknowledging that his fame played a crucial role in getting his indie drama The Thing with Feathers produced, he criticized the broad and often “derogatory” nature of the label.
“It’s so derogatory, and just lumps anyone famous together,” he explained. “Am I a ‘celebrated’ person? Well, for what? For selling cheese? For being on a reality show? For doing something outrageous? For being an actor?”
Cumberbatch’s latest film is set to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 25, in Park City, Utah.
In The Thing with Feathers, he portrays a man grappling with the death of his wife while trying to care for his two young children. As described by Variety, his character begins to lose his grip on reality, imagining that he and his children are being haunted by a monstrous crow.
