Benedict Cumberbatch is an acclaimed actor on the small and silver screen. He became globally known when he played the titular Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective in the BBC series Sherlock, which began in 2010. It was this show that earned the actor his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, and he would go on to be nominated for Emmys for every single season of the series as well as its supplemental episode, “The Abominable Bride.” Cumberbatch was later nominated for his work leading Patrick Melrose.
While his television career is spackled with awards, Cumberbatch has also been a prominent face in movies as well. He made his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut in Doctor Strange in 2016, and would go on to appear in several other MCU movies. In addition to these mainstream affairs, Cumberbatch is known for his work in high-rated dramas. This includes Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which earned Cumberbatch an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Now, Cumberbatch speaks more on the role that gave him his first Oscar nomination, years before The Power of the Dog.
Cumberbatch Reflects On His Imitation Game Role

Cumberbatch Felt Deeply Connected To Alan Turing

Cumberbatch reflects on his performance in The Imitation Game. Directed by Morten Tyldum, the biographical film tells the story of Alan Turing, a real-life mathematician who tried to solve the German Enigma code. The film features Cumberbatch in the lead role alongside a supporting cast that includes Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, Mark Strong, and Rory Kinnear. Cumberbatch received his first Best Actor nomination for playing Turing, though he lost to fellow biopic actor Eddie Redmayne, who portrayed Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
In an interview with Variety, Cumberbatch discusses his Imitation Game role. According to the actor, his performance came from a “deep, deep, deep kind of connection” that he felt with this real-person character and the things that he went through. He mentiones that “maybe that’s not good acting” but maintains that this type of acting involves something just “coming through” him. Check out the full explanation from Cumberbatch below:

It’s just like a deep, deep, deep kind of connection of thinking ‘oh I understand what you were or went through.’ And the pain of that at certain points in his story. You know, no acting was required, just sort of thinking of him was enough. Maybe that’s not good acting, I don’t know. I’ve talked about this a bit. Maybe that’s just witnessing something and feeling it historically as the abomination that it was, his chemical castration because of his sexuality.

And if you just leave it alone and don’t think, ‘how does this story get most effectively told at this point,’ something just happens. I think that’s true of a lot of art, lot of sport, lot of anything where we’re just doing it and it’s coming through us. You’re not really, you know, I got patted on the back for it a lot, but its not really you, it’s something else just coming through you. It’s the power of the story or the character. And just letting yourself be open for that, I suppose, is the trick of the acting of it.

Our Take On Cumberbatch’s Imitation Game Description

This Makes His Performance Better

Cumberbatch connected with his Alan Turing character in a beautiful way that sounds like it honored the movie’s story. As much as The Imitation Game shows intellectual triumph, the movie is ultimately based on the personal tragedy experienced by Turing. Cumberbatch offers a stirring portrayal of this tortured lead character in a performance that rightfully earned an Oscar nomination. To see the grace and humility with which Cumberbatch treated the role makes it even better.
Source: Variety

The Imitation Game

Release Date

November 28, 2014

Runtime

114minutes

Director

Morten Tyldum

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