Benedict Cumberbatch, Transition Completed

by Lynnette Porter

  Harvey Weinstein enthused that the film had a script that he loved but worried that the subject matter might not be handled well, because “if you got [anything] wrong... , you would have major problems... These guys got it so perfect, they did a better job than I ever could have. Benedict is unbelievable... We look at this as a major release and we’re thrilled to have it”.[354]

  In May 2014, the film’s release date was set as November 14 in the U.K. and November 21 in the U.S. Its placement on the entertainment calendar indicates that it is poised not only as a “serious film” but, more important to the studio, as another indicator that it can be a potential award winner eligible for both BAFTA and Oscar consideration.[355]

  Similarly, when the first official trailer[356] was released in July, on the day that the BFI London Film Festival announced that The Imitation Game would have its European premiere as the festival’s opening film, critics and fans applauded the brief dramatic scenes that hint at the depth of Cumberbatch’s performance. As Turing, the actor sounds and looks aloofly intellectual, as befitting a mathematician who eventually breaks the Enigma code, but his voice also breaks during an interrogation scene, beautifully conveying Turing’s vulnerability.

  The BFI press release quoted festival director Clare Stewart regarding the film’s selection for the opening night gala: “Featuring extraordinary performances from the British talent in front of the camera and vividly directed by Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game does cinematic justice to Alan Turing’s vision, determination and personal story as well as his enduring impact on British history and contemporary life”.[357] A few days later, the Toronto International Film Festival named The Imitation Game as one of its special presentations, further suggesting the film is a “must see”.

  Of course, The Fifth Estate received similar promotion a year earlier, and the finished film failed at the box office to live up to its promotional promise. Both are biopics starring Cumberbatch and primed for awards-season promotion, but, whereas The Fifth Estate had to contend with competing publicity by and about Julian Assange, The Imitation Game’s Turing is no longer alive and, because of the nature of his death and Turing’s great service to his country during World War II, is considered by many to be a highly sympathetic figure.

  The industry thinks of the film as “Benedict Cumberbatch’s Imitation Game,” a label that is both a blessing to CAA, Cumberbatch’s U.S. management, which helped broker the sale, and an expectation that the entire film can be as exciting and intriguing as footage shown in Berlin early in 2014. Buzz among critics, including predictions of an Oscar for Cumberbatch, kept the film in media headlines during the autumn film festival season. Yet the film faced a different potential box office hurdle.

  Mainstream audiences looking for entertainment among a crowded field of movies at the end of the year, however, often look for less serious fare as their first choice. As with Cumberbatch’s R-rated films released in 2013, under-18 fans in the U.S. cannot see the movie without a guardian. The coveted youth audience may not have heard of Turing or want to see a movie set during a last-century war. Such marketing considerations also have a bearing on the film’s ultimate success.

  Entertainment Weekly, which typically has been pro-Cumberbatch in the past few years, released two stills once the movie was in post-production. Whereas earlier shots of the actor dressed as Turing usually came from paparazzi following the actor during on-location filming, the Entertainment Weekly photos were official. One, showing a group of people surrounding Turing, who is seated at a table, unfortunately looks similar to a publicity still released for The Fifth Estate showing Assange and followers standing around a monitor to look at leaked war footage.

  This type of photos does little to promote an “action” image of the lead or suggest the film does more than show characters at sedentary work. The second Imitation Game photo published by Entertainment Weekly, however, pits Turing against two uniformed men restraining the agitated man. At least this photo implies more controversy, as does the article’s title, “Benedict Cumberbatch Outwits Nazis in ‘The Imitation Game’”. (Once again, the “hero” designation goes to Cumberbatch, not Turing, in this promotional article.)

  Fortunately, the first trailer included clips showing Cumberbatch’s emotional range, and it also made the film seem more exciting by hinting that Turing is an enigma himself (like the Enigma code he eventually broke). Footage of Turing running track at least proves he gets out of the office. Whereas the stills could have been problematic in marketing the film to a mass audience, the trailer includes snippets of dramatic scenes featuring Cumberbatch’s “Oscar-worthy” performance.[358]

  The first Entertainment Weekly article describes Cumberbatch’s dedication to the role. The actor prepared by studying Turing’s stuttered speech patterns and analysing his correspondence with the mother of Turing’s high school “crush”.[359] Instead of playing up Cumberbatch’s celebrity (at least beyond the headline guaranteed to gain attention), this article highlights one of his notable strengths as an actor: his research and attention to detail in preparing for a role.

  While still filming the role, Cumberbatch mentioned that Turing, while known for his intelligence, also was quite a runner. As part of his work for this role, Cumberbatch began running. When asked in a Big Issue interview whether this role stretched both his mind and body, the actor quickly agreed, saying that he was

  running pretty much all the time [and] carrying around the most ridiculous selection of books... But it’s great, and I’m learning so much. I hope... that I can keep finding these interesting roles and carve out a little niche for myself in the film world.[360]

  The Imitation Game highlights Cumberbatch’s strengths to play sympathetic dramatic roles, especially people from the past century in British history, but it also presents a dilemma regarding his long-game career. Turing is a starring role, but it is not the kind of film or part that usually attracts mainstream audiences and automatically is a blockbuster. Instead, the film is more likely to garner the attention of older adult audiences and film critics (as well as Cumberbatch fans who will go because he stars). Turing is similar to roles that Cumberbatch has played well before - the brainy loner, an intellectual facing a tragic dilemma and displaying vulnerability with which an audience can empathise, a leader making important decisions during decisive (often wartime) moments in British history.

  However, this film provides an opportunity to shine a more intense spotlight on the type of work that, in the past, Cumberbatch has done very well and make even more people aware of his talent. If The Imitation Game gains Cumberbatch more critical acclaim and balances the “celebrity” publicity he received from a film like Star Trek: Into Darkness, then the actor’s range and depth will truly be established more publicly - even though Cumberbatch fans and those in the entertainment industry who have worked with him for more than a decade already understand this actor’s immense talent.

  A Star But Not a Leading Man?

  No matter how much positive press and public adulation Cumberbatch receives, some people will continue to question the reasons behind his atypical stardom and whether he might be a “star” in the sense of being a popular celebrity (especially on the Internet) but not a star in the sense of being a leading man whose name alone can ensure box office success. Critics refer to typical measures of film stardom, such as having a certain physical appearance (e.g., Brad Pitt) or larger-than-life persona (e.g., Johnny Depp), and compare Cumberbatch to these standards.

  By deconstructing the actor as a series of facial features, one writer explained Cumberbatch’s physical limitations as a star: “The camera seeks out two things in an actor’s face: mouth and eyes... The big guys - Pitt, [George] Clooney, [Robert] Downey, [Jr.,] [Johnny] Depp, [Tom] Cruise - all sport alluring mouth-eye sets.... Cumberbatch has remarkable eyes, a distinctive mouth, but they’re not exactly alluring in the same way as... bona fide stars in the wa
y Hollywood measures these things”.[361]

  The writer further suggests that Cumberbatch’s recent celebrity is more the result of the public’s infatuation with his “distinctive physicality” and “sonorous voice” coupled with the actor’s intriguing role choices. Yet these qualities do not make him a leading man, according to this article.

  Although all actors face some brand of typecasting, based on age, gender, physical appearance, ethnicity, nationality, social class, et cetera, Cumberbatch continues to defy cookie-cutter definitions of what makes a star or, in this case, a leading man. His appearance is unique, and it attracts as many fans as it mystifies critics. As part of a career that has gone against “standards” for a star, Cumberbatch’s roles may be in the “supporting” category as often as they are the leads, but whether that keeps him from being considered a “Hollywood leading man” may simply be another area in which Cumberbatch redefines stardom on his own terms.

  The Next Benedict Cumberbatch

  “Fame is fleeting” may be the adage, but fame in the twenty-first century tends to last years, thanks to public relations firms, publicity machines, and the persistent power of the Internet. Electronic information seems to be nearly impossible to completely delete, and the keyword Cumberbatch generates so many different websites, articles, videos, sound bites, and images that it seems impossible they all will be gone any time soon.

  Furthermore, the fame that comes from excellent performances tends to last because iconic characters become part of popular culture. When Sherlock Holmes is mentioned in the future, Benedict Cumberbatch will be included among the long list of actors who have played the role, and his many awards - as well as the artefact of the episodes themselves - ensure that he will long be remembered as Sherlock.

  Even if Cumberbatch’s performance is not the specific reason for a work’s cultural or historic significance, his role within important films that one day will become national treasures also will keep his name prominent in entertainment history. The Hobbit film trilogy likely will become one of the most well-known adaptations of Tolkien’s story, and Cumberbatch plays two key roles within Jackson’s version - the Necromancer and, more important, Smaug. In the U.S., the National Film Registry likely will identify 12 Years a Slave as a “significant film” to be included within the Library of Congress - and Cumberbatch has a role in that film.

  Celebrity culture, on the other hand, tends to promote the new and different. Cumberbatch’s celebrity largely has been marked by his “difference” from what is expected - his public persona reflecting old-style Hollywood glamour or the suave British gentleman seems to surprisingly conflict with his “goofy guy” persona who leaps into photos or hides from paparazzi behind a napkin on his head. Some British fans, however, explain that what Americans define as “goofy” is really a part of the vaunted British “eccentricity,” making Cumberbatch seem even more quintessentially British. Those from other cultural backgrounds (e.g., most Americans) are more likely to see a greater divergence between these two public personas.

  Within two days during a mid-year trip to New York, Cumberbatch made headlines because of striking celebrity photos taken of him, one during a formal event and one on the following day during lunch with friends. Yet these conflicting images reflect aspects of his personality that attract - and, so far, maintain - public attention.

  Cumberbatch’s movie star persona was photographed incessantly during New York’s “Oscars of style,” the Met Gala. In its “Do’s and Don’t’s” article regarding white-tie apparel, Gentlemen’s Gazette showcased Cumberbatch under “Do” #4, Wear It With Confidence,[362] and fashion guru Anna Wintour proclaimed that Cumberbatch was the only man attending the event to wear white-tie fashion correctly.[363]

  Less than twenty-four hours later, aware that New York’s paparazzi were photographing him through a restaurant’s window, Cumberbatch hid his face beneath a cloth napkin, wearing his sunglasses and cap over them to recreate the Claude Rains’ “invisible” look (as immortalised in 1933’s The Invisible Man). Cumberbatch and the friends with whom he was dining shared a laugh, as did fans who saw the series of photographs later that afternoon.[364] The actor’s impromptu reaction generated nearly as much media coverage as his attendance at the Met Gala.

  Cumberbatch’s uniqueness may be a prerequisite for perpetuating his level of celebrity. In November 2013, the Radio Times enumerated the factors that make Cumberbatch attractive to the public: “his interesting choice of roles, posh accent, those cheekbones - but then there are those extra special qualities... : those impressions of Alan Rickman, his bromance with co-star Martin Freeman, that name we just want to say over and over again”. Nonetheless, the article contended, several other British actors have similarly alluring qualities, and “Cumberbatch’s star quality isn’t entirely unique”.[365] Among the actors poised to take Cumberbatch’s place as a celebrity, the Radio Times opined, are Tom Hiddleston, Ben Whishaw, Cillian Murphy, and Robert Sheehan, who all share with Cumberbatch a physical characteristic, acting style, or similar “look” in a role.

  These and similar headlines indicate that Cumberbatch is no longer considered the man of the moment but an established star. If he is no longer “the next hot actor,” his physical appearance and public personas differ enough from the mainstream to maintain his level of celebrity for the time being.

  What the Future May Bring

  Cumberbatch’s talent has never been in dispute, even when some recent critics find fault with his casting or elements of his performance (such as an accent). Perhaps one reason why Cumberbatch appeals to so many critics, fans representing different nations and age groups, and, increasingly, broad-based mainstream audiences is simply that he is very good at his work.

  He does his research, relies on his experience and instincts, and is open to learning from his colleagues. He does not wish to become stagnant by playing the same types of characters again and again; he pursues roles that interest him and carefully decides among roles for which he is pursued. He does what is necessary to prepare for a part, such as physically changing his body by working diligently with a personal trainer. He also fulfils commitments to promote projects and takes being interviewed seriously. He may never understand why so many fans wait hours to see him or follow him wherever he goes, and at times that level of scrutiny can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, he acknowledges his fans - those who support him by watching his performances at home, in theatres, or in cinemas, as well as those who queue outside venues where he is scheduled to appear. He is becoming ever more savvy in the ways of developing and maintaining his public image, and he is adamant about building a career that will span future decades.

  Although 2013 was an incredibly good year for Cumberbatch’s career, it was not perfect. Not all reviews were as positive or box office receipts as high grossing as Cumberbatch or his management may have hoped. Because Cumberbatch has been highly praised for his acting and received so many awards or nominations, it sometimes seems surprising when he is not automatically brilliant at everything. Not all new career directions, such as becoming an emcee or a commentator, may be ultimately fruitful. Nevertheless, the actor experimented with new on-screen jobs.

  Certainly, professional high points during 2013 include performances in several major movies and the filming of his successful television series, plus recognition at awards ceremonies on more than one continent. The projects negotiated or recorded for release in 2013 for 2014 involved work in radio, television, and film, with a return to the theatre announced for 2015. 2014, like 2013, saw the release of many films prominently showcasing his talent, whether with voice and mo-cap as Smaug in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, voice as Classified in The Penguins of Madagascar, or live-action drama as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. Although it is inevitable that Cumberbatch’s celebrity will fluctuate in the coming years, his talent will not. He seems to thrive on the challenges of acting, and he
has constructed a firm foundation to support new acting projects and to establish a production company.

  Whereas Cumberbatch should always have a devoted fanbase, public interest shifts frequently, and the actor, as early as 2014, is no longer quite as “new” to an international audience as he was before War Horse, or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, or Sherlock, or Frankenstein, or Star Trek - whichever role or time frame attracted mainstream audiences who wanted to find out who that actor is and what he has done before. So many dovetailing roles brought Cumberbatch to global attention within a couple of years (after more than a decade of good work). As a result, the public is far more aware of him than they were a few years ago, and his online fame, in particular, has grown tremendously.

  On a day in June 2014 when Cumberbatch did not have a new project to announce or a current film, radio show, television series, theatrical performance, or personal appearance to publicise, a Google search for “Benedict Cumberbatch” still generated 5,900,000 entries in English alone. When the media reports truly new developments in Cumberbatch’s career, the number of articles available online increases by leaps.

  What Cumberbatch chooses to do with his career, the ways he approaches the media and his fans, and his future acting success will largely determine how long his celebrity will last. He may have fantastic years in which multiple projects are released almost simultaneously, but there may never be another year like 2013, during which he completed his transitional phase from “working actor” to media darling and widely feted actor in so many high-profile, big-budget projects that introduced him to a much broader global audience.