Benedict Cumberbatch may not speak often about fatherhood, but he recently got vulnerable about the emotional life stage in an interview with The Times of London. Cumberbatch has three sons, ages ten, eight, and six, all with his wife Sophie Hunter.
In the interview, Cumberbatch explained how becoming a dad has changed how he approaches his job as an actor. Now, his emotions are “paper thin,” he said, adding, “That’s what changes how you act, when you become a father. It isn’t necessarily crossovers between your experience and the character’s, it’s that you become an unfettered channel to stuff that you weren’t before. ‘Barbie’ makes you cry and other things make you angry.”
Benedict Cumberbatch’s New Movie
Cumberbatch may be best known his Emmy Award-winning performance as the title character in “Sherlock” and for his frequent appearances in Marvel movies like “Doctor Strange,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Spiderman: No Way Home,” to name a few. However, his new film has a very different vibe to his previous, critically acclaimed work.
“The Thing with Feathers” is an independent film made for only $8 million, according to Variety. In the movie, Cumberbatch plays Dad, a man who must grieve his suddenly deceased wife while also raising his two young sons, per The Times of London. Throughout the journey, the family is visited by a talking crow who moves into the house and provides a Mary Poppins-type role for the family, staying until no longer needed.
Based on the plot, it’s easy to see how Cumberbatch’s actual family would affect his ability to portray a character going through such grief. In fact, Cumberbatch admitted he cried a lot during filming, saying, “My costume was covered in tears. There were so many costume changes. It’s the unexpected things which make you cry, which is so true to grief.”
“The Thing with Feathers” hits United States theaters on November 28, 2025.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Acting Career
GettyCumberbatch has had a long and fruitful career. “The Thing with Feathers” isn’t his only movie that came out this year. The English actor also starred in “The Roses,” in which he plays Olivia Coleman’s husband as their marriage starts falling apart. On top of those two movies, Cumberbatch had a role in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” a film that also starred Scarlett Johansson, Michael Cera, Bryan Cranston, and more.
Cumberbatch will reprise his role as Doctor Strange in “Avengers: Doomsday,” according to Business Insider, so fans who particularly love Cumberbatch for his Marvel work have something to look forward to.
