‘Sherlock’s' Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Fame, Social Media and Having a Weird Face in Hour-Long ‘In Conversation’ Q&A

Cumberbatch and Feinburg talked about all manner of topics. (Photo: BAFTA NY via Twitter)
Cumberbatch and Feinburg talked about all manner of topics. (Photo: BAFTA NY via Twitter)
What better way could there be to spend your long weekend than listening to Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch talk for an hour? (Spoiler: The answer is there isn’t one.  Yes, even you, House of Cards binge watchers. Take a break. This is worth it, I promise.)

Cumberbatch sat down for an in-depth Q&A session with The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Fienbeg last week, to discuss all manner of topics. His appearance served as the kick-off for a new series called “In Conversation,” a forum sponsored by BAFTA New York and The Hollywood Reporter, intended to provide artists with an outlet through which to discuss the creative process in depth.  

This inaugural “Conversation” was held in front of a live audience comprised of BAFTA members and journalists last week in New York at The Standard High Line hotel. The event was recorded and THR released a full version of the event this weekend.

released a full version of the event this weekend.

 Cumberbatch is coming off a – to put it mildly – fairly successful year, which saw him star not only in the new series of Sherlock, but five films: Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, August: Osage County, The Fifth Estate and 12 Years a Slave.  It’s no wonder the entertainment world appears to be having a Cumbercrisis these days.

The Sherlock star is well known for his thoughtful, rambling answers to all manner of creative questions, so he’s basically perfect for this kind of gig. Cumberbatch does not disappoint in this particular outing – covering a wide ranging array of topics, such as the fact that he almost turned down playing Holmes because he was afraid it would be “cheesey”, the details of his workaholic schedule, a Broadway appearance that wasn’t, his aversion to social media, his habit of doing multiple takes in scenes and lots more.

As someone who is something of a um, connoisseur of Cumberbatch interviews, just trust me when I tell you this is one of the best ones.  

Get comfy and watch for yourselves below:  

Benedict Cumberbatch: In Conversation (Full Video) from BAFTA New York on Vimeo.

I feel like I could make a top ten list of best moments from this interview, but I’ll settle for pouting that America never got After the Dance. Bring it to Broadway someday, Benedict!

In a less shallow vein, this In Conversation format is awesome. Can’t wait to see what other stars turn up for them in the future. 


Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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