Benedict Cumberbatch opens up about straight actors playing gay characters – Today.com
It’s a topic on which Hollywood has yet to reach a consensus: whether or not it’s appropriate for straight actors to portray gay characters in film and television.
It’s also a topic that Benedict Cumberbatch is familiar with, having been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as mathematician Alan Turing, a man both prosecuted and persecuted for his sexual orientation, in 2014’s “The Imitation Game.”
Now, as the actor finds himself the subject of fresh Oscar buzz over a new role, he’s speaking out about the controversial topic.
In director Jane Campion’s new western, “The Power of the Dog,” which recently debuted at both the Telluride and Venice film festivals, Cumberbatch plays the part of a coarse and cruel cattle rancher whose sexuality unfolds amid the drama-packed plot.
“I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion,” the 45-year-old star said in an interview with IndieWire. “One of the appeals of the job was the idea that in this world, with this specific character, there was a lot that was private, hidden from view.”
And he assured that being cast for the part “wasn’t done without thought.”
A Netflix synopsis of the film, which is based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel of the same name, describes Cumberbatch’s character, Phil Burbank, as a man who “inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.”
According to Cumberbatch, casting such a complex part shouldn’t necessarily be dependent on his own lived experiences.