Benedict Cumberbatch has successfully transitioned from television to film since his breakout role in Sherlock, establishing himself as a sought-after actor in both critically acclaimed dramas and popular blockbusters. He has received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for his performances in The Imitation Game and The Power of the Dog. Additionally, Cumberbatch has become a prominent figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) through his portrayal of Doctor Strange in various films, cementing his status as a versatile actor. Currently, Cumberbatch is set to star in a new horror film, marking a departure from his recent work in Netflix’s thriller, Eric.
Benedict Cumberbatch Discusses His Role in The Thing With Feathers
Contrasting Characters in The Thing with Feathers and Eric
In the horror-drama The Thing With Feathers, directed by Dylan Southern, Cumberbatch portrays a widowed father navigating the grief of losing his wife. This film explores profound themes of loss and parental duty, as he must help his sons process their devastating reality. Cumberbatch’s ensemble cast includes notable actors such as David Thewlis, Jessica Cave, and Sam Spruell. In comparison, his character in the Netflix series Eric deals with a different aspect of grief, focusing on a father’s turmoil following his son’s disappearance.
During an exclusive interview with ScreenRant at the Sundance Film Festival, Cumberbatch elaborated on the distinctions between his two roles. He highlighted that the two father figures, while both dealing with imaginary elements, are distinctly different. He describes his character in The Thing with Feathers as “insular, complex, and fragile, ”contrasting it with the more emotionally expressive role in Eric.
No, not at all. Very different cultures, very different people. He’s a very insular, complex, fragile Brit who’s not very outwardly expressive with his emotions and starts to come apart at the scene. So, the flare-ups, his changes in mood, and the temperature of relationships, and the testing of him as he kind of slowly becomes unraveled, is very new to him. There’s the obvious thing of something being made real from someone’s imagination, someone’s experience of something, but it’s held as an entity that’s not just haunting them, and is very present in that flat, it’s also in the children’s experience, as well. So that makes it different from this sort of relationship with Eric. There were some odd moments, like the guy operating the crow in this was called Eric, and I was like, “Okay, it’s getting ridiculous.”[Chuckles] But yeah, they’re two very different subject matters.
Exploring the Role of Imagination in The Thing With Feathers
Navigating Death and Grief Through Imagery
Cumberbatch notes that the imaginary element in The Thing with Feathers is encapsulated in a human-sized crow, which serves as a representation of death and grief that interacts with him and his children. This thematic device of using a talking bird to reflect on human experiences of loss is not entirely new; it resonates with similar storytelling seen in the 2024 film Tuesday, featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Additionally, Cumberbatch’s character in Eric also contended with an imaginary creature, demonstrating a recurring motif of dealing with grief through fantastical elements. It remains to be seen how The Thing with Feathers distinguishes itself within this thematic landscape.
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