No. I am not a
Cumberbitch. I hate the word. It’s disgusting how it generalises women by
one interest. Can’t I thoroughly enjoy
an artist’s craft without my admiration being likened to sexualised worship? Besides,
Benedict Cumberbatch himself said “Cumberbabes” would have been a softer option-
although, still objectifiable.
I am not a groupie, but I cannot deny that I am mad about Benedict
Cumberbatch. I wasn’t always a
fan. I was first exposed to his acting
in the film, Atonement. He was the
paedophile who ruined James McAvoy’s dreams to go to medical school and marry
Keira Knightley. I hated him, because I
was all about McAvoy (still am). Then he played Mary Boleyn’s loser husband in
that offensively inaccurate biopic about the Boleyn Girls.
Of course I was surprised when I heard about the Cumberbitch
phenomenon. I did not understand the
hype around this giant British guy and his awkward face. I had only seen him in supporting roles, and
no one remembers those people. I was keen
on watching the BBC series Sherlock until I found out Cumberbatch was the
lead.
But I was young and stupid back then. One episode of Sherlock and I was charmed by
his talented performance, understated good-looks and that British wit. So much so, I drew up a list of all the
things I love about Cumberbatch.
10. He is British
Thanks to Hugh Grant, we all have a thing for posh British
guys. If Cumberbatch was American, he
probably wouldn’t be as-cool. Also the
British gave us cricket, fish ‘n chips, Will Shakes, the Beatles and other cool
pop-culture stuff. Cumberbatch is one of
them.
9. Great looks
At first, I didn’t notice.
But after two episodes of Sherlock, you warm up to that dark hair, those
deep blue eyes and kissable lips. He’s
not a poster boy, nor is he a man’s man.
He’s unconventional and that’s attractive.
8. Bad boy factor
It’s a cliché, but he has mastered playing the role of a villain
and a hero. Bad boy Cumberbatch is
different because he’s intelligent. If
he insulted you, that would be a complement.
7. Sherlock Holmes
This should have been higher on the list, but I thought it
was obvious. He plays Sherlock and a bloody good version too. If you thought Downey was good, you are
mistaken. He is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s
high functioning sociopath incarnate.
6. He CAN act
He has this ability to transform himself into the character
he’s playing. He totally immerses
himself in the role. I watched him
portray Australian Julian Assange, with the lisp in tow. He can do a great Western American accent. His versatility is commendable. I have seen him do off-the-cuff impressions in
interviews, and it is breath-taking to watch.
5. Harrison Ford
I watched an episode of the Graham Norton Show with
Cumberbatch and Harrison Ford. Long story
short- Harrison Ford is a big fan of his.
Well, that settles it.
4. All in the name
Benedict Cumberbatch- say it out loud, it packs a punch. I bet kids didn’t pick on him at school
probably because all the syllables made him sound so cool. It’s not a superstar’s name, and that adds to
the element of surprise. If it’s not
already, it will probably become a catch phrase soon- “What the Cumberbatch?” or “Check out my Cumberbatch moves” or “You’re so Cumberbatch”.
3. New leading man
As stated before, Cumberbatch was cast in supporting roles, before he hit the big time (Sherlock). Ever since he's starred in Oscar nominated movies, one of the recent ones
being August Osage County. Also, I can’t
wait for him to take on Moriarty when the new season of Sherlock returns.
2. Anonymity
I love how he’s not famous.
(He almost turned down his role in Sherlock because he didn’t want to
become famous). He’s only popular
amongst certain circles (all the Cumberbatch fans I know are smart people- that’s
just a general observation from an objective third party person with absolutely
no personal interest in the matter).
1. Cumberbatch
The Cumberbatch-effect is this phenomenon where this British
guy who is just doing is job, gets written about and spoken about by these
strangers from all over the world. They’re not talking about him because he does
his job really well, or because of his looks or his personality. Those things are secondary. They’re talking about him because he’s
novel. You can’t compare him to the
likes of Pacino, Nicholson or Washington. He's different. He’s “other”. He’s
Cumberbatch.
