“We like your hipster glasses”: Benedict Cumberbatch Was Shamed for His Medical Condition in $8.6M Film
English actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting career began when he started performing in Shakespearean theatre productions. He made his debut in the West End with Richard Eyre’s revival of Hedda Gabler in 2005. Following this, he performed at Royal National Theatre and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for 2011’s Frankenstein. He also played the titular role in Hamlet in 2015 at the Barbican Theatre.
Benedict Cumberbatch gained more recognition in Hollywood when he played the role of Stephen Hawking in 2004’s Hawking. His portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the series Sherlock aired from 2010 to 2017, catapulted his name to international stardom and won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. He won his first BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 2018 for playing the titular character in the miniseries Patrick Melrose.
Benedict Cumberbatch Began His Acting Career with Theatre Plays
Benedict Cumberbatch‘s acting career not being limited to theatres, where he started his career, speaks enough of his talent as an actor. However, it is important to note that he has starred in numerous classic plays at the Regent’s Park Open Air, Almeida, Royal Court, and Royal National Theatre. His performance in 2011’s Frankenstein achieved him the ‘Triple Crown of London Theatre’ as he received the Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award, and Critics’ Circle Theatre Award.
The 2006 film Starter for 10 gave a start to Cumberbatch’s career on the big screen. He has starred in countless TV series and movies to date. Most of the roles he has played are of the lead actor whether the series was adapted from a bestseller book series or an original screenplay. Even the supporting roles he has played have been praised relentlessly by critics.
The most internationally famous role Cumberbatch has played is of Dr. Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He began starring as the doctor-turned-sorcerer’s role in the 2016 movie Doctor Strange. He reprised the role in the last two installments of the Avengers franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Benedict Cumberbatch Didn’t Know He Was Short-sighted
In 2014, the Hobbit star played the role of the British cryptographer Alan Turing in the $8.9 million-budgeted historical movie The Imitation Game. To portray Turing, although Cumberbatch didn’t have to use latex, he had to dye his hair, and wear a set of teeth, and a pair of contact lenses. He realized that he was short-sighted when the contact lenses came into question.
On the set, to compensate for the lack of lenses, he would wear regular glasses which weren’t received well. In an interview, he said: “So everyone keeps on saying, oh, we like your hipster glasses, but they’re not real. I’m like no, I’m shortsighted. They help me see.”
Benedict Cumberbatch has a problem with his eyesight like many other people in the world, and his being shamed for it proves that no amount of fame or talent can protect a person from being judged or criticized. It is a given that people are going to judge others without complete knowledge of what’s going on.
Source: NPR
