Award-winning British actor Benedict Cumberbatch says that the harrowing experience he had while he was in his late 20s still affects him today.
More than two decades ago, the “Doctor Strange” star was kidnapped and held captive while filming BBC’s three-part miniseries “To the Ends of the Earth” in South Africa.
“But not necessarily a good one,” he said. “It made me impatient to live a life less ordinary, and I’m still dealing with that impatience.”
The abduction occurred in 2004 when Cumberbatch and two of his costars—Denise Black and Theo Landey—were on their way back from scuba diving in Sodwana Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
After pulling over to the side of the road to deal with a flat tire, the three actors were approached by six men, who robbed them at gunpoint and held them captive for several hours.
The assailants later tied them up and fled, leaving Cumberbatch and his costars to free themselves and find help.
Cumberbatch told the publication that the traumatic experience altered his outlook on life, leading him to seek out thrilling, adrenaline-surging activities like skydiving.
“The near-death stuff turbo-fueled all that,” he explained. “It made me go, ‘Oh, right, yeah, I could die at any moment.’ I was throwing myself out of planes, taking all sorts of risks.”
“I wanted to swim in the sea that I saw the next morning,” he said.
“If you feel you’re going to die, you don’t think you’re going to have all those sensations again—a cold beer, a cigarette, the feel of sun on your skin.
Embarking on a New Beginning
The same year, Cumberbatch appeared in his breakout role, portraying British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2004 biographical telefilm “Hawking.”The actor went on to become a household name, starring in “Atonement” (2007), “The Other Boleyn Girl” (2008), “The Whistleblower” (2010), “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011), “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (2012), “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “The Fifth Estate” (2013), and “The Imitation Game” (2014), among other films.
In 2014, Cumberbatch won his first Primetime Emmy Award for his title role in the BBC television series “Sherlock,” which aired from 2010 to 2017.
In February 2015, Cumberbatch married British playwright Sophie Hunter. The couple welcomed their first son, Christopher, in June of that year, followed by sons Hal and Finn in March 2017 and January 2019, respectively.
During his conversation with Variety, Cumberbatch said starting a family of his own has tempered his thrill-seeking tendencies.
“Apart from my parents, I didn’t have any real dependents at that point. Now that’s changed, and that sobers you” he explained, intimating that he now has a better grasp on the concept of death.
“I’ve looked over the edge; it’s made me comfortable with what lies beneath it. And I’ve accepted that that’s the end of all our stories.”
Over the last decade, Cumberbatch has starred in numerous blockbuster films.
These include his portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange in movies such as “Doctor Strange” (2016), “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022).
Cumberbatch is set to reprise his role as the Sorcerer Supreme in the next installment of the “Avengers” franchise, “Avengers: Doomsday,” which is expected to hit theaters in May 2026.
His most recent project, a British drama film titled “The Thing With Feathers,” is set to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 25.
