10 Actors Who Refused To Play Themselves On Screen
3. Benedict Cumberbatch - Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
In this case we can take the topic title a little more literally, as Benedict Cumberbatch genuinely turned down an offer to play himself in 2016's Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
The big-screen continuation of the hit TV show was jam-packed with cameos, including the likes of Jon Hamm, Joan Collins, Graham Norton, Dawn French, and Cara Delevingne to name just a few.
The production was also hoping to rope Cumberbatch in for a quick appearance as himself, but as star Joanna Lumley confirmed on the eve of the film's release, he ultimately rejected the offer due to his ever-busy schedule. Lumley jokingly remarked:
"Our director is trying to lock down the casting of cameo roles between takes and sometimes I have to sit with her in a nice chair, eating a delicious Brie baguette, and throwing out names like 'Benedict Cumberbatch'... Although Benedict Cumberbatch, it turns out, is busy for the next five and a half years. What is it with actors?"
As hilarious as a Cumberbatch cameo would've been, a consolation prize was nevertheless on offer: the actor's mother, veteran actress Wanda Ventham, did herself make a small cameo appearance in the film.