10 Things You Didn’t Know About Benedict Cumberbatch
5. He Filmed His Audition For Star Trek Into Darkness On An iPhone
Much as Sherlock brought Cumberbatch to international attention, it was his role in 2013s Star Trek Into Darkness that represented his first foray into true blockbuster territory. Cumberbatch threw himself into his preparations with customary enthusiasm, supplementing the fight choreography and stunt rehearsals with daily two-hour gym sessions and consuming 4,000 calories a day to pad out his rangy frame. Nevertheless, given the circumstances of his audition it was a minor miracle that he was cast in the first place. The actor received a phone call from his agent on Christmas Eve indicating that he was under consideration to play the antagonist in J.J. Abrams sequel to his 2009 Star Trek reboot and suggesting he record an audition. Cumberbatch called several industry contacts for assistance, but due to the time of year no one was available, so he ended up filming his audition on an iPhone in his friends kitchen: I ended up squatting in their kitchen, at about 11 oclock at night. I was pretty strung out, so that went into the performance. And his wife, Alice, bless her, with two children asleep and shes balancing two chairs to get the right angle on me and desk lamps bouncing light off bits of paper, just trying desperately to make it look half-decent. So an unconventional approach, certainly, but it proved sufficient to land him the role of Khan. Star Trek Into Darkness may have received some severe criticism in some quarters, but Cumberbatchs performance was seldom cited as an issue.
I watch movies and I watch sport. I also watch movies about sport, and if there were a sport about movies I'd watch that too. The internet was the closest thing I could find.
