8 Actors Who Seriously Injured Themselves For Movies
7. Sherlock Gave Benedict Cumberbatch Gave Nicotine Poisoning
Sherlock Holmes isnt exactly an action hero. Not that he needs to be, of course, given the super sleuth generally prefers to use brains over brawn, a a fact thats only highlighted by Benedict Cumberbatchs incarnation looking as though a stiff breeze could bowl him off his feet and send him careening across the city.
So, how, pray tell, did Cumberbatch manage to do himself a mischief on set? One might imagine he tripped over the diminutive Martin Freeman or perhaps somehow speared himself on his own cheekbone. Stand up, the humble cigarette, and take a bow to celebrate succeeding where Moriarty failed and taking Sherlock Holmes down. Holmes canonic pipe-smoking was replaced with a slightly startling nicotine patch habit to make the show just a little more family-friendly.
However, a scene in season twos A Scandal In Belgravia called for the detective to succumb to an old habit and have a desperate puff on a cigarette. All well and good, especially for a seasoned smoker like Cumberbatch was at the time, but there is such a thing as too much nicotine. Take after take, deep inhale after deep inhale and with Benedict having to pretend that each drag was the first glorious one in years, its hardly surprising that he was struck down with nicotine poisoning.