10 TV Show Mistakes Directors Left In Because The Acting Was Too Good
3. Benedict Cumberbatch Forgets His Lines, But His Alternative Worked Perfectly (Sherlock)
Even the greats forget their words every now and then. But it's how one reacts to the misplacing of a line that separates a good thespian from an outstanding one.
Rather than completely drying up and requesting another go at one particular moment in the thick of Sherlock's The Sign of Three episode, Benedict Cumberbatch decided to have a little drunken fun as the world famous detective.
When referring to pal John Watson, played by Martin Freeman, after the pair had enjoyed a few drinks too many, the eventual Oscar-nominated star was supposedly meant to deliver a scripted slurred line. But with the words escaping him in the moment, the line "I apologise for my... my... him," fell out of his mouth instead.
Absolutely loving this attempt to keep the scene alive after very nearly bringing the sequence to a screeching halt, director Colm McCarthy clearly felt that it wasn't worth going back and delivering what had previously been written down.
Cumberbatch's improv felt perfectly in character and left many assuming it was simply a part of the plan all along.