Forget Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch’s newest role may be his most haunting.

Famous for playing Sherlock, Doctor Strange and the people who can always find solutions, Benedict Cumberbatch is haunted by a loss he can’t resolve in his latest film. feathered thing,

The 49-year-old British actor tells Yahoo about the film, which is out now. “What is that journey, how do we deal with it better or not, and what might be the outcome.”

Cumberbatch plays a graphic novelist dad whose wife dies suddenly. He is trying to rescue his two young sons from the turmoil, but he barely survives. He grapples with darkness as a scary presence – a crow born from his own drawing – haunts him in their home.

Part of what attracted Cumberbatch to the role, in addition to being a fan of Max Porter’s novels, sadness is a thing with wingsWhat director Dylan Southern adapted to film – is that the exploration of male grief is not something he adequately portrays on screen. For generations, men have been encouraged to remain stoic and hide their emotions.

“I think it’s very harmful,” he says. “This has been proven in our popular culture at this point. The concept of masculinity is to ‘be the man’ (not show emotions), to withhold, control and suppress… which is very harmful in the long run.”

The subject matter did not make for easy days on set, being filmed largely inside a South London flat. However he and the crew tried to keep things light with “a lot of gallows humor… as well as reverence for the work and the subject matter”.

It helped that Cumberbatch had two co-stars, brothers Richard and Henry Boxall, who played his sons and brought much-needed excitement to the set. Cumberbatch says of the siblings, “They were like lightning in a jar – innocent beginners.” “He had never acted before coming on set. This was all completely new to him, and there’s magic in it.”

He worked to promote a light atmosphere amid the heavy subject matter, reminding the child stars that all they were doing was playing. In his spare time, that was all he did – kicking a soccer ball in the hall, telling jokes and making puzzles. He also gifted the children a Ninjago Lego set, which they were “obsessed with”.

“Out of this, games will emerge – and sometimes compelling ones,” says Cumberbatch. “One day, they really didn’t want to put on their mom’s clothes and lipstick for (a) scene, where I come at them and scream. To get to that moment, Dylan sacrificed his pride by saying, ‘Okay, I’ll do something for you in return.’ She wrote ‘poo’ on his forehead with lipstick. “You can’t erase it,” he said. You have to wear it on your head all day.’ She also called him a ‘weak man’ in front of the crew. It was incredible.”

That was the lighter side. Cumberbatch said he had to work to reduce the emotional burden of the day the cameras were off. He shares the character of Dad with Patrick Melrose and Phil Burbank (power of dog) One of the three most challenging roles he has played so far.

“Normally, I do some pretty intense work to get into character,” he says. “On this one, it was more about taking care of myself when I wasn’t working because it was so exhausting.”

This meant taking off my dress at the end of the day, having a cup of tea, getting in the car and listening to music on the way home. By the time he walks through the door of his home with his wife Sophie Hunter and their three sons Christopher, Hal and Finn, he is “ready to go back to the world outside this imaginary cocoon.”

Whether it’s playing a superhero or starring in films that have won him Academy Award nominations (Imitation game, dog power), Cumberbatch says that “originality is an important thing I look for in roles today”.

“Look, I’m at that age where I can’t help but repeat myself sometimes,” Cumberbatch says. “For me, it’s more about who I’m working with (and) the vision of the director and the writer. If I feel like I’m going to do something (artistically) and it’s going to be fun — and it also helps if it’s close to home and … can accommodate my family — then all those elements are there.”

At 49, “I’m trying…to be a little more selective,” he says.

As the year comes to an end, he’s looking forward to some free time. Yahoo Lists asked Cumberbatch for his top 3 holiday movies. While the actor, who voiced the title character in 2018 Grinch, “If I’m being totally honest, he’s not that keen on adapting the film to the time of year” – here are his picks.

elf

“I love you very much elf” he says. ”can not get enough. He always does this for me. Then I get a little lost in Will Ferrell’s genius moments. i go back anchorman “And anything that makes me laugh.”

it’s a Wonderful Life

“I went to see it’s a Wonderful Life On the big screen a few years ago and oh my god, seeing Jimmy Stewart in it up close…magnified was mind boggling. Despite its rich themes and uplifting ending, it is a stunning display of natural talent. It’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful piece. As an actor, it was extraordinary to be amazed by his talent.”

nominated films

“For me, Christmas often becomes the day to see the greatest work of the year, to be able to vote for the BAFTAs and Oscars,” he says. “So I’m full of great cultural experiences rather than ‘I must see’ home alone 2,