I am good at keeping secrets: Benedict Cumberbatch

Team Udayavani, Apr 16, 2018, 3:11 PM IST

Singapore: He is one of the few stars who knows how the story of “Avengers: Infinity War” unfolds, but do not expect any spoilers from Benedict Cumberbatch as he says he is good at “keeping secrets”. The 41-year-old actor, who plays Doctor Strange in the much-awaited movie, said it was not a curious fan in him, but an old-school performer that demanded the script from Marvel.

“I am kind of old-school in terms of filmmaking. I don’t know how I managed to get the complete script. I am good at keeping secrets. As a fan, I didn’t want to know what was going on, but as a character I had to understand the bracket in which I had to be operating. I had more reasons, other than curiosity,” Cumberbatch said in a group interview here.

Marvel has been very guarded throughout the production of “Infinity War”. So much so that directors Joe and Anthony Russo kept the full script out of the stars’ hands; only providing them with their scenes. At the beginning of the worldwide promotional campaign of the film, the duo also put out a letter appealing to the fans to keep spoilers to themselves.

Cumberbatch said reading the script made no difference as he is confident that there will be many more surprises for him when he finally catches the film at its premiere. “It doesn’t make a difference. I will be sitting in the premiere and going like, ‘Did I read that?’. A Marvel film is never what it is on script and that’s what the joy is. There is a great fluidity and improvisation,” he said.

Set to release on April 27, “Infinity War” is the biggest superhero saga to be witnessed by the audiences ever, with fan favourites such as Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Black Panther among others, joining forces to defeat the most powerful villain, Thanos. And while fans are curious as to who emerges unharmed in the climax, Cumberbatch said the film is all about staying “united”.

“We strongly stand together. ‘We are united’ that’s what the feeling you get from the Avengers. It is about putting away your differences and uniting. These Marvel films always bring people together. They always have science, logic, social and political tones. This one is about ‘United We Stand’.” 

The actor said working on the film was a “big deal” for him as a number of people have devoted their lives in creating this magical universe of superheroes which inspires generations. “This film is a big deal. This doesn’t happen every day. Making this film may be just 10 years of the talents’ life, but years of work by many people to get to this place. It is pretty hard. I am like ‘holy crap To be a part of something like this extraordinary without repeating’,” he said.

“I went to dinner of the Avengers and there I realised that many people have given their lives and families and their children to make it a huge success. It was incredible to see the first clip of the film at D23 (Expo). I was pretending not to cry thinking that it would be it be a little bit hysterical. It was generally very moving not just because of the arc of the story but the time people have invested in this unique enterprise,” the actor added.

The British star was at his wittiest best as he promoted the Russo Brothers-directed film here. Staying true to his English sense of humour, the actor said if given a chance, he would like to play Groot from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” as it is “like a walk in the park”. He also shared that it took him around two-and-a-half hours to get ready for his role of Doctor Strange.

“I watch Netflix during that time. I eat when they are putting make-up and that drives them crazy. It is difficult. Also, I meditate a lot at that time,” he added. Earlier in the day, during a press conference, Cumberbatch and Iron Man Robert Downey Jr left everyone in splits when they were asked if they ever shared a “Sherlock” joke on the sets. To which Cumberbatch funnily replied, “There wasn’t any joke and I hope there isn’t any in future.” 

Downey Jr played the legendary detective in 2009 film “Sherlock Holmes” and its 2011 sequel, while Cumberbatch essayed the title role in a crime drama TV series based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories.