Cumberbatch finds it 'strange' to quit acting for charity

Benedict Cumberbatch has raised money for cancer charity, highlighted the plight of Syrian refugees and helped children in need. But the Oscar-nominated actor says it would be strange to give up acting for charity work.

The British star, known for donating his own drawings for fundraisers, was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2015 by the Queen for his services to the performing arts and to charity.

Has "The Imitation Game" actor ever thought of saying goodbye to acting and doing charity work full time?

"No. But I am very happy to use the platform to reach out to people and try and focus people's attention on worthy causes," Cumberbatch said in response to a question asked by IANS here.

"I am no expert, not a politician or a policymaker or in the field of charity work. It's very much about a reaction to something.

"My job is to be an actor. That's how I got to reach out to people. So, it would be a strange thing to give all that up for that (charity work)," added the son of actors Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton.

On the big screen also, the "Sherlock" star is part of a huge gang that will go to great lengths to save planet Earth from any threat - the latest being the mad titan Thanos in the forthcoming superhero film "Avengers: Infinity War".

Marvel Studios' 10th anniversary begins with the release of "Avengers: Infinity War", which will hit the Indian screens on April 27.

"It was too much fun to make it. It was a roller coaster ride. It has been 10 years in the making, 10 years of people's lives and 10 years of different stories. It's exciting to be counted amongst them," said the actor, who joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Strange.

Apart from having his own standalone film on the powerful sorcerer, he appeared on actor Chris Hemsworth led 2017 Marvel film "Thor: Ragnarok".

"Avengers: Infinity War" will be his first time with the rest of the Avengers, which include characters played by Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans.

"You feel like a tiny square in a huge mosaic. You know you are a small part of a bigger picture," he said.

But the preparation for his role was no different for him.

"I had absorbed whatever I had to from the films and comic books. All the heavyweight work was done by (Marvel Studios president) Kevin Feige, Joe Russo (one of the film's directors) and the team. I trust them as far as the script goes," said Cumberbatch.

(The writer's trip to Singapore is at the invitation of Disney. Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at Natalia.n@Ian's.in)

--IANS

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