Was close to turning down 'Sherlock Holmes' role: Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that he nearly turned down the iconic character of detective Sherlock Holmes in the TV series of the same name.
The 37-year-old actor said he had to have a pause for thought before agreeing to play the role, reported Contactmusic.
"My reservation was 'Well, this is a very iconic character, there will be a lot of attention on it. This was before I had had any significant success [but] I knew there would still be a lot of focus on it.
"And while I had done work, it wasn't stepping into the populist limelight like playing a character like Holmes. So I did have a pause for thought," he said.

In the mystery series, Cumberbatch shares the screen space with 'The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug' co-star Martin Freeman, who plays Dr John Watson.