Benedict Cumberbatch Quotes

I never was obsessive about anything I watched when I was a kid, except maybe 'The A-Team' and 'Airwolf'... And I loved 'Knight Rider' and then later 'Baywatch.'

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Kid, Maybe, About, Watched

'Frankenstein' was all about the idea that, through electricity and the destruction of night, man creating light and darkness, we took on god-like powers and then abused them like gods, and we are only men. That's a story about man making a man in his own image. The inversion of natural order.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Through, Idea, Gods, Frankenstein

The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

More, Away, Your, Comfort Zone

Someone will always hate what I say. There's always going to be somebody spitting blood about my wooden-faced, toffee-named, crappy acting.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Will, Always, Crappy, Spitting

Having your adolescence at an all-male boarding school is just crap.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

School, Crap, Having, Boarding School

I'm quite sensitive to people noticing me. There are times when I'm relaxed, then others when it does make me self-conscious.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Noticing, Self-Conscious, Relaxed

My mum and dad had worked incredibly hard to afford me an education.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Education, Afford, Worked, Mum And Dad

I'm not confident in social situations; just going up to someone in a bar and saying 'Hi' is going to be even more difficult because they won't know the real me. They will just know me as a fictional person I play on the screen.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Play, Confident, Hi, Fictional

One of the fears of having too much work is not having time to observe. And once you get recognised, there is nowhere for you to look any more. You can't sit on a night bus and watch it all happen.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Bus, Happen, Having, Recognised

I've been quite a late developer on the clothes front, but I've suddenly realised it is one of life's joys.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Late, Been, Realised, Joys

People's hands fascinate me. It's tempting to look at a businessman's left hand and see if there's an indentation from a missing wedding ring. Or maybe there's a tan line and the skin is pressed down where's he's worked a ring off his finger.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Hands, Ring, Maybe, Missing

I wasn't born into land or titles, or new money, or an oil rig.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

New, Oil, Rig, Titles

To get a horse to hit a mark without a rider, to get it to stand up, to get it to rear, to get it to pick up a bucket and bring it over is amazing. It's hard work and very rewarding but can be dangerous.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Over, Rewarding, Very, Rider

Our daily lives are so mundane, we get taken over by what is immediately in front of us and we don't see beyond that.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Over, Lives, Immediately, Daily Lives

I haven't done period dramas back-to-back, or really anything back-to-back. You get asked to do what you're most recently famed for, so I'm careful of not repeating myself.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Myself, Period, Recently, Dramas

It's difficult because nothing's preordained by plan and you can't control it. That's one of those joys and thrills and nerve-racking realities of being an actor. A lot has to do with luck, no matter what your talent or contribution can be.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Luck, Nothing, Difficult, Nerve-Racking

If people ask, 'Are you Sherlock Holmes?', it's horribly naff, but I say, 'I'm not, I just look a bit like him' - which is how I feel. There are bad attributes of his that I really don't share!

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Bad, Feel, Bit, Sherlock

The world of 'Sherlock Holmes' and the world that we live in now is big enough to take more than one interpretation.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Enough, Big, More, Sherlock

I was thrilled with how the first series of 'Sherlock' was received. It was such great fun to film, which makes it so rewarding when something you enjoy is so well received.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Rewarding, Makes, Which, Sherlock

I'll always do 'Sherlock' - it's something I'm not going to give up on.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Give, Always, Going, Sherlock

'Sherlock' fans are, by and large, an intelligent breed, so they've gone through my back catalogue and got what I've done, why and how I've done it. There is some obsessive behaviour, but I worry for them rather than me.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Through, Some, Rather, Sherlock

I've always wanted to play a spy, because it is the ultimate acting exercise. You are never what you seem.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Play, Always, Ultimate, Spy

When you freefall for 7,000 feet it doesn't feel like you're falling: it feels like you're floating, a bit like scuba diving.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Feet, Falling, Feels, Floating

It is a wonderful thing to get married young and become a father.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Young, Get, Wonderful Thing, Get Married

I'm not loyal to one genre. I want to mix it up.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Want, Loyal, Genre, Mix

I drive a motorbike, so there is the whiff of the grim reaper round every corner, especially in London.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

London, Round, Motorbike, Reaper

I struggle to learn by rote. I've had meltdowns on set. Which is embarrassing and shameful.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Learn, Set, Which, Struggle

My own grandfathers were a submarine commander and a 'desert rats' tank operator in the Second World War.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

War, Own, My Own, Operator

My first agent dissuaded me from calling myself 'Cumberbatch.' I had six months of not very productive time with her, so I changed agents. The new one said, 'Why aren't you using your family name? It's a real attention-grabber.' I worried, 'How much is it going to cost to put my name in lights?' But then I decided that's not my problem.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Very, Agent, New One, Agents

I wish my 15-year-old self had known about my allure to the opposite sex!

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Sex, I Wish, About, Opposite Sex

I drag a lot of stuff round with me that I don't need.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Need, Round, Lot, Drag

Pull the hair on my head the wrong way, and I would be on my knees begging for mercy. I have very sensitive follicles.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Begging, Very, Knees, Mercy

Mum did a lot of commercial theatre and farces in the 1980s and '90s to make sure the school bills were paid.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Commercial, Sure, Mum, 1980s

A woman who knows that she doesn't have to get all decked out to look good is sexy. A woman who can make you feel smart with her conversation skills is also sexy. I believe the sense of humor is important.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Woman, Sense Of Humor, Feel, Conversation

Metaphorically speaking, it's easy to bump into one another on the journey from A to B and not even notice. People should take time to notice, enjoy and help each other.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Journey, Other, Another, Notice

I realised quite early on that, although I wasn't trying to make a career speciality of it, I was playing slightly asexual, sociopathic intellectuals.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Career, Slightly, Realised, Intellectuals

I had a real yearning to make use of the opportunities I had at school. When I heard about the gap year of teaching English at a Tibetan monastery, I knew I had to do something about it really quickly, otherwise it was going to get allocated.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Year, Use, Quickly, Monastery

When you're a kid, 'Star Trek' is a slower burn. It's funny, it's entertaining, but it also has a maturity about it - which is its universal appeal, I think.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Think, Burn, Which, Slower

Do awards change careers? Well, I haven't heard of many stories where that's the case. It's a fun excuse to meet colleagues and celebrate people who've done well that year in certain people's eyes, and it's nothing more than that.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Eyes, Year, Excuse, Case

I am a PR disaster because I talk too much.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

I Am, Talk, Too, Disaster

I'm a Prince of Wales Trust ambassador, so I'm all about giving youth an education, a voice and a chance to not take the wrong road.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Education, Trust, Voice, Ambassador

I got live tweeted once by someone who was opposite my home in some rented accommodation. He was actually describing on twitter what I was doing. 'I took a shirt off, I went to the window, I put a shirt back on... ' And I've got blinds in my flat!

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Doing, Back, Some, Accommodation

The number of people my age, younger now, a whole generation younger, who are fiercely bright, over-educated, under-employed and who are politicised and purposeless really upsets me. It's soul-destroying.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Generation, Bright, Younger, Upsets

We all want to escape our circumstances, don't we? Especially if you are an actor.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Circumstances, Want, Actor, Escape

Being a posh actor in England you cannot escape the class-typing from whatever side you look at it.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

England, Actor, Posh, Escape

When you see a good horseman, you're unable to tell where the instruction is coming from. It's like telepathy.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Tell, Like, Horseman, Instruction

If you have an over-preoccupation with perception and trying to please people's expectations, then you can go mad.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Trying, Mad, Go, Perception

We're living through a time where we are fighting wars fostered by politics, admittedly not on the same scale as the First World War, but with equally tragic realities for our soldiers and their families.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Politics, Through, Equally, Tragic

If I'd had fame early on, I'd have been able to abuse it in the way that a young man should.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Young, Abuse, Been, Early

Lines are very difficult to learn.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Learn, Difficult, Very, Lines

I've been broody since I was 12, but I can't just get anyone pregnant. It has got to be the right person.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Right Person, Right, Been, Pregnant

Maybe it's because I was an only child, but I've always wanted kids.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Always, Maybe, Wanted, Only Child

I was happy as an only child, but I've always wanted to be part of a bigger family.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Bigger, Always, Wanted, Only Child

There's so much in the 21st century that is stymied by bureaucracy and mediocrity and committee.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Committee, Century, Bureaucracy

Upper class to me means you are either born into wealth or you're Royalty.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Wealth, Either, Means, Class

Talking about class terrifies me. There is no way of winning.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Winning, Me, About, Class

New York City is crazy and beautiful and really close to my heart, and I've always had dear friends here - family, actually, I would say.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

New, Here, Always, Close

Landing the role of Stephen Hawking was the most positively surprising thing that has happened to me.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Most, Positively, Landing, Surprising Thing

I'm interested in art for all. I don't want it to be only the sons and daughters of Tory MPs who get to see my plays.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Art, Want, Plays, Tory

When you start getting jobs, and see your mates from drama school, you don't really want to talk about it, because you have this innate sense of guilt that it's not fair that others aren't doing exactly what you're doing. I do have that.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Doing, About, Your, Drama School

I did a lot of acting at school and university, then I went to drama school. It was quite a normal route.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Normal, University, Then, Drama School

As an actor, you are aware of how a role can seep into your real life.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Actor, How, Aware, Real Life

It does get strange when you realize people will hang around for hours to get a glimpse of you doing scenes outside.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Doing, Hours, Hang, Scenes

Every job is incredibly different, and I love it because you're picking up skill sets and experiences. It's the university of life.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Love, University, Sets, Picking

My first, big, silly role at school was as Arthur Crocker-Harris in Rattigan's 'The Browning Version,' where my job was to make school-masters' wives weep with recognition.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Big, Role, Arthur, Version

Any privacy in public is a hard thing to negotiate.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Privacy, Negotiate, Public, Hard Thing

I have an appetite for the normal in my life, as well as the abnormal.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

My Life, Normal, Abnormal, Appetite

I was always performing, doing silly voices. The teachers realized I could go one of two ways: be creative or destructive.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Silly, Doing, Always, Destructive

There's no shame in stealing - any actor who says he doesn't is lying. You steal from everything.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Shame, Steal, Any, Stealing

Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Journey, Enjoy, Just, Endgame

I think with any characterization there's a point where you empathize, no matter how much of a deviance his or her actions may be from your understanding of humanity.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Think, I Think, May, Humanity

The armoury of having any academic education does not necessarily set you up for being a good or better actor.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Education, Set, Having, Better Actor

When are you ever settled enough to have kids?

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Enough, Ever, Settled, Kids

Live a life less ordinary.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Life, Live, Ordinary, Less

The more charming person is the person who admits the other person is more charming.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Person, More, Other, Charming

There's a huge raft of roles that actors in our culture perform, and you can see any one of about three Hamlets in a year. It's not something to be completely daunted by.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Year, Raft, Roles, Huge

'Benedict' means 'blessed.' My parents liked the sound of the name and felt slightly blessed because they'd been trying for a child for a very long time.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Very, Means, Slightly, Long Time

I love theatre, and you learn too much as an actor and enjoy too much of it not to want to go back a lot.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Love, Learn, Want, Theatre

Fame is a weird one. You need to distance yourself from it. People see a value in you that you don't see yourself.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Weird, Distance, See, Fame

I have actual acting scars.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Acting, Actual, Scars

I've realised now that the reality of children is you have to be in the right place with the right person.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Children, Right Place, Realised

Mystique is rare now, isn't it? There aren't that many enigmas in this modern world.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

World, Modern, Rare, Mystique

I was brought up in a world of privilege.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

World, Up, Brought, Privilege

I had the privilege of being able to choose, or at least have the opportunity to work at, being anything but an actor.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Work, Actor, Able, Privilege

One of the best things about being an actor is that it's a meritocracy.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Best, Things, About, Actor

I want to be able to play trailer-bound fatties in a Judd Apatow comedy.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Play, Want, Able, Comedy

It'd be really nice to wake up looking like, I don't know, Jake Gyllenhaal and think, 'Let's try this on for a day and see how it feels.'

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Think, Like, Feels, Wake Up

Do I like being thought of as attractive? I don't know anyone on Earth who doesn't, but I do find it funny.

- Benedict Cumberbatch

Thought, Like, Being, Attractive

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.

Powerful Benedict Cumberbatch for Daily Growth