OZ COMIC CON - APRIL 13TH, 2014 (SUN)

As complete a summary as I can be bothered with of Benedict Cumberbatch at the Oz Comic Con Sydney event (Sunday April 13th, 2014). Some parts have been paraphrased and others left out completely, so don’t take it as gospel, more as generally what went down.
Q&A: BC appears on stage holding his iPhone up to the microphone and dancing around. Crowd goes wild.

"Q&A with Benedict Cumberbatch


Now that… is a legal bit of dancing that you’ve just heard [sic]". Which is his way of bringing up the fact that he’s actually quite annoyed (I think) over the organisers’ showing of the video intercutting Tom Hiddleston’s dancing with his own "Thriller" moves. He explains the background, which is that footage was essentially hacked from Olivia’s page, at which people laugh and cheer, to which he’s all "no, boo, boo".

1. How did he prepare to play James in Third Star? Aww. He talked to the UK Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer society, since it was what James suffered from, he met a few people who had cancer at the time, he talked to Vaughn (the screenwriter) who based some of it on a friend of his. He couldn’t do anything with his hair because he was about to play Sherlock! So he lost a lot of weight, went swimming in the ocean, ran around a lot, ate less - at this point someone brings him a glass of wine, which gets a cheer - for at least two weeks. Says nice things about JJ (yay!), that they all influenced the film because Hattie was a first-time director, he tried to help and guide her with his own work, and JJ especially helped her and he (JJ) would make a good director. Amazing story, amazing setting.

Tells crowd he’ll count to five and they should stop taking photos or he won’t be able to concentrate. Gets laughs by holding each count in a particular pose so people will have all of them and won’t need to take further photos.

2. Question about this being the age of social media, and how big he is online, and how has that affected him. “I try not to let it affect me at all, in the sense you can’t do your job thinking you’re an icon of any description, you have to concentrate solely on the work in front of you.” He doesn’t do it for the fans, or the fame, but for the love of the work. It’s a privilege to have his job, and he works very hard when he’s acting. Everything that’s happened since then is a huge compliment. Being thought sexy is a compliment to the work rather than how he looks. He didn’t make any of those lists when he was starting out. He’s grateful for the response to his work… can’t remember the second part of the question.
If he could live in any era which would he choose, or does any era appeal to him in particular? Questioner admits that wasn’t actually the question that was first asked. BC: “Sneaky.” Laughter. He’ll answer it anyway. He’s drawn to WWI, that era, but there are lots of notable eras. Also mentions the time of the industrial revolution, and the associated cultural revolution - life expectancy was low, there was “rampant disease”, a lot of poverty and so on, but also an extraordinary thirst for human endeavour, exploring the seas, in politics, in Egypt (and something about all countries on all continents). Must have been an incredible era to live through, but then possibly all eras are incredible to live through.He quite likes ours. People - “you guys” - should make sure it gets better.

3. What makes a good director and what are are the some of the best directors you have had? Someone who can work with the process that may be yours or seduce people into theirs “and not do it knowingly” (too obviously). So you don’t feel like you’re being told what to do, you’re just answering certain questions and being engaged on a certain fundamental level and being inquisitive and active. To take you away from the effect you might have on an audience and make you think about the character’s interior life and trust your judgement and your instinct and to their judgement and their instinct. And create something that’s about not achieving reviews and/or an audience reaction, but knowing that an actor’s focusing on every specific moment in that piece. And you have to be incredibly adept at imagining yourself into other people’s mind and processes, as well as the characters. You have to have that overview of course, to really understand the individual pieces of the actors and other artists involved in making that happen and on a film set to be a really good director, you almost have to speak three different languages - you have to balance technicians against fragile “mediocre artists” in front of the camera against… There’s this horrible expression “oh, talent’s stepping on” or “the artists’ change room’s over there” but it’s bullshit. Everyone who works in film is an artist, whether they’re behind the camera on in front of it doesn’t make any difference but the “talent’s stepping on” thing’s just horrible. You know, talent can often be a misogynistic term for “a fit bird”. Lots of talent in that one. So it’s a bit rude in that sense as well. “I’m not a fit bird.” But thinking seriously about it, he’s really grateful to get good directors. He’d love to direct at one point, but he’s not there yet… what was the second part to the question?

What are his good experiences (with directors)? Well the opposite of bad ones, but Tomas Alfredson (TTSS) was easy, he knew exactly where to place the camera, how to let the scene evolve, trust the actors, he was encouraging, and cool with it. Martin Tyrell, who directed him at school. “He was pretty fucking amazing.” Laughter. BC doesn’t think he was paid a single compliment while he was at school which was immensely brilliant because it just made him want to please. “Anyone who makes you want to please them is a good director.” They’re your prime audience so if you want to please them you up your game, make your craft sharp.
Danny Boyle was extraordinary, going to rehearsal in the middle of winter - it had been very snowy so BC couldn’t ride his bike in, the journey could take two hours sometimes when it should have taken 20 minutes. Every day he had cuts and bruises, headaches. At home he was cold, his heating wasn’t working properly, it was hard. Every time he’d walk into the rehearsal room wanting to pack it in but Danny would be all HI BEN HOW ARE YOU? so full of life and energy and genuine love that you’d give him the full business and the extras. Peculiar engine of creativity you’d get swept up in.
Steven Spielberg was really amazing. Very anecdotal, avuncular, caring, intrigued by their lives, and sharing about his, and his own experiences… when he was directing Indiana Jones - “wow, amazing!”. Something about trying to ride a horse in WWI fashion and fight off Germans with a saber. But Spielberg was great, a legend, he worships him, he’s really cool. Thea Sharrock in After the Dance was amazing, the work evolved as a conversation. He’s been very lucky with his directors. “I’ll speed it up a bit.” Richard Eyre - amazing (not sure if that’s the right name). David Attwood, very good (Ends of the Earth and Stuart), that Scottish guy who directed that weird SH thing he does (Paul McGuigan). Cheers. Had some good directors, but yesterday someone asked him who he’d like to work with - names a lot of people, including Scorsese.

4. What is the craziest thing a fan has ever said to you? Ums and flicks through the “box file in his head”. Someone yells “use your mind palace”. Laughter. “There are lots of doors in my mind palace marked ‘not for public consumption’.” Some strange things have happened to him but it’s hard to… innocent ones like “what’s your favourite cheese?”.Audience now wants to know. “Manchego.” Crowd goes wild. He’s completely bemused. We should all buy manchego. It’s a good question but there’s a lot he can’t share. Promises to come back to it. He’ll find an “appropriate but fun one”.

5. Thanks for coming out to Australia. Woo. How does he get into his mindset to play Sherlock Holmes? He starts by reading and re-reading (x4) the sсript, then reading and re-reading (x4) the books, especially the story the sсript is based on. Starts to learn the sсript piecemeal. Cardiovascular exercise, swimming, running, bit of yoga maybe. Tries to meditate, do other memory exercises, building mnemonics. In the first series, “I tried to do crosswords, I tried to solve crimes…” Laughter. Lots of things to try and stretch his brain. “By the end of it… it’s a fun place to be, my head.” A little bit more elastic than when he began the series, it’s a good brain workout, memory exercises the main thing, and he tries to think fast, talk fast, lots of articulation exercises and vocal warm-ups in the morning as well. “Then Martin starts doing them. Sometimes in scenes where he says nothing!” Something about Martin maybe taking the piss. (LOL. I can totally see this.) It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so he tries to take a bit of a run-up.

He’s shivering. Is it cold for anyone else up there? Crowd: Yes. “Please turn off the air-conditioning.” “Thank you. If there’s one person who’s hot I’m so sorry but I’m literally shivering, like this. It’s cooold,” he says plaintively. Aww. “Bless, he has human needs.”

6. What’s your favourite episode of Sherlock? Someone shouts… something. “Oh, you want to answer that question, do you? Did you record it?” The second one of the third series (ie TSOT) was good fun in that he had the “completely unique challenge” of that rant in the middle of the wedding speech. Like a one-man play but with a lovely audience of actors and extras, very rewarding as an actor, lots of meat to chew, about 30 pages, 39 (?) pages. Loved bits in all of them. He also liked riding the motorbike, since he likes… riding motorbikes. Likes the fight scenes, especially the Vatican Cameos one, although he was very tired. it was near the end of the shoot which was done backwards for the second series. All the dreamscape stuff with Irene Adler, great fun, even though there were midges, fun to imagine it going backwards, the physicality of him that isn’t in the books, difficult to single out a single episode.

7. What’s your favourite song at the moment? Elbow’s new album. [My] Sad Captains is a fantastic song. Keeps flipping through iPhone, muttering to himself, “recently played”, singing under his breath. “You can talk amongst yourselves, it’s fine.” He wants to play it in the background. Amazing band, Guy Garvey’s a friend of his, and he’s a “vocal lyricist”. No, wait. “Lyrical genius. He’s a beautiful modern poet, and he’s a very deeply profoundly lovely human being and soul and I think his music and his words reflect all of that. I love this song.” Plays it for a while. Quotes: “We only pass this way but once/What a perfect waste of time”. Lots of Elbow. He thinks it’s a pretty beautiful motto for life.

8. Question about nerds and geeks becoming cool and how that has helped his career (implying he mainly plays geeks): “Was Khan a geek?” “Is Smaug a geek?” “Sherlock’s obviously a geek.” “What, because geeks are cool my work is cool?” He knows what she means, doesn’t think that much of a cultural shift, believe geeks have always secretly ruled. Crowd goes wild. “Brainy is the new sexy sort of thing.” Crowd goes wild. Incredible, and should be encouraged, beyond smugness about what you are able to achieve as an intelligent person in this world. If you can think for yourself and care about other people, you have a lot of responsibility. So do good things, sensible logical things that have a moral core, and that means everything, from being really careful about what you buy, and how you donate, how you use the resources, the ever-precious and unrenewable resources of this world, how you treat others in this world, it’s about being a good person, really… wandering off topic a little bit… but I think it isn’t really, I think people who really are smart should do good with their smarts, and if that’s celebrated in any other field like culture or industry or even politics or any other field where that kind of impact matters, then it’s a good thing, because it can bring about good.

Having said that he’s played some ignorant people, people who aren’t necessarily capable of caring or moral judgements or moral understanding. He’s played bullies, people who’ve been bullied. Psychopaths. Crowd: high-functioning sociopath! “Yeah, and a high functioning sociopath.” It’s tremendous, a good time, for chic geek [sic] is back, basically.

9. Any novel or play you’d like to be made into a movie, what would it be and who would you like to be in it? The Patrick Melrose novels are brilliant, would like to play him, but then so would “any other posh English actor” and there are lots of them. “Which is good.” Might not make a great film, but maybe a good series. Five books. Gets nervous about books he’s precious about, he’s equally precious a fan of books he likes, loves original writing as well, not just adaptations, doesn’t have a bucket list on that one. That’s what’s playing in his head constantly, more as TV ideas than two-hour features.
Doesn’t want to talk about some he might be optioning with a production company he’s built. Crowd: ooh! BC (sounding just like Steven Moffatt): Yeah! ”Not just a fucking actor.” Yesterday it was “aww”, today it’s “ooh”. Have to keep those under wraps. Asks the fan: ”Do you have one?” Answer is “Horatio Lyle”, gets Karen (his publicist) to remember it. Remembers someone else gave him a particular book to sign, wants to know what it was, whoever it was please shout it out. “Riddley Walker”. Gets Karen to remember that too. “Sorry to embarrass you.” He’s not Sherlock, he won’t remember after the next question.

10. How do you go about creating gestures and mannerisms? Research, instincts, adopting vocal qualities such as consonant stress? Depends on the project - he’ll talk about Frankenstein, Assange, Guillam. Frankenstein - the Creature was from the outside in. From the audition he was already trying to imagine what it was like to be in the adult form he had but to never have experienced gravity, or centre of gravity, touch, taste, bodily senses or articulating speech or understanding “light wave stimulus” to the senses. So that was a very physical process for him being the Creature. And the synchronicity with the creator, with Frankenstein, that was more from the books, because there was more in the book than in the sсript, which really contracted [Victor’s] story to his disadvantage. It was a long show, and an extraordinary exploration of what the Creature’s life force and experience was. For Victor he went from the books to something much more physical, which was manhandling, lifting, cutting, sewing, and trying to recreate life from corpses. What that would do to his sense of smell, and ideas of light and life and how it disconnected with any kind of normality. They were both quite physical, those two roles. Took advantage of a wicked rehearsal, all sorts of physical stimulus from designers, costume designers, a very sensual experience.

Guillam was from the book, mainly, also searching out photographs of the era, to create someone who had that James Bond, black kit and tie, large lapels of that era cool - everything about him should read as being heterosexual, so that his sexuality was at complete odds with his public persona and the way he projects himself in the environment of his work.
Julian - Julian was difficult - that’s someone who exists. He’s not creating the physicality or personal tics or vocal tics or temperature (possibly he meant temperament) or pace of movement - all of that is there, it’s writ large in all of his interviews on the internet. But that’s really just the public projection of him, what goes on behind closed doors, what goes on when he’s not in control of himself as much as he’d like to be… you have to go a little bit on your intuition, and your imagination and reading what people have described, who have met him, and obviously reams and reams of footage. And you become confused in that process because he’s so seductive, his message…he started to fall into the trap of listening to what Julian was saying and trying to understand everything Julian’s about, what he stood for with Wikileaks, and that was obviously part of what the job encompassed but it blurred the lines a bit. Going for one thing (the accent/manner) and slipping into the other (the understanding). So that was a very intellectual process, the two approaches were confusing because of how extraordinary Julian is, you want to listen to what he has to say.

11. What advice would you give to an actor starting out? Keep fit for the sake of your body but more importantly for your mind, don’t worry about your body image, just keep your brain oxygenated. Read a lot, watch a lot, listen to a lot, look at a lot, do good observations, look at people’s behaviour, just be that person on the bus, or the tram, or the taxi looking out the window at other people. Be actively engaged in the culture that you want to be a part of, go and see as much as you can. Just keep at it, keep at it. Rehearse stuff for yourself but try and get together with friends as much as you can afford to, supplement your income when you’re just starting out so you have something stable so you can afford stretches of not working. Work on what you have to offer. Don’t be frightened of your limitations, those are not limitations but what make you unique, so go ahead with the full confidence you have something to offer the world which no one else does and that’s not your precious snowflake stuff like he said yesterday, that’s truthful, it really is. And just be open to learning all the time. You’re going to have to take criticism and understand what your weaknesses are to get better, what your strength is, but it’s only going to make you better in the long run. Keep at it and very good luck.


12. His favourite childhood movie? Ghostbusters. Woo. The “asymmetrical comedic genius” of Bill Murray should have evaded him at the age he watched it at, but Murray’s extraordinarily brilliant, and there was something that made him go back to the film a lot. He liked that bit where the creepy music came in and the ghouls were just colliding into Manhattan, and loved that they were contained on this island, and at the centre of it was Peter Venkman. All three of them were brilliant. It was a fantastic creation. The idea for a kid that ghosts could be funny and scary was extraordinary. The dogs that guarded her were pretty terrifying, yet when Rick Moranis squeaks down the wall everyone carries on eating. It was very funny. “You should ask my mum this question.” She’s not in here today, but you should ask her. He wasn’t a geek, not too obsessive, but loved Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Woo. Quite liked Bond - he saw his first one, Octopussy, at quite a young age. Didn’t quite understand the seduction of beautiful women, but he liked the gadgets, was a typical boy in that sense. Indiana Jones was really cool.

Goes into story about a rope swing at his prep school. Two wooden platforms to either side and “the log in the bog” in the middle which they thought was “veerrry funnny” (the way he said it was hilarious, very high-pitched and excitable) at that age (ie toilet humour). There was a rope swing that hung over the log, and when it was stopped in the middle it was difficult to jump for, which they called “going for an Indy” *he sings theme music* When he had “train tracks” on his top set of teeth he jumped for it, and this guy, a tall and gangly Nigerian fellow jumped behind right him. They jumped and landed on the log in the bog, and it would have been hilarious except that the guy landed on his head and “my lip then got impaled on my brace”. He went up to his best friend, Dougie, all “wasstha matta I can’t move my lip” and Dougie went “oh, god”. Discussed that incident the other day with a “good friend of his”, Jamie Watson (…I know), who lives in Adelaide and who went to the comic con. In the autograph line a picture of BC at school was pushed in front of him and a voice went “yeah, can you sign this” and BC is “ahhh… bit creepy. How did… how have you got this?” “‘Cause I’m in it with you.” And then he looked up and it was him. He nearly cried - he hadn’t seen him for over 20 years.

13. "Khan" (female, came in cosplay) asks about him playing characters on the autism spectrum, citing Sherlock and the Creature and says he gets it perfectly right, and what’s his process? It’s there in the writing, really. The Creature is born without empathy, but builds it as he lives, the cruelty of his evolution is that the world treats him so badly. He evolves into a creature of revenge and fear and terror - creating terror. That’s the story of what we must be careful of. We must guard the innocents, take care and cherish people who are in a position where they can’t understand (the way the world works), if you give them the wrong instructions, the wrong understanding, you’re answerable for it.

Went to two schools for children who are autistic, but he disagrees the Creature is autistic because of the progression he makes, but it touches on it. The people had such huge difficulties and it was profoundly upsetting and affecting that there were 19-year-olds who didn’t know anything beyond their bodily functions and “they’d become ghosts in modern society”. Didn’t have the usual concerns of that age - exams, graduating, job, mortgage, marriage, taxes, having children, being a functioning piece of the machine we call society - they can’t. What they suffer and what we portrayed are worlds apart.

With Sherlock I think he’s become that way, I don’t necessarily think he began life that way which again makes a difference. Without doubt I think that’s how it could be perceived but I think what we’re trying to explain is that it’s possible still to be part of the world, but a brilliant part of the world and he’s still capable of learning and exploring a different side. He’ll never have the heart or sentiment that Watson has, but that doesn’t make him devoid of those feelings. He cut himself off from that in order to pursue the rigid focus and discipline that he needs to do this. I think it’s conscious, like magicians who practice their skills, who function in society but have absurd levels of retentive memory and discipline in their work, who can marry the two things to create extraordinary illusions and tricks of the mind and piece together the most seemingly disparate and unrelated incidents or evidence to create a narrative. It takes a special skill and people with Asperger’s or autism can have that focus. It’s great you can see him as a hero and for his ability and to realise because of that actually we’re all different but we’re all different in different ways if that makes sense - which kind of makes us all the same.

14. What future projects should we look out for (apart from continuations such as The Hobbit and Sherlock)? Talks about The Imitation Game, which is set in Bletchley Park during the war and 1950s Manchester after the war. He hopes it’ll be a special film. Alan Turing is a brilliant hero of our time who basically invented the computer. The Turing machine was the basic prototype, a piece of hardware which you could feed a program to - which in those days were just marked squares on a piece of paper - to a mechanism which could read that as an instruction (Wikipedia note: it’s actually more of a hypothetical construct of that idea). Software coming into a piece of hardware. Beyond that Turing helped redesign calculating machines from the Polish genius who came up with the original Enigma codebreaking machines. Extraordinary work to advance codebreaking during WWII, and by many people’s estimations he was part of the effort that ended the war two years earlier than it would have done, effectively saving millions of lives.
Real hero, but because Turing was homosexual in the 50s he lived during a time of fear, real fear of communism and everything else, Cambridge spies, most of whom were also homosexual. Horrible prejudice against that, and he was offered the choice between imprisonment or chemical castration, which involved being given the hormone oestrogen. Turing chose the latter, so he could carry on working on his computer. He died under suspicious circumstances, speculation about suicide, MI6, accident, but BC thinks he took his own life. Turing was ruled by brilliance and destroyed by the country that he practiced that brilliance in because politics at that time, people at that time couldn’t deal with his way of loving, his way of being. For that reason we lost a great hero. He’s had apologies from the Queen and other people, but Turing is the only one who can really forgive the people who did him an injustice. Not anyone else. He’s a hero. BC hopes he can do him justice, it’s a great, great story.
He’s also doing Richard III for the BBC (woo!) and hoping to do Lost City of Z, which should start filming in June.

15. If he could steal one of Alan Rickman’s roles, which one would he choose and why? “Yippi-ki-ay, motherfucker.” Woo. Rather soppily for a 14-year-old loved Truly, Madly, Deeply. Rickman’s a great actor, fantastic. Woo! “Yeah, woo! He is, he is. I woo with you.” He came up to me and said: “[Alan Rickman voice - something about hearing about him and Tom Hiddleston doing competing impersonations?]”. Very funny and generous about the whole thing, lovely man, got such a distinctive and unique voice. Like James Mason. Everybody loves James Mason because these people are unique.

Announcement: “This is the last question.” Aww.

"It’s not, she’s lying, I’m going to talk for ages. That’s not her fault, by the way."

16. What negative aspect of humanity would he like to portray? [Greatly abbreviated answer.] The greed of power. There are people meeting in boardrooms around the world with potentially disastrous outcomes for the rest of us, need to be guarded against that.

Gets told it really really is the last question. “Is an orchestra coming here or something?”

17. He’ll just waffle some more and answer a lot of questions all at once. It’s why he always gets fucked up by journalists. What is the most embarrassing song on his ipod? He sings Puff the Magic Dragon and keeps searching. Gets reminded he still hasn’t answered the question about the weirdest fan question. Once he got a whole bag of used clothes from “this country” he won’t name. Is distracted by woman leaving the auditorium wheeling luggage. Bye. Bye. He comments she looks like she’s running to catch a flight. Oh, she is! Bye! The clothes were of all shapes and sizes, and came in a bin bag, and that’s pretty much how they left his house. “You should know some [stories] as well.” “Riding crop!” He did get sent a riding crop, but that was Tom Hiddleston and Patrick Kennedy (old school friend)! He thought it was a fan, but no.

18. “What role would you kill for?” “I wouldn’t kill for any role.”

19. "Could Sherlock be played by a girl?" No.

20. "Why do you always wear the same shirt?" Because I have the luxury of picking hotels where they do dry cleaning. Doesn’t want to see people jealous that there’s photographs of him in lots of different shirts when they like one shirt more than others.

21. "What’s your favourite thing about Australia?" “The rude questions I’ve been asked.” No, the landscape and the people, and the food. He’s jumped out of planes, gone surfing, swum a bit, visited vineyards. Seen extraordinary views of Sydney and Adelaide and Melbourne. He knows people are here from different parts of Australia, but he hasn’t visited those.

22. Someone begins with: so, (on the subject of) “Sherlock”. “I’m called Ben.” “If people say hey, Sherlock I’m not going to turn around.” Joking. He knew what was meant. What was it like acting with his parents? Nerve wracking, it was the first day back, they were nervous, and “of an age”, lot of nerves himself, whole bag of nerves, but it was fun. Filmed it the right way this time (with the episodes in order). By the episode in the cottage at Christmas it felt like a weird version of his own family Christmas, only with a whole camera crew, and actors he likes to work with every now and again from the show Sherlock. And his mum and dad. All but for the jingly socks [his dad] wears or the flashing reindeer horns [sic] on his head, it was pretty much his dad’s mode of operating. And his mum was the same.

He really, really has to go now. General chaos. Oh, and someone asks him to dance like Tom Hiddleston, but he refuses. “I’m not a performing monkey.”
And that’s it! I know there are a few things I’ve missed or skimmed over, but I’m sure you realise he could pretty much talk for England. Hope you enjoyed

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@темы: Benedict Cumberbatch, OzComicCon, Sydney

@темы: Martin Freeman, Fargo

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Helena de Bertodano

Irascible, eccentric, outspoken? Nothing like his affable on-screen persona? It’s strange what five months in the snowy wastes of Canada can do to a man – or perhaps this the real Martin Freeman?
You can tell quite a lot about Martin Freeman from his excuse for arriving late for this interview. “I was in a really hot bath watching a documentary about Harold Wilson and I suddenly looked at the f***ing time…”
Quirky, yes; a self-styled intellectual, yes (later, he tells me he is reading a book about the Russian Revolution); prone to giving strangely intimate details about himself (yet very guarded on seemingly innocuous subjects); a bit grumpy, hence the constant swearing; head somewhat in the clouds, so doesn’t notice trivial details such as time – which is probably why he is still talking the hind legs off a donkey three and a half hours later, fuelled by frequent infusions of peppermint tea, beer and coffee.
Freeman, 42, is on a career high – has been for a while now. In the hugely successful modern-day reworking of Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories, he plays Dr Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock; he is Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, Peter Jackson’s trio of epic fantasy adventure films – the first two grossed nearly $2 billion and the third will be released later this year. And now he is shooting a much-anticipated television series, Fargo, based on the Academy Award-winning 1996 film of the same name. Freeman plays Lester Nygaard, an interpretation of the William H. Macy role in the movie. “I’m f***ing lucky,” says Freeman. “I’ve done four or five things in my career that most actors would give their right arm to have done just one of.”
And yet, despite everything he does, the role people still associate him with – at least in the UK – is Tim Canterbury from the TV sitcom The Office (2001-2003), playing opposite Ricky Gervais’s David Brent. He is the loveable sales rep who fancies Dawn, sticks Gareth’s stapler in jelly and whose job is going nowhere. And I have to say it is Tim who springs to mind as I catch sight of a solitary figure trudging through the swirling snow towards the restaurant in Calgary, Canada, where he has been holed up for the past five months shooting Fargo.
The restaurant is marooned on an island and accessible only by foot. Freeman pushes open the door, brushing the snow out of his cropped, greying hair and stomping his long moccasins. He removes two thick jackets and rubs his hands together. I ask him if he is sick of the weather. “It depends if you’re going to put it in [the article],” he replies. What? Surely the weather is not off limits? “They get easily offended,” he explains. Off the record, he tells me his view – with lots of swearwords – on living through nearly half a year of sub-zero temperatures. But he also confesses that one of the reasons he took on Fargo (which purports to be a story from northern Minnesota) is: “I was interested in the idea of being that cold. I’ve got a bit of a Scott of the Antarctic fixation. On a couple of days they’ve had to stop filming because it’s been -40C.”
His Fargo character is stuck in a dead-end job, selling insurance, prompting comparisons with Tim from The Office, something I am stupid enough to mention, setting off a firestorm. “I don’t think other actors are asked all the time about the similarities between their roles. I don’t think Ben [Cumberbatch] or Daniel Craig are asked that. I think it stems from my so-called perceived approachability. And it is totally f***ing perceived. I come across as a half-decent person and not very pretentious. I’m a good actor; I can pretend. Look,” he says, calming down a bit, “I’m angry and defensive about everything. It just drives me slightly bananas because I know how hard I work. Tim is nothing like Bilbo Baggins either. People tend to think, ‘Oh, you’re just doing what you do.’ It’s a) insulting, b) f***ing bulls***, and c) I’d invite any other f***er to try to do it.”
Right. In fact, he has played a wide range of roles – from a lusty Rembrandt in Nightwatching (2007) to a shrewd Lord Shaftesbury in the BBC One drama Charles II: the Power and the Passion (2003). “People say, ‘I’ve seen all your work,’ and I think, ‘No, you f***ing haven’t. No one has – even I haven’t.’ ” He even found himself starring opposite Penélope Cruz (“a f***ing delight&rdquo in The Good Night, a 2007 romantic comedy. And from July 1 he will be taking on Richard III for three months at the Trafalgar Studios in London. “It will be my first professional Shakespeare. At least I’ll be at home, too.”
He studies the menu, then puts it down with a sigh. “I don’t only want egg and chips all my life, but the title of every dish here is like the first chapter of a book. I’ve never heard of bresaola. And what’s bottarga – is that a cheese?” He does not eat meat (gave it up aged 14) so, after quizzing the waiter, he settles on a green salad (Heritage Greens, Venturi Balsamic Epsom, Parsnip Chips, Fairwinds Farm Caerphilly – he has a point), followed by a pickerel, which we establish is a white fish.
He’s a family man, and the long stint in Canada is beginning to wear on him. He lives in Hertfordshire with the actress Amanda Abbington, who plays his screen wife in Sherlock, and their two young children, Joe, 8, and Grace, 5, but has only been home twice since filming started in October: “It’s a very heavy price. My main priority in any job is when is the soonest I can get back to the three people I love most in the world. I even ummed and ahhed over The Hobbit.”
Freeman met Amanda on the set of Channel 4’s Men Only in 2000, but doesn’t want to say if they are married: “Let’s leave that a mystery. What I like about our relationship is that we choose it. I’m not saying we’re not married, though.”
His phone rings and he sticks a finger in his ear to listen to one of his children. “Are you going to bed now?” He looks at me and mouths “Sorry,” then wanders off to chat in private. When he returns, he tells me his kids sometimes find his fame tricky to handle: “Joe’s just started a gymnastics class and he said to me: ‘Daddy, people don’t believe that you’re my dad there, can you come in with me?’ And I said, ‘Of course I’ll come in,’ but I always try to say, ‘It’s much more important for people to like you for you than for me.’ But when you’re 8, and especially if people don’t believe you, you want to show them. He is very proud of me, as I am very proud of him.”
Despite his huge success and settled family life, he says he is “not brilliant at being happy”. “If you ask my children and Amanda, they will definitely say I am pretty grumpy and hard to live with sometimes. I also know that I can be playful and full of joy…” Freeman describes himself as a hands-on father, happy to get up in the night when his children were babies.
“I wasn’t like a Fifties dad. Now, I enjoy reading and telling them spooky stories. I’m quite a disciplinarian: I can be a shouter. But I can be a very demonstrative kisser and hugger.”
Some aspects of fatherhood surprised him: “It goes without saying that you’re going to love your kids, but what you’re not expecting is wanting to kill everybody in your house. I’m fortunate in that Amanda is generally a slightly nicer person than I am. If it were purely up to me, my kids would probably be vegetarian Catholic Marxists.”
His children love watching their dad in The Hobbit. “I thought the spiders would really do Grace in, but she wasn’t scared by the peril and the violence. The thing that most upset her was the bit where the dwarves come round and basically eat Bilbo out of house and home. Grace is inconsolable at the idea that they have stolen all Daddy’s food – she thinks I’m being bullied.”
Although he makes a very comfortable living, he says he is not as fabulously wealthy as people seem to think. “I understand why people think I am; it just happens not to be true. I’m certainly wealthier than anyone else in the history of my family.”
Nor has he embraced many of the trappings of wealth. “I don’t live large in that way, because that’s not my taste. I drive a Mini. But I love going to Italy on holiday, being happy in the sunshine, eating the best food and looking after my family in that way.”
He describes his house as “a gamekeeper’s cottage” just outside a village – where they moved from London after Freeman grew sick of people ringing his doorbell at all hours to speak to “Tim”. “I fell in love with the house and it was near where Amanda grew up. I had an idea that I would go with John, my father-in-law, to a local village pub, but the dual effect of Sherlock and The Hobbit means that now I just become the cabaret.”
The most common misperception about him, he says, is that, “I’m everyone’s best mate. When people say, ‘I’d love to go for a pint with him,’ I think, ‘No, you f***ing wouldn’t.’ It goes back to Tim from The Office – he was a very approachable, funny schlub. I don’t think people go up to Ray Winstone and go, ‘All right, you c***?’ ”
Of course, there are many worse things than being seen as nice. “Definitely,” he agrees. “But if you grow up small as a kid, it’s like being mummied by the girls: ‘You’re so sweet.’ That casts a long shadow.”
Freeman grew up in Aldershot, Hampshire, the youngest of five children. “You never feel you’re not the youngest. I’m a grown man, doing all right, and I still feel subconsciously as if I’ve got to earn my place in a room.”
His parents divorced when he was 1 and he lived mostly with his father, a naval officer, until his sudden death from a heart attack when Freeman was 10. “At the time, I probably tried to brush my dad’s death under the carpet. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me. I was small, I was pretty sickly and asthmatic; people already went ‘little Martin’. But when I was 17 or 18, I realised that losing a parent is a big deal. It was devastating in a way that I was unable to acknowledge at the time.” His eyes tear up. “Sometimes I wonder if I heard his voice now, would it be the same as it is my memory?”
He remains very close to his mother, who he describes as “a very egalitarian, principled, left-leaning snob. I never felt hard done by, because I always knew I was loved.”
Raised a Catholic, Freeman went to a Salesian school in Chertsey, Surrey, where the only thing that really rubbed off on him was the religion. “Catholicism goes in somewhere and it colours you for good and bad for ever. So does being the product of divorce. It’s all in there in little layers.”
He has stuck to his faith, although he does not go to church regularly. I'm about as much of a practising Catholic as I am an astronaut, [but] I will occasionally pop into a church and light a candle and pray.



Мартин Фриман: слава, семья и Фарго.

Вспыльчивый, эксцентричный, откровенный? Ничего общего с приветливым парнем на экране? Странно, что может сделать с человеком заснеженная Канада - или это реальный Мартин Фриман?.
Вы можете достаточно много рассказывать о Мартине Фримане, основываясь на его опоздание на интервью. "Я принимал ванну и смотрел документальный фильм и Гарольде Уилсоне и вдруг посмотрел на f****ing время!".
Ушлый, да; сам себя называет интеллектуалом (позже рассказал мне, что читает книгу о русской революции), склонен рассказывать странные личные подробности о себе (но очень охраняет, как кажется, безобидные подробности). Немного ворчлив, отсюда постоянная ругань; витающий в облаках, так что не замечает мелких деталей, таких как время - поэтому, наверное, он продолжает говорить беспрестанно три с половиной часа, чему способствовал мятный чай, пиво и кофе.
Фриман, 42 года - он на вершине карьеры - был и есть сейчас. В невероятно успешной переработке детективных историй Артура Конан Дойля, в которых он играет доктора Уотсона вместе с Бенедиктом Камбербэтчем, играющего Шерлока, Бильбо Бэггинса в эпической фантазийной трилогии Питера Джексона "Хоббит" - первые два фильма собрали почти 2 млрд. долларов, а третья выйдет в конце этого года. И теперь съёмки долгожданного сериала "Фарго", снятого на основе оскароносного фильма 1996 г. с тем же названием. Фриман играет Лестера Найгаарда, интерпретация роли Вильяма Н.Мейси в фильме.
"Я f****ing удачлив", - говорит Фриман. "Я сделал 4 или 5 вещей в своей жизни, за которые большинство актеров отдали бы свою правую руку, и всё это я один".
И все же, несмотря на то, что он сделал, все его роли, люди до сих пор ассоциируют его по крайней мере в Великобритании - с Тимом Кентербери, из ситкома "Офис" (2001-2003 гг.) играл вместе с Рики Джейверсом, исполняющего Дэвида Брента.
Он привлекательный менеджер по продажам, кому нравится Доуэн, который сует степлер в желе Гарета и ничего не делает.
И я должен сказать, что именно Тим приходит на ум, когда видишь одинокую фигуру, бредущую сквозь снег, к ресторану в Калгари, в Канаде, где он провел последние 5 месяцев во время съёмок "Фарго".
Ресторан находится на острове, куда можно попасть только пешком. Фриман открывает дверь, отряхивает снег со своих короткостриженных волос и топает своими мокасинами. Он снимает две теплые куртки и потирает руки. Я спрашиваю его, как он чувствует себя при такой погоде. "Это зависит от того, что вы собираетесь написать в статье" - отвечает он. Что? Разговор о погоде не под запретом? "Вы легко обижаетесь" - поясняет он. Не для записи, он высказывает свое мнение с кучей ругательств - он прожил почти полгода при минусовой температуре. Но он также признался, что одной их причин, почему он снялся в "Фарго" (которая является частью историей Северной Минессоты) "меня заинтересовало то, что здесь холодно. Я чувствовал себя как Скотт Арктической экспедиции. Нам на пару дней пришлось остановить съёмки, потому что температура были ниже 40 oС."
Его персонаж в "Фарго" погряз в бесперспективной работе, продавая страховки, вызывает сравнение с Тимом из "Офиса", и я настолько глуп, что сравнил и тут же оказался в огненном шторме. "Я не думаю, что других актеров все время спрашивют о сходстве между ролями. Я не думаю, что Бен (Камбербэтч) или Даниель Крейг спрашивают об этом. Я думаю, что это вытекает из моей кажущейся общительности. И это определенно f***ing кажется. Я прошел через полтора десятка персонажей и я не претенциозен. Я хороший актер. Я могу притворятся." "Послушай," - говорит он мне, немного успокоившись, - "Я злюсь и защищаюсь ото всех. Это просто злит меня, потому что знаю, как я тяжело работаю. Тим не Бильбо Бэггинс. Люди, как правило, думают "О, вы просто делаешь то, что делаешь". Это а) оскорбляет б) f****ing чушь и в) я могу предложить любому, f***ing, чтобы он сделал это."
И это правильно. В самом деле, он играет самые разнообразные роли - от похотливого Рембранда в "Ночном дозоре" (2007 г.), проницательного лорда Шефтеберга в драме BBC "Карл I: Сила и страсть" (2003 г.). Люди говорят: "Я видела все ваши работы" и я думаю "Нет, вы, f***ing, не видели. Никто не видел - даже я". Он однажды играл вместе с Пенелой Крус (f***ing это восхитительно) в "Спокойной ночи" (2007 г.). С 1 июля он будет Ричардом III в течении 3-х месяцев на сцене Trafalgar Studios в Лондоне. "Это будет мой первый профессиональный Шекспир. По-крайней мере, я буду дома".
Он изучает меню, затем кладет его со вхдохом "Я не хочу есть только яичницу и жаренную картошку всю свою жизнь, но названия каждого блюда как первая глава в книге. Я никогда не слышал о брезаом (итальянская вяленая говяжья ветчина). И что такое боттага - это сыр? (боттага - икра кефали)."
Он не есть мяса с 14 лет, таким образом после опроса официанта, он останавливается на зеленом салате (Heritage Greens) (ресторан River Cafe, меню), а затем щуку, которую мы определили как белую рыбу.
Он семейный человек и долгое пребывание в Канаде тяготит его. Он живет в Харифордшире с актрисой Амандой Аббингтон, которая играет его экранную жену в "Шерлоке" и двумя маленькими детьми, Джо, 8 лет, и Грейс, 5 лет, и за время съёмок, которые начались в октябре, он был дома только 2 раза. "Это очень дорогая цена. Мой главный приоритете в любой работе - это как можно быстрее вернутся домой к трём людям, которых я очень люблю. Это очень огорчало меня во время съёмок в "Хоббите".
Фриман встретился с Амандой во время съёмок для Channel4 "Только мужчины", но он не хочет говорить, что они в браке. "Давайте оставим это в тайне. Что мне нравится в наших отношениях - это то, что мы можем выбирать. Я не говорю, что мы не женаты."
Его телефон зазвонил и он закрыл одно ухо пальцем, чтобы услышать своих детей: "Ты собираешься спать?" Он смотрит на меня и беззвучно, только губами, говорит "Извини" и уходит, чтобы поговорить наедине. Когда он возвращается, он говорит, что его слава тяготит его детей: Джо начал ходить на гимнастику и сказал: Папа, люди не верят, что ты мой папа, можешь пойти со мной?" И я сказал: "Конечно, я пойду", но я всегда стараюсь донести, что гораздо важнее, чтобы люди приняли тебя самого, а не из-за меня. Но когда тебе 8 лет и особенно, если люди не верят и вы хотите им доказать. Он очень гордится мной и я горжусь им тоже."
Несмотря на огромный успех и оседлую семейную жизнь, он говорит, что он "не подарок". "Если вы спросите моих детей или Аманду, они точно скажут, я довольно ворчлив и иногда со мной тяжело. Я так же знаю, что я могу быть игривым и полон радости". Фриман описал себя как заботливый отец, с удовольствием встававший по ночам, когда его дети были младенцами.
"Я не такой, как мой отцы пятидесятых. Я люблю читать и рассказывать детям страшные истории. Я достаточно педантичен: я могу накричать. Но я могу быть экспансивно целующимся и обнимающимся".
Некоторые аспекты отцовства его удивили: "само собой разумеется, что вы будете любить своих детей, но то, что вы хотите убить всех в своём доме - это не ожидаете. Мне повезло, что Аманда приятнее меня, в общем-то".
"Если бы всё соответствовало мне, то мои дети возможно были бы вегентарианскими католическими марксистами."
Его дети любят смотреть на отца в "Хоббите". "Я думал, что пауки реально напугают Грейс, но она не испугалась опасности и насилия. Её больше расстроило то, что гномы нагрянули в гости к Бильбо и съели всё в его доме. Грейс была безутешна - что они украли всю папину еду - она думает, что над надо мной издеваются".
Хотя он обеспечен, он говорит, что они не сказочно богаты, как люди думают. "Я понимаю, почему люди так считают: это просто случается, чтобы бы не быть правдой. Я конечно, богаче, чем кто-то в истории моей семьи".
Он не имеет атрибутов богатства. "Я не живу, как большинство, потому что это не в моём вкусе. Я вожу mini. Но я люблю отдыхать в Италии, где я становлюсь счастливым под итальянским солнцем, едим самую лучшую еду и выглядим как мои родители. И это один из способов заботы о семье."
Он описывает свой коттедж как "домик лесника" в непосредственной близости от деревни - куда они переехали из Лондона после того, как количество людей, звонивших в дом Фримана, чтобы поговорить с Тимом в любое время суток, увеличилось. "Я влюбился в этот дом и он недалеко от того места, где выросла Аманда. "У меня была идея поехать с Джоном, моим свёкром, в местный паб, но двойной эффект Шерлока и Хоббита даст то, что я называю "кабаре".
Наиболее распространенное заблуждение о том, что "Я лучший приятель для всех". "Когда люди говорят "Я хочу выпить с вами пива", - я думаю, "Нет уж f***ing". Это пошло от Тима из "Офиса", он там был очень доступным, смешным парнем. "Я не думаю, что люди идут к Рею Уинстону и говорят "всё в порядке, с****?"
Естественно, есть и более неприятные вещи, чем когда ты кажешься милым. "Определенно", - соглашается он. Но если ты вырос невысоким, как ребенок, это как девушки "мамкают" "Ты такой милый". Это отбрасывает длинную тень".
Фриман вырос в Олдершоне, графство Гемпшир, младшим из 5-ти детей, "но вы никогда не почувствуется, что я младший. Я взрослый человек и всё делаю правильно, и я заслужил свое место в комнате."
Его родители развелись, когда ему было 1 год и он в основном, жил со своим отцом, военно-морским офицером, вплоть до внезапной кончины от сердечного приступа, когда Фриману было 10 лет. "В это время я, возможно, старался не говоррить о смерти отца. Я не хотел, чтобы люди меня жалели. Я был маленьким, я долго и часто болел астмой, я был "маленьким Мартином". Но когда мне было 17 или 18 лет я понял, что потеря родных - это крупное испытание. Это было ужасно, что я был не в состоянии признать это, что это навсегда." В его глазах появились слезы. "Иногда я думаю, если бы я услышал его голос, это был бы тот же голос, что и в моей памяти?"
Он до сих пор близок со своей матерью, которую он описал как "очень рьяная сторонник равноправия, принципиальная, левого толка, сноб. Мне никогда не было с ней тяжело, потому что знал, что я любим."
Воспитанный в католицизме, Фриман ходил в Salesian school, в Черти, Суррей, где единственное, что он впитал в себя - это религия. "Католицизм идет к чему-то и это определяет для нас хорошее или плохое навсегда. Как и развод. Это всё маленькие наслоения."
Он придерживается веры, но не ходит регулярно в церковь. "Я такой же практикующий католик, как космонавт. Но если захожу в церковь, всегда ставлю свечу и молюсь".





 

@темы: журнал, Martin Freeman, интервью

@темы: цитата, Benedict Cumberbatch

12-13 апреля в Сиднее прошли встречи с Бенедиктом Камбербэтчем.

Во второй день программа такая же, как и в первый: фотосессия, автографсессия, панель и greet-and-meet.

Benedict’s auto line; he has his wine, assorted lollies/candy and his iPhone is put playing music (I think he said it was the National he was listening to when I asked).
Во время подписи автографов у Бенедикта на столе бокал вина, конфеты и в его айфоне играет музыка (я думаю, что это что-то британское, когда я его спросил).

Ben's listening to some hard core hip hop while autographing. He was rapping alomg to it haha #ozcomiccon

— Genevieve Kentwell (@Gennibean8) April 13, 2014

Бенедикт слушает хип-хоп во время подписи автографов. И слегка постукивает.

Бенедикт танцует на сцене под Daft Punk!

Lost City of Z filming in June HOPEFULLY #BenedictCumberbatch

— Alcatraz Swimteam (@inmypyramid) April 13, 2014

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Бенедикт позирует для фото.

@темы: видео, фото, Benedict Cumberbatch, OzComicCon, Sydney

Здесь рассказы о встречах с Бенедиктом в 1 день на OzComicCon в Сиднее.

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I was fortunate enough to be the the first person of the day that got to take a retarded looking photo with this marvelous man (above), got an autograph from him (during the signing of which, he remembered me and called me “darling” nearly rendering me unconscious), got to ask him a question or two and, at the end of the day, drink champagne by his side. My name’s Merry and, if you’re interested, this is the slightly embarrassing but ultimately rewarding story of my day meeting Benedict Cumberbatch.

As I said, I was the first person of THE DAY to meet Ben for a photo. When the volunteer said, “Right, you’re up first.” I immediately panicked but thought I was maintaining a good resolve. That was, of course, until I got into to the photobooth and Benedict smiled brightly at me, and said

"Hello! First one of the day! You alright, love? You’re shaking??!!" I managed a squeak a response,

"Hi, I’m fine. Are you okay??" he laughed at that and I manged to say that I loved his work before we took the photo. I could be mad that I look like a total ferret but tbh I’m just pleased I managed to stand and breathe and who cares how I look?? I’M IN A PHOTO WITH BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH!!!

The next part of the day was autographs. I got my copy of Sherlock Holmes stories I’ve had since I was eight signed. I decided I was going to try and be a little calmer. I mean, I’d already met him once, right?? HAHAHAHAHAAHAaaaaa yeah I was pretty calm until I got up to the table and he was like,

"Hey! I remember you, my darling! You were my first customer of the day!" THERE WERE TOO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS IN THAT GREETING I JUST COULDN’T EVEN. But I managed to ask him how his day was going and if he was tired from being so busy, he asked me more or less the same. I told him I was from Newcastle (which is just two hours north from Sydney) but he thought I meant Newcastle in the UK and he looked all shocked,

"You came all that way??! For me??" he asked. I was confused at his surprise for a moment until I realized,

"Oh -! No! I mean, not that I wouldn’t, I think your acting is marvelous!. But we have our own Newcastle about two hours away"


" Wow! Thank you! And, thank goodness," he said, "That would’ve been a long trek! And, thank you for making it anyway, by the way."

"You’re most welcome - Thank you!" I squeaked as the volunteers ushered me away for the next person to sign, Benedict giving me a smile and wave and a "see you later"

Next was the Q and A panel. I was sitting in the second row from the front. I honestly can’t remember everything he said and I didn’t get picked to ask him a question (tweet compilation (x). But he was beautifully articulate and spoke about pretty much all his work, not just Sherlock and also, his obsession with Gary Oldman. At one point he asked the audience if there was any roles we want him to play and I shouted James Bond. He asked if someone said King Kong, looking in my general direction, and when I shouted it again, he smiled slyly and was like “Oh yeaaaaah, Bond’d be alright” and the audience cheered so that was pretty cool.

Finally, the meet and greet. About 60 of us, we sat down at 5 tables (about 12 of us at each) and Benedict came around and sat with each table for 15 minutes. There was champagne and nibbles and Benedict was drinking coke. It was kind of a bummer that our table was last and our time with Ben got cut short a wee bit. But I didn’t care because HE SAT NEXT TO ME, GUYS!. We weren’t allowed to take photos, they made us leave our bags at the door. But I promise you guys our shoulders were touching and I could feel his body heat and ughhhh I feel so blessed.

There were two girls at my table who spoke over everyone else, making it hard to get a word in edgeways. Though at some point we were talking about aggressive fans and I mentioned to no one in particular that I got shoved into the ground over meeting tom hiddleston and kind of told a bit of that story (if you want to read that story go here). Benedict suddenly turned at looked at me and said,

"Oh my gosh!? Were you hurt?? That’s insane! It wasn’t anything to do with me was it? I am so sorry that would’ve been terrible."

"No! Don’t apologize, it wasn’t your fault, Benedict. I was okay, only my dignity was bruised." I made him laugh and heard him mutter "Bloody, Tom". I internally screamed while he answered a few more questions from the girls talking over everyone. After about five minutes, his PR manager came over and told him he had to go. He made a toast and we all clinked our glasses and he said he was sorry he had to leave and he turned to me suddenly and said,

"Wait, sorry, darling, did you want to ask me something?" Frozen, I said,

"Um, I just think you’re lovely and I was wondering if there’s anything you like to do when you get anxious about fame or the future or anything, really?" He smiled and said,

"You’re rather lovely too! As to your question, on my bad days I just like to go to art galleries and museums by myself and just enjoy other people’s work. It relaxes me. It was lovely to meet you all!" He brushed mine and the guy sitting on his other side with his hands as he got up and left, leaving me floating on clouds.

So yes, sorry for the long post but that’s my Benedict story. I had so much I didn’t get to say. But in all honesty I just feel utterly privileged that I’ve shared minutes of my life with him and I highly doubt I’ll ever forget them.

A year ago, today, you would’ve found me crying on the floor of my lounge-room with a broken heart, having hit rock bottom. The amount of importance to me that I was meeting meeting Benedict on this day a year later, I can’t really explain. Basically, It means a hell of a lot to me that the date that was the worst day of my life became the best.

Thanks for reading


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Okay, so you probably saw my posts about meeting Ben and here is everything I can remember about this amazing day.

My friends and I got up at 5 in the morning to get to the university he was going to be at. We had luckily gotten a hotel about 1km away, (we all live in Queensland and had to take a plane down). When we first got there we wandered around for ages looking for the place and finally found it.

Waiting outside we made some really fantastic friends. When the doors finally opened at 8:50ish we were nearly at the front. Then was the welcome and then photographs.

I went down to go to the toilet before my turn and I caught a glimpse of his forehead and started to get the shakes. When my turn came I walked towards him, he look at me right in the eyes and said hello. I stuttered out a hi and he put his arm around me. I then put my hand on his waist, which was the perfect squishiness. I remember feeling his voice vibrate through him but I can’t remember what he said, or if I even replied.

God I hope I did and didn’t just stand there silent!

After nearly crying after that, my friends and I went back up to the theatre and watched Benedict interviews. Then came lunch. We all stood around outside- we were to nervous to eat- and we saw him walk into the toilets with about 5 bodyguards. Luckily on his was out nobody did anything inappropriate, we all sort of just stared.

After lunch was autographs. Seeing as I was in the yellow group we got to go first. When me and my friends turn came she went first. They exchanged words about the people she was getting an autograph for because they didn’t come. He called her a good person!

My turn came and I said Hi! happily. At first he didn’t reply and I was worried he would just ignore me but when he had finished writing my name and signing he looked up and asked me how I was. He also asked how my name (Neve) was pronounced, getting it right the first time. He said it was cool and I thanked him and went on my way.

I sat in the theatre for a while after that. Then me and my other friend Cedie decided to try and see if we could get another one. We just made it. We were 3rd last in line.

He talked to her about her name for a bit (her full names Ce’Nedra) and when it came to me we chatted for a few seconds about how we were. I totally word vomited about him being awesome but he was still kind.

We ran over to the main theatre for the panel. He came in and was funny, charming and the audience loved him, of course. He waffled so much it was adorable. And he kept rubbing his thighs, it was very distracting.

The guy in front of us was hilarious and awww. He ended up jokingly telling him to fuck off in his Khan cross smaug voice.

He ended the panel with an Alan Rickman impression, better then Tom Hiddlestons he said. He wanted to keep going but they said he had to leave. As he was walking about he nearly walked into a wall and got a standing ovation.

So it was basically the best day ever. I met so many cool people and it was just great. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my time.


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- he loves that we scream when the molly kiss came on screen
- we all applauded him when he asked for a bottle of water and proceeded imitated us in a high pitched voice “oh my god he’s a normal person”
- we were allowed to yell out characters he should play next, and loved the idea of being the next Cinderella or fairy godmother
- he told a guy that he is such a unique individual little snowflake
- he did the Alann Rickmen impression and told us Tom Hiddleson could go fuck himself for copying him
- he likes that we (meaning everyone in the Benedict fan-base) can understand when he is making a joke and when he’s serious, unlike the media.
- he admitted that he didn’t appreciate being told that people thought he was shorter in person
- he then admitted that by saying that and making those people feel bad that he knows he is an arsehole.
- he says fuck a lot and it is incredibly sexy and he knows it because we all went wild every time he swore.
- he knows that we love the socks





part 1 part 2

@темы: Benedict Cumberbatch, OzComicCon, Sydney

12-13 апреля в Сиднее прошли встречи с Бенедиктом Камбербэтчем в рамках OzComicCon.

Программа ничем не отличалась от того, что было в Аделаиде: фотосессия, автографсессия, панель и meet-and-greet.



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И несколько интересных вещей с панелей.

За твиты спасибо Verushka
No richard iii questions. Hasn;t thought abt role yet #BenedictCumberbatch talk to him in a mth

Lwants to be remembered for doing a better impression of Alan Rickman than #TomHiddleston
Benedict manages to squeeze in a quick Alan Rickman for us all & then he;s gone!

#BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon JUST extended the talk when MC Tried to end it lol!!!

In awe of violin players, he can;t do it well lol #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Angry at how world treated Alan Turing #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Nevet acted for fame . Its a byproduct of wanting to do the wk #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Loves Hamlet. Achingly sad, recognisably frail when it comes to making decisions #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

#starWars fanboy ! #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Doesn;t want to play Dr Who #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon #sherlock will do lol

Likes the idea of playing Dr Strange #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Initial reaction toSmaug: wrote dhis dad right away, loved it! #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Loved working 3S. Let his imaginatiom rip #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon #hobbit

Has more clothes than#sherlock #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

His mum says he;s too impatient lol #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

#merylStreep = incredible #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Such a Gary Oldman fanboy! #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Julian assamge difficult to get into as well #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Found #sherlock difficult to get in to to an extent. Wasn;t making enough sense in the beginning to #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Asks fans to gove to charity instead of giving gifts #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

Huh wants to go into directing/producing #BenedictCumberbatch #ozcomiccon

- Никаких вопросов по Ричарду III, он ещё не думал об этой роли.

- Бенедитк делает лучшую пародию на Алана Рикмана, чем Том Хиддлестон.
- Бенедикт быстро изобразил Алана Рикмана и ушёл.

- Когда модератор сообщил, что панель закончена, Бенедикт попросил её продлить.

- Он играет на скприпке, он может играть на скрипке, но плохо.

- Злится на то, как мир поступил с Аланом Тьюрингом.

- Никогда не гнался за славой, это побочный продукт того, что он делает.

- Любит Гамлета. Невероятно грустный, внешне хрупкий, когда дело доходит до принятия решений.

- Поклонник Звездный войн.

- Я не хочу играть Доктора Кто.

- Понравилась идея сыграть доктора Стрейнджера.

- Первая раекция на роль Смауга: позвонил отцу и сказал, что он его любит.

-У него больше одежды, чем у Шерлока.

- Его мама говорит, что он нетерпеливый.

- Поклонник Гарри Олдмана.

- Трудно было войти в роль Ассанжа.

- Трудно было найти Шерлока.

- Просит фанатов обказывать благотоворительность, а не дарить ему подарки.

- Он хочет стать режиссером/продюссером.


И The Iris AU

Ben is asking fans to donate to a charity, any charity, rather than give him gifts as his suitcase space is limited

Steps to rectify difficulties in connecting with a character... He had trouble making Sherlock the "extraordinary magician he is"

Julian Assange was also difficult to work on, due to accent & his story VS public story

"He could rip my throat out & piss on my eyeballs, it;s Gary f*ckin Oldman" - on actors who he respects

"I;ve had very few people who were difficult to work with"

I;m a rude arsehole, impatient & have more clothes than Sherlock - similarities to Sherlock

Be patient, you are unique, plow your own path, supplement your income, create your own work, amateur theatre -advice for aspiring actors

The crowd awwwed when he asks for water, then he sets us all off with "He;s thirsty like us"

I;m never gonna play The Doctor, & nothing to do with the Whoniverse

I would;ve liked a part in JJ;s new Star Wars but it won;t happen sadly

Hamlet is an everyman, a tragedy, a universality, the humanity of the man, it;s total you can bring as much yourself as an actor

Benedict is spending a good 5mins+ on each question, long responses!

It;s a privileged existence & you can tell when journalists cut & run with a quote out of context - fame

Which character has had the most impact on you, Benedict the person - Christopher Tiegens (sic)

Benedict isn;t a fan of violin playing, finds it so difficult, but all his characters have had an impact

We're told it;s the last question & Ben says have we got anywhere to go? No! So we shall keep going!

Most uncomfortable thing he had to work on - Frankenstein where he accidentally cut himself after sliding on the floor

The fight scenes & training for Khan was a challenge

Maybe doing a better Alan Rickman impression than Tom Hiddleston

Benedict manages to squeeze in a quick Alan Rickman for us all & then he's gone!


- Бен просит поклонников жертвовать на благотворительность, а не дарить ему подарки. Его чемодан небольшой.

- Взаимодействие с персонажем: ему трудно делать шерлока. Он волшебник.

- Было трудно работать с Ассанжем из-за его акцента. Его история прортив общественности.

- Есть очень мало людей, с кем ему было трудно работать.

- Он может порвать мне горло, нассать мне в глаза - это Гарри Олдман, человек, которого он уважает.

- Он настоящая задница, он нетерпелив, у меня больше одежды, чем у Шерлока - о сходстве с Шерлоком.

- Будьте терпеливы, вы уникальны, пройдите свой путь, создайтедополнительный доход, делайте своё дело. Любительский театр - совет начинающим актерам.

- Аудитория сделала awww, когда Бенедит попросил воды, он сказал, что будет просто её пить.

- Никогда не будет играть доктора Кто или что-то из Хуниверса.

- Мне понравилось работать с ДжейДжей (Абрамс), но, к сожалению, в Звездный войнам меня не будет.

- Гамлет - это простой человек, трагедия, универсальность, человечность в человек, это то, что принести в роль как актер.

- Бенедикт тратит хороший 5 минут на каждый вопрос, очень большие ответы.

- Это привеления: говоришь, что ты журналист, - вырезаешь слова из контеста - слава.

- Бенедикт не поклонник игры на скрипке, находит это трудным, но это часть персонажа.

- Ему говорят: последний вопрос. Бен сказал, что если мы не торопимся, то продолжим.

- Самая неприятная вещь во время работы: во время показа Франкенштейна он порезался, когда ползал по полу.

- Сцены боев и тренировка для роли Хана - это было вызово для него.

- Может делать импровизацию на Алана Рикмана, чем Том Хиддлестон.

- Быстро показывает Алана Рикмана и уходит.



part 2 part 3

@темы: OzComicCon, Sydney

@темы: Benedict Cumberbatch, OzComicCon

@темы: сетевое