Benedict Cumberbatch Regrets Not Watching Theater Reactions To Avengers: Infinity War

In an interview with Uproxx, Benedict Cumberbatch revealed that he regretted not going to a theatrical screening of Avengers: Infinity War to watch the crowd’s reaction to the ending. Here are highlights:

On getting asked to voice The Grinch: “Yeah, they came to me, and I was more than happy to oblige. I mean, for me, it was a very unusual ask, for a start, which is immediately intriguing. It was out of the ordinary until they said, “Oh, could you do it in your own voice?” And I went, “Oh, right, I have played some other socially awkward, talented, but at times very rude English characters. So now I kind of get why they might want me to do that.” I was really flattered, and then I just pushed back and said, ‘It has to be in an American accent from my point of view.’ There were too many questions about this character. Why is he green? Why is everyone else sort-of/kind-of not green? And why has he got fur all over him and why haven’t the others? So I don’t think he should be English as well, but I thought just not thematically a bad guy. You know?”

On his regret about Infinity War: “This is my biggest regret of that whole time is that I didn’t sneak in to see people’s reaction. And I wish I had. I really do. I really wish I’d done that. And I think it was such a long press tour, by the time my family got me home I was well and truly on holiday and with them. Or was I working? Geez, I can’t even remember anymore. I think I had a tiny break and then I was riding into doing a TV drama about Brexit. But yeah, it’s my biggest regret of that whole experience. And there aren’t that many regrets, because it was a wild ride. I mean, just selling that movie by not being able to say anything. But the places we got to go – and it was very cool. I know other people who did it. I think Tom Holland did it. I know Mark Ruffalo took his children, because he then FaceTimed us from the cinema.”

On how people reacted to the end of the film: “It’s just great that storytelling in tentpole film of a franchise can have that kind of an impact and kind of a visceral reaction. I love watching stuff with an American audience, because even in a more knowing one, that premiere in L.A. was furnished with people who were making it. Even me, I was kind of going… And my wife was in shock, you know? She still is. She can’t get over it. I think she really quite fancies Doctor Strange and he’s gone. I said, ‘Baby, he’s gone. There’s no more Doctor Strange. He’s gone. That’s it.'”