Benedict Cumberbatch on what drew him to the role of Doctor Strange

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

There are plenty of reasons why the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are as popular as they are, but one of the areas which Marvel has excelled at from day one is casting. Actors like Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johannson, Chris Evans and others have devoted much to their roles and as a result, the MCU has a stable of characters we love who can keep this massive franchise going for some time. Benedict Cumberbatch will be joining that group soon enough once DOCTOR STRANGE finally hits theaters later this year and the actor behind the sorcerer supreme recently spoke with Empire about what drew him to the role in the first place.

The lure as an actor is the script, the director, Kevin [Feige], and talking about how to make a character written in the ‘60s and ‘70s relevant now, to make him slightly less arrogant. Arrogant, but also humorous.

As with many big-budget blockbusters, much of DOCTOR STRANGE will take shape in post-production as the visual effects behind Strange's magical world are developed. Although Benedict Cumberbatch was impressed with what he witnessed during production, it wasn't until he saw the first DOCTOR STRANGE trailer when he realized just how big and crazy this film was going to be.

Wow. God. That’s what I’m part of. You have conceptual art that they show you, but you only really realise what you’re part of at the end of the process. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the effects while we were shooting, because a lot of them were real elements, whether it was sets that make a room miniscule, or the costume designs.

DOCTOR STRANGE is set for a November 4, 2016 release.