Benedict Cumberbatch Is ‘Irreplaceable’ In ‘Sherlock’, According To Creator
For Benedict Cumberbatch 2013 was his best year yet and even thought he did not receive an Oscar nomination, he appeared in several critically acclaimed films, not to mention his return to the incredibly popular miniseries Sherlock alongside Martin Freeman.
While attending the 40th birthday gala for London’s Lesbian and Gay Switchboard charity on Thursday night, creator Mark Gatiss said that the multi-faceted actor is simply irreplaceable as Sherlock Holmes:
“If Benedict went under a bus tomorrow it would be the end of the show. Benedict and Martin are our stars. We do three episodes a year and although people want more that’s all we can do. They are both so famous now it’s increasingly difficult to get them.”
Gatiss was referring to Cumberbatch’s busy schedule and a rising popularity among studios who cannot get enough of the 37-year-old Brit, who is not only an big and small screen actor, but a well regarded performer in theater, radio, and recently started a production company with some of his close friends.
But Gatiss said that the talented actor saw his international rise to fame with the BBC series, portraying one of the most popular literary characters.
“Sherlock made Benedict a star and I know he is eternally grateful to the show, he wants to do more.”
“Martin (Freeman) is similar too as he is in The Hobbit and he’s doing a new show in Canada with Billy Bob Thornton, a TV version of Fargo.
One of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, Benedict Cumberbatch propelled his career to a whole different level with seven films last year, including the blockbusters Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, the Oscar nominated August: Osage County and Best Picture Oscar winner 12 Years A Slave.
But while Cumberbatch is just now making waves with his acting here in the US, he has been a well known actor on the other side of the Atlantic with memorable performances in War Horse, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the television series Parade’s End for which he received an Emmy nomination for Best Actor.
Gatiss says that despite their new found international celebrity status Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman — who is also a co-star in The Hobbit — will continue to work on a fourth season of Sherlock, however, it will not air until 2016.
In the meantime, Benedict Cumberbatch continues with his super busy schedule with three films in post-production: The Imitation Game (2014), The Hobbit: There And Back Again (2014), and The Penguins Of Madagascar (2015) for which he does the voice over.
[Image via Canadapanda / Shutterstock.com]
