Benedict Cumberbatch looks back on his most controversial role. Cumberbatch is a prolific actor who has starred in Academy-Award winning movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, popular BBC shows, and in prominent fantasy and science-fiction franchises. He is best known for playing Doctor Stephen Strange in numerous MCU movies, ranging from Doctor Strange to Avengers: Infinity War, along with playing the iconic Sherlock Holmes in the BBC’s Sherlock series that aired from 2010-2017.

When it comes to Benedict Cumberbatch’s best movies, he starred in the award-winning The Imitation Game, The Power of the Dog, and 1917. In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, he provided a motion capture and voice performance for the fearsome dragon Smaug and for the villainous Sauron. Cumberbatch also made his mark on the Star Trek franchise by playing Khan in 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness. As accomplished as Cumberbatch is, not all of his projects or roles have been well-received, though.

Benedict Cumberbatch Had A Controversial Role In Zoolander 2

He Has Spoken About It Before

Cumberbatch addresses his controversial role in Zoolander 2. The Ben Stiller-directed movie features Cumberbatch in the role of a non-binary fashion model named All. Having Cumberbatch play a non-binary character was not well-received. He has since spoken about the controversy and that he regrets portraying the character. The scene was intended to show characters being out of touch with modern times, but this was overshadowed by having Cumberbatch play a non-binary individual.

While speaking with Variety, Cumberbatch discusses how it is difficult to talk about Zoolander 2 and his problematic role in the sequel. Part of this difficulty comes from the fact that he was thrilled to be working with Stiller and the creative team behind the iconic first Zoolander movie that was released in 2001. Cumberbatch emphasizes that he will not play another character like this again, as he understands why it was upsetting to many audiences. Check out his comments below:

I’ve had to apologize for that quite a lot, so it’s a difficult one to talk about. I love that group of people, and it was a chance to be part of something that, the first time around, was iconic, and I was a huge fan of, but it got complicated. It got misunderstood, and I upset people and I respect that, so I probably wouldn’t do that again now.

Our Take On Benedict Cumberbatch’s Comments

Zoolander 2 Made A Mistake That Must Be Avoided

Non-binary characters should only be played by non-binary actors. Ironically, in a scene meant to expose how out of touch certain characters are, the movie itself ended up being out of touch by casting Cumberbatch to play All. Fortunately, there are plenty of movies with non-binary characters that provide authentic representation. Cumberbatch learned from his mistake, and hopefully the rest of the entertainment industry will continue to learn and improve how queer representation is handled in movies, television shows, and in other art forms.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Casting Is One Of Many Zoolander 2 Criticisms

The Sequel Was Panned By Critics And General Audiences

Cumberbatch playing All was the most criticized aspect of Zoolander 2, but the movie has plenty of other criticisms as well. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and general audiences are aligned, with a Tomatometer score of 22% and a general audience score of 20%. One of the most prominent criticisms is that Zoolander 2 places more focus on its celebrity cameos than on its comedy. Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Willie Nelson, Neil deGrᴀsse Tyson, Kiefer Sutherland, and Christina Hendricks are among the many star-studded cameos.

Cameos can be effective when used well, but they prove to be more distracting than helpful in the sequel. There were many celebrity cameos in the original Zoolander, including David Bowie and Fred Durst, but they did not overshadow scenes in the same way Zoolander 2‘s cameos did. Cameos aside, critics and general audiences highlight that they did not find the movie to be funny despite being a sequel to an iconic comedy starring the likes of Stiller, Will Ferrell, and Owen Wilson.

Much criticism is also directed at the writing, which is seen as a significant downgrade from the original movie. Zoolander 2 is an example of how not every popular movie needs to have a sequel, and that star power and celebrity cameos are not enough to overcome other creative issues. It is one of the few movies in Benedict Cumberbatch’s impressive career that is not regarded well by critics or general audiences.

Source: Variety, Rotten Tomatoes