Benedict Cumberbatch recalls how the Star Trek Into Darkness crew pranked him during filming. Released in 2013 and directed by J.J. Abrams, the second of the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies follows Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as they attempt to track down and apprehend a terrorist superhuman named Khan Noonien Sing. Cumberbatch plays Khan in the film, a casting that was kept secret prior to the film’s release.

During a recent interview with Variety in which guests attempt to guess lines from their own movies and TV shows, Cumberbatch identifies a Khan line from Star Trek Into Darkness. This leads to a story about his experiences filming within the National Ignition Facility for the movie, and the elaborate prank that the crew of the movie pulled on him involving “neutron cream.” Check out Cumberbatch’s story below:

We worked in some amazing places, some amazing sets. And then we went to this really amazing , amazing location, the National Ignition Facility, which is where they’re hoping to create nuclear fusion rather than fission. And the only byproduct of that is water. They convinced me before I got there that there was this neutron cream you had to dot on your face to protect against all the neutrons that were flying around in the air.

And I’m like, “I’m not sure. Really?” And you know, who am I to question science? I’ve played a few scientists but I don’t, you know, I’m not Stephen Hawking. So maybe it’s some crazy American, sort of, insurance thing. This is all by way of, you know, excusing how stupid I am.

I then went on set and had this cream on and then there was a sign up and I had to read this notice to the whole crew about, “Guys, we really have to do this neutron cream.” And as I was reading it, I went, “Yeah, and if you’ve been wearing neutron cream then you’re an idiot. There’s no such thing. You don’t…” And I was like, “What?” The whole crew had me. It was brilliant.

What Cumberbatch’s Khan Casting Meant For Star Trek Into Darkness

Why Khan Was Kept A Secret

All three of the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies were generally well-received, but Into Darkness proved to be somewhat divisive. Star Trek Into Darkness‘ reviews were positive, for the most part, but Khan’s inclusion in the movie and Cumberbatch’s casting didn’t sit well with all audiences. Part of this stemmed from marketing for the movie hiding the true idenтιтy of Cumerbatch’s character, and a great deal of effort was put into misdirecting audiences before the movie’s premiere.

In an interview with MTV in 2013, Abrams revealed that the decision to keep Cumberbatch’s character a secret was part of an attempt to not exclude those who weren’t familiar with Star Trek. He admits, however, that he does “wonder if it would have seemed a little bit less like an attempt at deception if we had just come out with it.” In the end, though, Into Darkness grossed $467 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing Star Trek movie.

Our Take On Cumerbatch’s Into Darkness Prank Story

Star Trek 4 Should Happen

One of the major reasons why the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies were all generally well-received is because of their casting. Actors like Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, and Simon Pegg, among others, all had great chemistry on-screen, nailing the fun moments of banter and the high-stakes action set pieces. Cumberbatch fit well into this dynamic, ultimately giving life to a chilling and formidable villain.

Though Cumberbatch seemingly won’t be back as Khan, there is a chance that Pine and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise will return in Star Trek 4. Pine and most of his costars have expressed interest in returning, but a fourth film has struggled to advance beyond the development stage. It’s unclear whether another movie will ever come to fruition, but Cumberbatch evidently had a positive experience making Star Trek Into Darkness.

Source: Variety