Benedict Cumberbatch appeared on the ITV morning show This Morning today to promote Doctor Strange. It’s been difficult to follow some of Benedict’s promotional tour because I really don’t know much about the character besides the basics, so I have a “???” thought bubble over my head when he’s talking to some of the nerdier, more comic-friendly outlets. But on a morning show, he had to talk about his wife and child. And his response was… um, interesting.
It was confirmed earlier this week that Benedict Cumberbatch is expecting a second child with his wife Sophie Hunter. And following his big revelation, the Sherlock star candidly confessed he had a lot to learn when it comes to being a dad. The 40-year-old actor was interviewed by Alison Hammond on Wednesday morning’s installment of This Morning, discussing all things parenthood, Strictly Come Dancing and his new film Doctor Strange.
Quizzed about whether he was looking forward to his son Christopher growing up and watching his films, Benedict replied, ‘He’s very small…’
‘Is being a dad your proudest achievement?’, Alison probed.
He replied: ‘It’s probably Sophie’s. I’m expecting a second child now… I’m still proving myself as a father.’
I get what he was trying to say, I think. I believe he’s probably just uncomfortable talking about how fatherhood has changed him while appearing on a morning show. It’s probably a British thing – an American actor would have used that question to get sappy and emotional about the joy of having babies. But the deflection of “It’s probably Sophie’s [proudest achievement]” sounds like… of course having a baby is a woman’s proudest achievement, but Butch Bendy has career achievements, don’t you know? Taken with “I’m still proving myself as a father,” it makes me wonder if Poor Sophie is just taking care of Christopher while Bendy travels the world and works constantly and only drops by to impregnate her every two years.
Here’s another interview, this time with Bendy joking about “man feeling” the other Marvel superheroes.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Eeeeeeeeeee…. I think you just stepped in it, Mate.
Yup, he did.
Yeah, if he had said “OUR proudest achievement” it would have been fine. But in defense of Bendy and in the context of his complete reply, I think he may have been trying to say that Sophie deserves to be proud because she’s already adapted to her new role and shown herself to be a wonderful parent, while he is still in the process of proving himself.
It’s a back-handed compliment that I have always loathed and felt guilty for loathing it.
Is it a backhanded compliment though?
It sounds like a backhanded insult.
Like a gold covered turd.
Looks good, but then you get to the heart of it and it’s just shit all around.
Why speak for her at all about what her ‘proudest’ moment is? Let alone say that it’s from taking care of a human grub who has not proven to be well adjusted, kind, talented, or anything except good at eating, pooping and crying.
I read it this way too Lahdihdahbaby. In the context of “I’m still proving myself as a father” it does sound like he’s saying that Sophie has already shown really good parenting skills, but he’s still working on his. He thinks she can be proud because she’s competent at it, while his own skills are a bit lackluster so he doesn’t feel proud yet. The initial wording was unfortunate, but the rest clarifies it I think.
Yeah that was gross. Having a baby is wonderful but it’s not an achievement.
Maybe he just meant she parents better in general?
I love that color on her.
Otherwise, grabbing popcorn!
It’s possible they are expecting a girl…? Hence the color of the dress.
Awkward moment.
His promo time is a constant cringe.
For real.
To be fair, though, I’ve seen some of her art and he might have a point.
HAHAHA
THAT’S what came to my mind first thing too! She hasn’t actually achieved anything professionally so there you go. lol Theatre, operator, curator whatevers…
And people say the Tumblr crazies don’t go here anymore…
@Spiderpig
By Tumblr crazies, you mean the people calling her an accomplished theatre and opera director, I assume?
Nope, just the mouth breathing trolls who still after two years spent every waking moment hating on and spreading bold face lies about any woman who dares to date or marry a celeb they fancy.
Sophie’s lovely, and I knew if her by reputation since long before she started dating Otter King.
Really Spiderpig? You’ve actually heard of her before 2014? I have a hard time believing you. Unless you are the runner of her fake fan sites. lmao
Oh it’s very interesting. Tell us about that mysterious reputation of hers nobody seems to have ever seen or heard of:)
I worked for Punch Drunk for two years (as you well know, those of you who doxxed me on Tumblr). Sophie worked for them at the same time as me but we didn’t directly work together.
Like I said, she is relatively known-ish within the London avant garde theatre scene, which is teeny tiny and everyone knows everyone (well, the London theatre scene in general is like that). It’s certainly not in any way mainstream, so it’s hardly surprising that people who don’t live in Britain and don’t work in theatre are unaware, is it?
How many avant garde theatre makers have you heard of? Have you ever heard of Dave St Pierre, Rafaella Marcus, Conrad Bishop, Elizabeth Fuller, Lydia Rynne, Tatty H, Gabriel Bauriedel, Whit Hertford (though he’s awful), Simon McBurnley? And some of those are very successful and well-established within their field.
@Spiderpig4
Thank you, that was very enlightening. Well, I’ve googled the names you mentioned. And yes, you are right: some of them are very succesful and well-established in the “teeny tiny” London avant garde scene and well beyond, too. And some are barely mentioned anywhere, maybe because they’re still very young, and then it’s quite normal. However, there are also individuals of a certain age and still very much in the fringes of that teeny tiny circle of people…But, suddenly, starting 2014, they become an accomplished theatre director with a vision and ability to direct an opera from a delivery table. Marvelous:)
my sides lol
Snigger.
Haha!
I started watching a show called Midsomer Murders a few months back and just about every British actor makes an appearance early in their career in an episode, much like Foyles War, and some actors are even in a couple different ones as different characters. Anyway, she was in one and, wow, she was terrible. This was late nineties early aughts though so maybe she’s improved??
LOVE Midsomer Murders!! And Foyle’s War! Sam is hilarious.
we recently started rewatching it, from Season 1.
Try any Marple as well, if you like the genre. Our favourite Marple is Geraldine McEwan.
Also, for a lighter touch, try Rosemary and Thyme. It’s a bit corny but we also love it 🙂
@ Original Kay- thanks for the suggestions! I actually just watched the last epi of Foyles War after months of avoiding it because I didn’t want it to end 😩 And I’m seriously addicted to MM. Mr. M thinks I have a problem but my favorite thing is to lay in bed after a day of dealing with the spawns, have a glass (or two) of wine and watch MM.
Yeah Sophie is actually a terrible actress. No wonder she gave up her acting “career” .
Ohmygod, MM is THE BEST! Orlando Bloom and Henry Cavill show up too. Also, I love Joyce Barnaby from the depths of my soul 😉
Bendy appeared on an episode of Marples I seem to recall.
New Barnaby>Old Barnaby. UO?
I saw her by chance in Torchwood and she was OK. Not memorable, and only 5 minute screen time. Completely missed her in Vanity Fair.
Ben Jones>Everyone!!
I have to agree, Sophie was pretty bad in MM.
And we are all geniuses, right?
My self-righteousness is showing this morning. I’ve been on receiving end of people judging my art. It is not fun. I get a bit defensive.
To get better in art everyone has to start somewhere and gradually improve. Nobody becomes a genius overnight.
What are you talking about?
Honestly I know many artists who are successful and i do not like their art or concepts at all. Art is subjective and monetary success is not always the best way to measure it. However her professional career is not all that, at least not as great as his team tried to paint it at first. The way his PR went after her CV and accomplishments was the worst part of their public relationship (FOR ME).
Que?
What Cee said. Plus, didn’t she wear seafood on her head at one point?
Is there any evidence for this? Like, at all? I see a lot of claims without a jot of evidence (eg claiming she didn’t go to the university listed on her CV), and didn’t this mostly come from that one obsessed fan who got banned from Wiki who was cyberspace talking Olivia and Lyndsey Turner and basically every woman Ben was ever linked to, who the crazies thought was Sophie herself, and from them not realising there are two theatre companies with the same name?
“Que? ”
Let me explain.
A woman marries a famous guy – > a famous guy puts a foot in his mouth -> the woman gets dragged for her perceived lack of achievement with many onlookers sniggering from the sides.
And she didn’t even say anything.
And who are the onlookers themselves? Famous artists?
Sasha, I knew exactly what you meant.
@Cee, ITA
@Spiderpig – Wikipedia should not be trusted, anyone can edit with false information (you create “sources” and that’s all you need to pass lie as fact).
There was a theater company that came out with a statement saying that Sophie Hunter was not connected to them, and many others found playbills where it stated that she was either a co-director in a group of many or even just a consultant to THE director(s). She did not win the Beckett Award – she was given a collective grant to fund a play, all this as part of a group of people.
I want to clarify that whatever she has done with her professional life does not fall short of anything. My only complain, just to give it a name, is the fact that his PR wanted to bring her up as if she wasn’t worthy enough on her own merits and that, as a feminist and a woman, angers me even if I don’t know her and never will (and no, I’m not angry at her. Thought I would clarify seeing as CB now houses people who either love or hate her)
ETA: Sorry I’m running on 3 hours of sleep and forgot to add that her CV is not a lie. It was just worded to create an image that is not entirely the truth? Makes it sound she was the only writer, director, grant/award recipient, when she was not.
meh don’t have a problem – to me it just sounds like he’s complimenting his wife’s parenting and saying that he’s got way more to learn? Also, I’m inferring that he is trying to acknowledge that sophie actually, like, HAD, the child, right? So it’s more of a British humility thingummy.
That’s what I took from it too. Like, this is really her achievement, I’m just trying not to mess it up. Sweet in a super awkward way. Brit actors need to stop with the constant self-deprecation; sometimes it’s just annoying.
I can see how one’s grown children might be their proudest achievement, but isn’t it a tad early to call their parenting a huge success?
I agree that he probably meant it as a compliment: I think he was trying to say that Sophie is already an excellent mother, and that he’s still proving himself as a Dad, so he doesn’t get to brag about it yet. But I also think that it came out quite poorly worded and does make it sound like Sophie doesn’t have anything else going on, where as he has other achievements to be proud of.
Yep, that’s what I got too. Nothing odd or awkward to see here.
I think I get what he’s saying. I often say if I do nothing but be a good mother to my children, then I will have accomplished everything.
It’s not that other things aren’t important to me, but having and raising 3 children to be caring, loving, good people is at the top of my list. If I fail at that, then nothing else I do really matters.
I agree. I have done many things in my life and my children are my greatest achievement, what I am most proud of, and greatest growing experience.
As a mother, my grown children, (kind & decent human beings), are a great source of pride to me. When they were very small, they were my greatest source of joy. I didn’t/don’t feel that giving birth & adopting were/are great “achievements”, (having done both, adoption took far more patience & tenacity). Climbing a mountain is an achievement, having a baby is a function of nature, and raising a child is an ongoing process.
I’m sure he intended his comment as a compliment, but wish he would get out of his own way sometimes. All he needed to say was along the lines of, “I love being a father. It has brought me joy beyond all imagining.” It would have sidestepped a badly conceived question, made his fans ‘sqee’ and minimized discussing his family, which, I believe, is a goal to which he aspires.
He is saying being pregnant and delivering a baby isn’t a man’s achievement and so he doesn’t deserve any credit.
But y’know. Let’s not let that get in the way of going HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA for at least half an hour at the way every time he opens his mouth, he puts an entire wellington boot straight into it. Because that’s his main attraction for me these days, now he’s got so boring!
With Tom down under and out of the spotlight now, we need someone to mock. Thankfully, Benny boy is here to give us giggles.
“An entire Wellington boot” 😂
Sixer you are on a roll this week! Brava
That’s how I interpreted it too. He said “I’m still proving myself as a father”, so I take that to mean that his wife is a good mother (and should be proud of that), while he’s still figuring it out. A bit awkward, but not terrible.
I’ve heard many women who have accomplished quite a bit in their work life say that having children & being a mother is their highest accomplishment. Taking into account mens inability to carry & give birth to a child I’m not having any problem with his comment.
MY friends with children say the same thing. One friend put it best ” before I had kids and someone asked me to describe myself I would say that I was a nurse , sister , wife , dog lover. After kids , I am a mother before all else. “
Except Sophie herself specifically emphasised in one of her rare interviews that she is not that kind of a mother…
@nmoley
True, I forgot about that one. Perhaps she changed her mind? In any case, I do think it could be said better.
“Except Sophie herself specifically emphasised in one of her rare interviews that she is not that kind of a mother…”
No, that’s a lie the skeptics made up. Read the actual interview, it’s there in black abd white. The journalist made a typical journalist remark about how it would be inappropriate to define her by her maternal status. Sophie herself did not say one single word.
I don’t understand why the skeptics continue to spread lies that anyone can verify (they’re still insisting the poster is a forgery despite video of Cumby signing it).
Yeah, that’s how I read it – like, “achievement?! Ask the person who carried the kid for nine months, the one who gave birth and did the actual physical stuff – all I achieved was orgasm”.
@timbuktu
“Perhaps she changed her mind?”
We don’t know, but let’s not forget it’s just BC putting the foot into his mouth, and she might be as annoyed with his wording as we are:)
@Londerland: “all I achieved is orgasm” = perfect!
Okay, i fail to see how doing things nature’s way is an achievement. Most females – human, mammalian or not – will “achieve” the same result. I can’t imagine that an achievement of anything. A “good” offspring – sure. That’s a result to be proud of, but surely a child of 1 or 2 or 3 or however old the kid is, isn’t yet an achievement. Of neither mother nor father. Surely!
Otherwise, I’m pretty proud of the burp I achieved earlier today.
Yes, I agree. She could’ve also said to him, “being a parent is my proudest achievement”. Why do we shame women who express this? If it makes you proud, great. If your career is your proudest achievement, also great. Isn’t this what we want for women….freedom of choice?
Mlle, yeah, that’s what I took from the video too.
He was being self-deprecating, saying he’s still earning his stripes as a father. Instead of absorbing the pat on the back the interviewer was sending his way, he deflected it to his wife saying she’s the one who has done a great job, had the hard work, etc. It didn’t come across as trying to diminish either her professional work or the hard work of parenting.
Slight tangent, but this reminds me of that Felicity Huffman interview from years ago where the interviewer boiled Huffman’s entire existence down to her mothering abilities:
from Huff Po
“Here’s an actress who admitted not working for a year. How therapy helped her overcome a painful bout with bulimia. An experience that also informed her ability to portray her gender-bending role in “Transamerica.”
And what did [60 Minutes interviewer Lesley] Stahl career gal extraordinaire focus on?
Huffman as Happy Mommy.
Huffman, to my undying gratitude, was having none of it. When Stahl asked the mother of two little girls and accomplished actress if motherhood wasn’t the best experience of her life, Huffman looked at Stahl as if she’d channeled Pat Robertson.
And then—bless her wicked heart—Huffman said, “No, no, and I resent that question. Because I think it puts women in an untenable position, because unless I say to you, ‘Oh, Lesley, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done with my whole life,’ I’m considered a bad mother.”
The joy suckage fest continues
Is that feminist, B?
To say that a mother does the lion’s share of the work when it comes to giving birth and the guy just basically needs to have sex? I don’t think it’s either or, it’s just a normal statement.
That’s the Bendy I remember… the one that says cringey things in interviews. He’s particularly awkward when it comes to speaking about Sophie.
At least he’s learned how to say her name in interviews.
Did he even say her name during the Oscar campaign? I forgot how he referred to her, but I member us scratching our heads collectively over it.
He never mentioned her by name, only by adjectives. Weird adjectives. That was so strange, no pun intended.
@bonzo – he once referred to her ‘as the woman i love and i proposed to’ and yes he never once called her Sophie.
And as for this comment – its just wrong on so many levels. He likes to think he’s some sort of feminist, an intellectual modern man but with comments like this he just shows he’s a typical posh boy/privileged twit.
He really is! You’d think he would have improved by now.
This is another one along the “coloured” lines, ain’t it?
He just seems to be well-meaning but so narrow in terms of life experience, he lacks the vocabulary to get the tone of anything right.
I might even start liking him again because it is very funny.
Yes, his vocabulary is lacking but at least he provides us with comic relief.
See i took it to mean that he thinks its what Sophie is proudest of him for?
i also thought that. he was definitely deflecting to not show his manfeelings but i dont think he said “sophies greatest achievement is being a mom” but that she is proudest of him being a dad.
I took it to mean Sophie did the lion’s share of the work, giving her credit, whereas he still has to “prove himself”. Apropos of nothing, I must tell you all that last night I saw a broadcast of Frankenstein from London’s National Theater, with BCberbund as the monster, and it was haunting and amazing. I have never seen his show or movies, and have always thought he looks so odd. But my word, the way he moved, spoke, etc., was simply an amazing tour de force.
This is what makes me sad about all the Cumby hype. He is just such an astonishing stage actor, it’s unbelievable. His performance in After the Dance has stayed with me for ages. But I guess they are all thirsty in the end.
Is it not good that he has bigger opportunities with bigger audience now due to his fame?
The theater productions are all good and well, but who gets to see them?
There were a few theater productions in London last year I wanted to see , but they weren’t even recorded. Not everybody can travel to London just because (just venting, it is not directed at you )) ).
The awkward thing about her ‘achievements’ is that she didn’t even try that much. She’s just been flouncing all over the place and nowhere she stayed long enough to achieve ANY kind of success, or even minimal recognition, not even among a very selected audience. This is what you call an ‘amateur’, a ‘dilletante.’ It is not a crime or anything, only, well, awkward.
Oh, I’m just a London theatre snob. I’d much rather he pulled a Mark Rylance or Simon Russell Beale and kept himself for us denizens of the Smoke to enjoy. 😉
ITA – Bendy is a great stage actor but sadly his screen work is lacking. He can do well on TV/movies but it depends on the script and director.
His thirst to be an A List HW leading man will be the undoing of his credibility as an actor – he’ll end up being another posh Brit who tried and failed to make it to the top of the tree in HW.
@Nikki
YES! I also saw it as a broadcast about a year ago in NYC, and it is the most amazing show I’ve ever seen (granted, that’s not saying *too* much, because I’ve never lived in a big theater town, where I could go see all the plays that made a splash or anything, but I’m an avid theater goer when I can, so I make a point to go see a play every time I visit a big city like London or NYC). I’ve seen the same version – him as a monster. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced catharsis before that show. It was beautiful and moving and sad all at the same time. I saw it after I became a fan of Sherlock, but he definitely gained a lot more respect from me after that performance, I can’t stop raving about it.
Yes! I saw it yesterday and thought about it all day. I’ve seen LOTS of theater, and this ranks right up with Angela Lansbury and George Hearn in Sweeney Todd; it was a revelation. Frankenstein was similarly jolting and affecting, and both his physical control pans his acting were absolutely BRILLIANT. I guess I’all have to check out “Sherlock” at last!
In his defense, what else has she done? She lived off her parents for her “art” all those years before Ben. A made-up CV after marriage does not an achievement make.
I saw the puppet show about the Shackleton adventure that she directed and thought it was fantastic
To be fair, that show was created by Jessica Grindstaff and Erik Sanko. Sophie Hunter was one of many directors who worked on the project.
The final product was by no means the result of her creative vision.
I’m not saying she didn’t add anything to it but she wasn’t “The Director” in the sense that most people think of a theatre director.
You can read more about the whole thing here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/theater/69s-shackleton-tale-comes-to-bam-next-wave-festival.html?_r=5&
I saw the show. I enjoyed it. I don’t understand the need to diminish this woman’s actual accomplishments. There are probably hundreds of thousands of theater directors in the English speaking world alone, never mind other parts of the world, and very few of them are actually known by name to the general public.
Do not confuse achievement with success. Perhaps she did succeed given her limited resources (not speaking of monetary ones)
So what if she doesn’t “do” anything? I’ve never “done” anything either other than be a mother, by choice. Not everyone is definedby their work, I’m a person and not a drudgery drone which is how I always saw paid work. Not eveveryone is fulfilled by sitting in a cubicle or exchanging their precious time for money. But I am not judging those that choose that life, it’s just not for me and that’s as ok as motherhood not being for every woman. I don’t know why it has to always get so nasty here about motherhood and traditional roles for women. You do what you want and let other women do what they want….why is this so hard?
Because being impregnated by Bouncing Benny with his lizard alien sperm is such an accomplishment; the colonization of our planet by his alien species has begun. They’re erecting statues to Sophie on Planet BZ953 as First Earth Mother now.
i dunno. I’m proud of my kids, but my biggest achievement is my med degree,
I find the word “achievement” weird for giving birth to a child. Just me.
I’m with you, swak. I mean, can you truly call something an achievement if you can’t help it? All of my pregnancies were planned, but even so, I’ve had times when I was like “oh, what was I thinking?”. I think the inevitability is an important part of procreation. 🙂 No one really wants to be 9 months pregnant or to go through labor, but if you want a kid, you more or less have to, and so you do.
It’s all a bit chivalric fantasy coming from a bloke, isn’t it? I mean, it’s just a biological function.
I don’t see my kids as MY achievement because they are not extensions of ME. They are human beings in their own right and I would see my role as a parent as helping them to enable their virtues and control their vices. If they turn out well, I think it will be mostly their own achievement with only a little bit of mine – and their father’s – thrown in.
Their mere existence? I wouldn’t particularly call that an achievement.
That I’ve managed to survive raising y spawn is an achievement… not my biggest, though.
Sixer I’m copying this. You’ve put into words my feelings exactly!
@Sixer: You stated it very eloquently. I love it.
I am proud of my children. They are not my “accomplishments” though.
ParanormalGirl- I like the way you explained being proud of your kids, but that you consider earning a medical degree to be an achievement. That’s what the word achievement means to me.
I’d hope that parents are proud of their children, but referring to children as an achievement feels weird.
Men, Otteralienmen in particular..Sounds like something my ex said to me after the kids were grown and at uni…
As someone with fertility issues , I can say personally that none of my academic or career achievements matter as much as hopefully having a healthy baby and family. To me, having a family will be my biggest achievement because it’s not like “studying” or “networking ” helps me find a father for my child or will enable me to ovulate to have a baby.
I don’t disagree with you. I also had fertility issues and the year it took me to finally get pregnant (after IVF) was amazing. For someone like Sophie who doesn’t have fertility issues, however, this isn’t much of an accomplishment.
Congrats on your success. I’ve had family members who have gone through that process and know it is not easy or for the faint of heart.
But this: “For someone like Sophie who doesn’t have fertility issues…”
How do you know? How can any of us presume to know the reproductive status of a complete stranger? (I mean, unless you’re an American Republican male politician, because they, of course, know ALL the things about ALL the workings of the bodies of ALL the women, especially where reproductive health is concerned. That’s why they have to write all the legislation about it, because otherwise how would us womenfolk know what to do with our bodies, partners, morals.*** )
I think the interviewer’s question was weird, especially to pose to a stranger. There are lots of ways to ask about the impact of parenthood, and that was not the best. Plus, personally, I hate it when interviewers make some assumption in their own heads, and then use it to frame a query to a celebrity as a “yes” or “no” question. Open ended questions make for much better interviews (especially with a waffler like this one)
*** Please note, the part in parentheses wasn’t aimed at you. I’ve just had it up to *here* with the nonsense coming out of the likes of Newt Gingrich, Trump and others who think adult women (and people in general) are eager for them to step in, assess, judge and dictate what can go on in their homes, relationships and bodies. It just bubbled up here.
From here on I will call my 4 children my 4 achievements. “Achievements! Dinner’s ready!”. In fairness, it’s the kind of question where the journalist is putting very specific, silly words in the celeb’s mouth… Humans cannot be other people’s achievements, can they? B must’ve thought “blimey, what, why, whoa, Sophie, she’s the one, she doing the birthing and nappy changing and whoa screwing this up as I speak…!”
I think it’s a very accurate portrayal of what must have been going on in Benedict’s head as he was speaking. 🙂
In fairness i doubt he meant it in a derogatory way about her having no other achievements in life…he was trying to be complimentary, just add this to the many awkward ways hes spoken about her since they went public.
“Asset…tool…the woman i proposed to”
Benny truly is one of the great poet romantics 😂
I think the least he could do is write us a sonnet!
I can’t do 14 lines for a sonnet about Sophie so a haiku
My comet Sophie
Woman I proposed to
An asset and tool
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
You reminded me of the initial awkwardness. The centre of my life/heart, my ever more? I remember finding him completely ridiculous haha Those were the good times.
I’d forgotten those gems haha. All the while refusing to say her name in some sort of Candyman/Beetlejuice type dilemma 😂
Haha… you answered my question from above. I couldn’t remember how he referred to Sophie back during the Oscar campaign. I do think he really loves her, but geez, he has an awkward way of verbalizing it.
Something gets lost in the translation from the language of space otters to English.
Wait, what…Did He really call his beloved a tool !
How unchivalrous.
At the beginning of it all he really was very awkward in the way he talked about her! In fact, he talked around her, never actually mentioning her.
Well, she doesn’t have any other achievements.
” ‘Is being a dad your proudest achievement?’, Alison probed. ”
The question was phrased in such a way that it was pretty much a guarantee that the answer would end up either cheesy or awkward of both. B+ from me for the effort of trying to avoid sounding pompous.
I am not bothered.
This is the kind of comment that can be interpreted differently. If her greatest success in life is her children, that’s her right. We can choose to live our lives as we see fit and find success in different aspects of our lives. However i find it strange that he’s the one saying it. Perhaps his greatest success is his career, not his children, and that’s fine too.
Women who have successful careers can also find their children their greatest achievement, or not.
I find the language used particularly awful. He doesn’t say her proudest achievement is what a wonderful mum she is, but that she had a baby. I have to say, it is an achievement, the last few months of my pregnancy were horrible, though I experienced much “silent labour”, and only felt pain for less than three hours. That said, the years that follow the birth and to keep trucking on when you know you are making a million mistakes, it what really makes a great parent. I am a terrible person, and think of the child itself as the achievement. Lol.
In an interview (while she was pregnant) she refused to talk about her impending maternity in no uncertain words because it didn’t define her as a person. And now this….
Maybe its because she has nothing else going on right now so her baby is her main focus?
I’m sure it is exactly the case, but I don’t think she is particularly happy to be reminded of this by her ever-busy, successful husband:)
What do you get out of telling lies?
What do you get out of being an overly invested fan?
@madly, spiderpig does not strike me as an overly invested fan, especially as she has not seen much of his work.
She sounds pretty over invested to me with her frequency in posting and passionate defense of lady otterpuss.
“In an interview (while she was pregnant) she refused to talk about her impending maternity in no uncertain words ”
This is the actual quote you’re referring to, in full:
“If you want something done, so they say, ask a busy mother. This advice may well hold true, but if the mother in question is Sophie Hunter, wife of Benedict Cumberbatch, then it is best not to refer to her new maternal status. Although fans gathered on Valentine’s Day to catch a glimpse of her Isle of Wight wedding to the star of Sherlock, and paparazzi have swooped this month for shots of the couple’s first outings since the birth of their son, for Hunter, 37, it is definitely business as usual. And that business is avant-garde opera, and not being the other half of one of the most popular actors of the age.”
So no direct quote from Sophie, no indication it came from Sophie (in fact the opposite, it’s evidently the journalist speaking), no indication she made any request one way or the other, and obviously a jokey reference to her dual status as Mrs Movie Star and regular behind the scenes theatre person.
Poor thing. Awful awful. In a way, it is even worse than I remembered. The journo was taking the piss:))
Looking at this mess.
Achievement implies you did something special to get there.
Having a baby is not an achievement; it’s a natural part of nature and she did nothing special. Having a baby is the “achievement” of a higher power.
She needs to get over herself.
Well, it wasn’t HER who said anything…
She did say nothing, he’s the one saying it’s her biggest achievement.
“She needs to get over herself”
Overreact much??
Sophie hasn’t uttered a word on the matter of motherhood publicly that I know of, so it’s rather silly of you to attribute Ben’s statement about her to her personally and then go off the rails about it. I think most of us know what he meant to say and it was a perfectly normal sentiment.
It was the *interviewer* who framed it as an “achievement” in a yes / no question. That left Cumberbatch to reply to the awkward question…well…awkwardly, as one does.
She did manage to pull of interspecies breeding with zero help from NASA so I guess its nice he acknowledged that.
Maybe China’s space program is more advanced than we realized.
Did she take her celebrity hubby to the cafe with her expecting Tweet or post on Facebook their visit by the manager?
It’s too bad he was a friend of her ex boyfriend, and knew what she was doing in NY 2 years ago.
What?
SMH
Can we all agree now that the characters he plays are way smarter than he is? I’m a bit disappointed because I keep waiting for him to say smth smart like Sherlock would say. I know, I know …don’t confuse the actor with the character and still ..
I actually think he’s quite smart, for an actor, anyway. I mostly enjoy his interviews: he has a nice sense of humor, good vocabulary, etc. Even the most educated of my friends put a foot in their mouth every once in a while, the main difference is, I think, that we usually don’t have a mike shoved in our faces when that happens.
I also worked as an interpreter for a while, and I know that if I spent 8 hours translating, by the end of the day, I can barely think straight, start addressing the wrong people in the wrong language, etc. He’s on the interview circuit right now, he probably spends a lot of his day talking and answering very similar questions, so it could be a factor as well.
Tbh the only reason I believe He was ever considered sexy, was because of the character of Sherlock Holmes.
In real life He comes across as an awkward twit, who’s a bit inept with Women. Intelligent yes, smooth and sexy no.
From what i hear on the streets moms dont mind that being said about them bc they’re basing their life worth on their kids achievements ……you know…..like they used to do in the olden days……
I read that as a man saying he couldn’t claim credit for the horror show that pregnancy and birth can be – he gets an orgasm, she gets to carry an endoparasite for the best part of a year and then birth it through the most nerve-ending-laden parts of her anatomy. I’ve known a few British men respond that way, it’s a self deprecation thing, like having a kid is an achievement for a woman because of the hardship and they wouldn’t want to imply they have any right to claim a part of that.
But it comes over as horrendous, here, in context. Given the career achievement gap between them. And if it isn’t how he meant it, and he did genuinely mean she’s not achieved anything else of note, then he is a giant ass.
I think your comment posted as I was writing, heh. I really agree with your first assessment. As for their career gap, I have zero to say on that. (shrug) I just know they seem super, incredibly into each other, and from what Benedict has said about her, she’s very ‘cool’, as in she’s very laid back. I’ve never heard him be anything but respectful of ladies.
Knowing what I know about Benedict, he was probably misunderstood, or just bungling his response due to lack of sleep. What I think he probably meant to say is that it’s Sophie’s proudest achievement in that he was trying to heap praise on her, and not himself. She’s the one who physically has the kids, and being a mother is typically pointed at as a ‘strongest’ point in a woman’s life. I don’t think he meant it in a condescending dude way. He’s so respectful of women, and he adores his wife. I truly don’t think he meant to sound like an insensitive bro. Seriously, he also tends to misspeak when he’s tired, and I know the junket runs are tough, and morning shows are hella early in the am.
Gosh, I know it’s a joke, but the comments about him being from another planet are beginning to look like the most plausible conspiracy theory. He really needs to not talk without a script, ever.
I wonder what Sophie would say in answer to that!
Rubs hands as prepares to head for the cumbercrazies’ Tumblr lairs to see them proclaim what a liar Cumbers is because he “did not have sex with that woman” . . .
That outfit is beyond ghastly, she looks awful. The color would be beautiful if there weren’t so much of it, but, geez.
I am glad to see that he is making his ops pregnancy and shotgun marriage work. It is not for everyone but I wish them the best.
But far and away the more interesting thing is to hear the war in his fandom between the overly invested fans emotionally defending these strangers vs the overly invested fans who can’t believe their eyes and create wild theories on how it can not be true. Both groups are ridiculous.
Does he have that many fans left tho. His popularity has gone down a lot.
My liking of him went down for sure. He went from interesting to overly snarky, grumpy and try hard during his Oscar campaign. He still is a good actor though. Wish he would branch out of the weird genius role he seems to get stuck in.
Thank you Madly!!! You summed exactly what I’ve been thinking. I love what you said because it’s the truth. And it totally boggles my mind b/c the people they defend or bash truly could not care less.
It was an awkwardly worded answer to an incredibly vapid question 🙄
Here’s the thing, if you’ve been watching his promo – “Sophie is the super hero” is pretty much this year’s “Alan Turing should be on bank notes” He’s been reiterating it a lot lately, in a few different ways but the jist is “I’m not a super hero, Sophie is” and in that context it makes sense.
Like others have said, he seems to be able to say her name finally but interestingly has yet to utter his son’s name (on video or directly quoted). Only “My boy”, “my baby”, “the baba”, “my son” Maybe in two years he’ll be naming Christopher but probably calling his daughter “the newest life form”, “someone who has recently come into his life”, etc. to protect her from Beetlejuice (Michael Keeton rising from the dead to try to take his Oscar)!
Someone is desperate for this woman to “happen” or get some element of independent fame, but for exactly what, I’m not sure. It’s like they are trying to “curate” her into a Livia Firth type or something. There aren’t too many people buying what they are selling. She is not a super hero, just a woman raising a child like millions of others out there, but with the other 99.99% doing it on much lesser means. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Benedict Cumberbatch is totally out of touch with reality.
I don’t know Sophie and I don’t know Cumberbatch, but hasn’t one of the criticisms about her always been see is so unaccomplished and hasn’t really done much; kind of coasted throughout life. If that is the case, it’s possible that having a baby has been her proudest accomplishment.