So much Otter. I can’t even. I guess this means the brief lull of Cumbergossip over the holidays couldn’t last forever. Incidentally, Benedict Cumberbatch ended up confirming a story I didn’t believe: he and Sophie spent New Year’s in the Caribbean. I think he went to Scotland to spend time with her family around Christmas, then they flew to some Caribbean island for NYE. Otters do love the water. Anyway, while Bendy was in Palm Springs, he spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ even points out that they had to edit the crap out of these quotes because Bendy can talk and talk and talk. You can read the full WSJ piece here. Some highlights:

Going without coffee during his Caribbean holiday: “I’ve just had a first coffee since my holiday. I don’t know if you ever decaffed for awhile, because when you have it again, it’s pretty strong. It’s a very, very strong drug we drink in the morning.”

Filming on Richard III: “They’re [still] filming in Northumberland, freezing their asses off, going at it medieval style with broad swords and chainmail [armor] and horses, smoke and mud. I’m in an SUV moving my way down to Palm Springs! But I paid my dues.”

On privacy versus making art for the people: “I think it’s very important to do that, to remain true to your nature. Just to be able to have some space that is your own. The more you work, you’re in the public focus, but that’s obviously what our work’s about in a generalized way. We need an audience as actors, doing this kind of art…”

Sophie is so important to him: “Also, I’ve got things that are more important for me going on now in my life. I’m sitting next to one of them right now, my fiancée [Sophie Hunter] – she’s a helpful tool [laughs]. I said that to make her laugh. She’s a helpful asset! She’s a lot more than that. But it’s brilliant to have something that I think is more important than myself in my life to focus away from myself, you know what I mean? That brings me into a good space.”

Fear of failure: “I think the fear of failure is a really powerful motivator. That really is a tool [laughs], because there are moments when you can get completely and utterly blocked. Then you have to step away from the problem…You’re right, that fear is always there. I stepped towards it a lot last year in particular with all sorts of things. I mean, little things. I presented at an awards ceremony, I had never done that before. I did quite a few things where I was like, “Christ, I’ve never done this before, and you’re 38, what the hell are you doing?” I got a real kick out of taking risks.

Playing the “dark arts” part of Doctor Strange: “I’m very excited about that spiritual dimension, obviously. It’s something that’s been a huge part of my life….I meditate a lot. That’s a huge tool in trying to calm myself, get away from the crazy circus of it all, have a focused mind as well as be a kinder, considerate person in the world. I took a lot of stuff away from my experience in Darjeeling, West Bengal, right at the Nepali border. It was Tibetan Buddhist monks in a converted Nepali house in India, with a view of Bhutan. It was a profoundly formative experience at a very young age. It’s something I’ve tried to keep in my life. It features already.

[From The Wall Street Journal]

He also talks at great length about Richard III and what new historical records show and whether he’s vaguely related to Richard III. Which is true, genealogists claim Bendy is 16th cousins with Richard III, because I guess Richard III was having sex with otters (it was a different time, people). As for the mention of Sophie… the impression I’m getting is that Bendy is actually trying to convince himself that this is what he wants. A wife, a baby, a partner, someone to come home to. But is he really like that?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.