I’ve been missing Benedict Cumberbatch lately. This time last year, we were knee-deep in the unveiling of Sophie Hunter, the knocked up fiancée, and it was a magical time. I think Bendy has been MIA for a while because he’s deep into filming Doctor Strange. But he did have time to get recognized by Oxford University! I mean, there was no ceremony or anything, but I suspect this is something he would have to agree to before the announcement. Benedict and Emma Watson are Oxford’s latest “visiting fellows.”
Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch are both taking on a very different role. Both actors have been appointed as visiting fellows at Lady Margaret Hall by Oxford University, The Guardian reports. According to the report, Watson, 25, and Cumberbatch, 39, will have a duties which are supposed to enrich the cultural life of the university.
“At a minimum, we’d like them to drop in occasionally at college, eat with us and meet informally with a variety of the LMH community,” Alan Rusbridger, the college’s principal told the website. “We’d like them to do one thing a bit more structured. It could be a conversation or debate, a performance, a lecture or seminar, a form of outreach – or something we haven’t thought of. We can imagine fascinating interactions or collaborations between them.”
The actors are among nine other fellows, all chosen from what Rusbridger said was a “variety of background, callings and professions.” The fellows are also intended to help the academic community cross over into the various professional worlds the fellows are a part of.
“They are welcome to come and stay in college if they’d like a place temporarily to think or work,” Rusbridger added. “And some have already suggested other ways in which they might engage with a body of 700 incredibly smart students and tutors in order to stimulate their own thinking or work in progress.”
It’s worth noting that neither Emma nor Benedict actually graduated from Oxford. Emma’s college degree is from Brown (although she studied at Oxford in some kind of “year abroad” situation) and Benedict’s university alma mater is University of Manchester. As for the “visiting fellows” thing… my alma mater wasn’t big enough to do this kind of thing, but it sounds more like the expectations for visiting fellows are pretty low. Like, they just have to show up to a handful of events, maybe give a lecture or do a panel discussion, something like that. Oh, well. It looks good on the CV.
Here are some photos of Emma in Berlin late last week. She got new bangs/fringe. While I’m an unapologetic bangs-hater, I think her sideswept bangs look nice. They’re a good length and she didn’t do them too thick.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
What Emma Watson is wearing? Susan Sarandon could have worn that.
I absolutely adore what she’s wearing -especially the coat, but I’m older, so maybe you’re right about it being a mature look, if that’s what you meant. But I think she looks beautiful.
I love it too and I’m younger than Emma ( not sure why that matters). It’s not sheer and doesn’thave a plunging neckline nor too much accessories. Perfect.
Second all that, Emma looks wonderful in that outfit. I would call it more sophisticated than “mature”. The funkier stuff she’s been prone to in the past has tended to overwhelm her as she’s so petite – she’s wearing this as opposed to it wearing her.
It’s very sophisticated and serious, so it’s kind of weird to see someone so young in this look, but it is awesome.
Or Melanie Griffith. Maybe the undergarments she’s wearing on top aren’t good. The dress itself looks fine, but on her it looks a little funny on top (or maybe she’s actually natural, and in Hollywood that’s so rare).
Would have made more sense to me if he did this at Manchester. Surely, they could use some ‘enriching’, too?
Emma looks good. I saw ‘perks of being a wallflower’ recently. Didn’t really buy her in the role, but she’s gorgeous.
Manchester doesn’t have Oxford’s ridiculously sized endowment, though. More than £4 billion.
Essentially, rock up, hang out with some students, organise a lecture/event of some sort and get paid quite nicely for it.
no pay lol. they do get free lunches there tho 🙂
Ah, my mistake!
Still, pretty sweet accommodation for free 🙂
And I can think of worse things than hanging around with bright young adults having a chat.
Do you think these two would have made it in academia? Emma strikes me as quite smart, but Benedict? Not so much.
Well he did graduate from Manchester with an MA in classical acting so he can’t be a total dunce. I’m not a Cumberbitch but he is very articulate and reasonably intelligent, unlike scores of other “actors” who graduated from grammar school with a degree in taking selfies.
If David Cameron could make it in Oxbridge, Watson and Cumberbatch could have. Cumbers didn’t have the grades after Harrow to get in on scholarship (I don’t think it was lack of brains, but distraction and adolescence issues), that’s why he ended at Manchester, which is a perfectly fine university, and went on to get an MA in Classical Acting at LAMDA.
In my country it’s more important what you study than where.
When Cumberbatch went to university there were no tuition fees, so any lack of a scholarship wouldn’t have had anything to do with the situation. Even now, Oxford and Manchester cost the same to attend.
I didn’t realize they get paid for this!
they don’t, kai. there’s no pay for visiting fellows
Thanks for the info. That would have been ridiculous.
Arts Emergency would have been a better choice, dears. Jus’ sayin’.
This article should be headlined “Here Lies Sixer Bait”. Snigger! Luckily for you lot, I’m on a deadline and failing miserably.
I always look for your comments in posh-people-articles! 🙂
Ah Sixer, I was hoping for a lively discourse on “Another Useless Appointment for Poshies Helping Other Poshies”. Do circle back when work is out of the way and give us your thoughts, will you?
FYI — I got slammed with a new client this past week and STILL haven’t seen Happy Valley S.2! You get the idea how bad it’s been when Sally’s pushed to further down.
But, it’s Super Bowl Sunday… Go Broncos!
Well I could – but tbh I’ve gone into ‘learned helplessness’ over it. It’s always the same old same old, the rich and privileged stay that way by keeping it all in ‘their tribe’ and make platitudes at everybody else about how much the ‘care’ – no they effing don’t, the I’m all right and sod you Jack’ is so endemic they don’t even know they’re doing it any more (Tom Hiddlestone – no idea) Rant over – I’m still considering the Outer Hebrides.
Good look with your deadline!
Good luck with the client, Nutballs!
I would LOVE to moan ad infinitum about this – at least so the Hiddlesburp ladies have some evidence of equal treatment by little old me. But seriously: no time.
But I will just expound on the usual circle jerk: awarding prinicipal is Alan Rusbridger, ex-editor-in-chief of the UK’s ostensibly left-leaning broadsheet, the Guardian. He is, of course, an Oxbridge alumnus. While editing the Grauniad, he was a visiting fellow of different Oxford college. Within moments of leaving the Grauniad, he was elected principal of this college. His daughter, funnily enough, is a senior commissioning editor at the Grauniad but goes by her mother’s name. Heaven forfend anyone would suspect nepotism.
Likewise, heaven forfend that anyone suggest Watson and Cumberbunny could be better employed donating themselves as networking contacts and doing some minor mentoring with any other subset of aspiring arts creatives and media wannabes than the subset at a *insert the worst swear word you can think of here* Oxford college. Hint: eg ARTS EMERGENCY, I say, ARTS EMERGENCY.
Told you this was Sixer bait! But I really do have to go!
Well at least he can teach them in how to swear with a chiselled accent.His mum and dad will be happy.
I pist around is the most hackneyed excuse for a poor degree.Tom’s excuse for getting a first at Cambridge whilst working in films as well was far more creative.He over studied to compensate.
dunno about emma watson sixer but cumberbatch already does stuff with other less fancy schools i believe. that’s why this doesn’t surprise me but yeah it’s also a circlejerk of sorts
cumberbatch’s degree isn’t poor because it’s not from a hoity–toity school like wtf there, icerose lol
Hahahaha I actually studied at LMH several years ago (as a visiting American undergrad) and I find this hilarious. LMH is consistently one of the lowest-performing Oxford colleges, and everyone I met there was far more concerned with drinking ungodly amounts, lording their social entitlement over the peasants, etc. So I agree with Sixer, I really don’t think the students of LMH/Oxford are the best recipients of these patronages.
Sixer we love you lol
PS. Rushbridger is also a friend of BC’s, or at least they know each other well enough that BC was at R’s Guardian leaving do.
Love Emma’s outfit!
Curious to kniw who the other chosen people are and how they will contribute.
Love Emma’s outfit and new do. I have a fringe but that’s cause i have a high forehead and look like a potato wearing a wig without one so i have to stick up for the fringe/bangs.
Is it wrong of me as an Oxford graduate to find this kind of irritating? It seems like it is devaluing Oxford fellowships. They are typically given to academics and this just seems like a celebrity fawning thing.
That’s what I was wondering about. I thought fellowships were reserved for visiting academics. I have nothing against actors, but in the academic world formal qualifications and accompanying research do play a big part in securing a fellowship.
i agree. both graduated but so have countless others. on top of that both are not even outstanding in their fields.
to true-i could understand someon like Mark Rylance who has a long history of arts contribution
eh, they’ve appointed actors in the past, it’s not new
i should think they both probably have interesting stories and whatnot to share with people who want to go into the performing arts.
It’s not just Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch though, if you go to the LMH website you’ll see nine other people including a former Children’s Laureate, a High Court judge, a scientist/novelist, a neurosurgeon/author and Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys.
Quite few celebs like film stars and the aristocracy get honorary degrees and do absolutely nothing to earn it.
Yes, but it was Rusbridger. He’s done some great things at the Guardian, and some really awful ones, but his role at Oxford was never NOT going to be Luvvie.
I love Emma’s new cut!
Pockets!!
Sophie looks really pretty.
Sorry, why show Sophie in the cover photo when the story doesn’t even concern her? Hello, clickbait!
EW is a lovely woman, but white on white?? Nope.