Benedict Cumberbatch says 'horrific' diet for Doctor Strange could 'feed a family'
Benedict Cumberbatch described it as 'horrific' to eat beyond his appetite while filming Marvel's Doctor Strange. The London-born actor, famous for portraying the spell-casting superhero, said he could have fed a family with the volume of food he consumed and slammed the film industry for being 'grossly wasteful'.
During an interview on the Ruthie's Table 4 podcast, he said: "You have someone who can prescribe you what you're eating and they can cook for you. We had a fantastic chef on the last Doctor Strange film.
"… But it's this amazing facility to go, 'Right, he needs to be on this many calories a day. He needs to have five meals. He needs to have a couple of boiled eggs between those five meals or some kind of high-protein snack, cheese and crackers or almond butter and crackers. Crackers. Lots of crackers.'
"For me the exercise is great and the end result is that you feel strong and you feel confident. You hold yourself better, you have stamina through the exercise and the food that makes you last through the gig.
"But it is horrific. I don't like it personally, I think it's horrific, eating beyond your appetite … It's just like, what am I doing? I could feed a family with the amount I'm eating."
While Benedict, 49, said that you 'have to meet people where they are on these issues in filmmaking', he emphasised that it's a 'grossly wasteful industry'. This goes beyond just on-set dieting, as well.
He continued: "It just slowly, slowly, you have to meet people where they are on these issues in filmmaking. But it's a grossly wasteful industry.
"So let me think about set builds that aren't recycled. Think about transport, think about food, think about housing, but also light and energy. The amount of wattage you need to sort of create daylight and consistent light in a studio environment. It's a lot of energy.
"So the first people to stick their head above the parapet to talk about anything to do with climate and excessive use of things, or hypocrisy, or systems that don't work, get slammed if they're actors, because they're ferried about."
The star also added: "It is a systemic thing. But as a producer, I'm really hot on that. I try to push the green initiative, the green handshake into every agreement I can."
Benedict is also known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the eponymous award-winning BBC series and won a Bafta TV award for the drama Patrick Melrose, which was based on a series of semi-autobiographical novels by Edward St Aubyn.
Meanwhile, the Ruthie's Table 4 podcast invites a range of notable guests to sit at the River Cafe with co-founder Ruth Rogers. This season features conversations with people including Sir Elton John, Bono, Guillermo Del Toro, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and Sir Ian McKellen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
23 minutes ago
- Metro
Vanessa Kirby confirms huge Fantastic Four secret everyone is talking about
Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Vanessa Kirby has confirmed the truth behind that Fantastic Four mid-credits sequence. The British actress, 37, plays Sue Storm—or the Invisible Woman, to those in the know—in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sue makes up one quarter of Marvel's First Family, appearing alongside husband Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), hotheaded brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and human rock face The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as the titular Fantastic Four. With the Fantastic Four's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut out now, audiences have been flocking in droves to witness their arrival. The team may have their hands full battling cosmic world-eater Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), but there'll be an even bigger villain on fans' minds once the end credits finish rolling. With the cat out of the bag, Kirby has clarified what Doctor Doom's cameo at the end of the film means… and confirmed that star Robert Downey Jr. is already very much back. In the first of two post-credits sequences, Sue is shocked to find a menacing hooded figure looming over her young son, Franklin. Fans will already know this to be the Fantastic Four's longtime nemesis, Doctor Doom, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Doomsday. Although the villain's face is obscured, Kirby has revealed that it was indeed Downey Jr. behind that hood. 'Yeah! Robert's never not been on set,' she told Variety when asked whetherRDJ was present for the shoot. She continued: 'He's always there. He is our leader. We call him our Godfather. He's looked after us. This sequence was filmed by the Russo Brothers as part of their work on Avengers: Doomsday and shot while Kirby was pregnant in real life. 'It's such a joy working with the Russos and him, because they've had such deep collaboration for so long,' she revealed. 'And it's been amazing being pregnant and working on Avengers. I felt so inspired and so relieved that I've been so taken care of. It's been a really beautiful journey. Robert is just doing incredible work. I'm so excited.' It was announced last year that Downey Jr. would be returning to the long-running franchise, six years after being killed off in Avengers: Endgame. This came as Earth's mightiest heroes faced off against purple menace Thanos (Josh Brolin) for the fate of the universe. This spelt the end of Downey Jr.'s career-defining stint as Tony Stark—aka Iron Man—sacrificing himself at the end of the film to secure the future of reality as we know it. A few years later, it was confirmed that he would be returning, albeit in an entirely different role. The actor's appointment to the post was unveiled at last year's Comic-Con, when a cloaked Downey Jr. removed his mask to reveal that he would be playing Doom, real name Victor von Doom. This character was previously played by late Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon in the 2005 and 2007 films and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Doom's brief appearance at the end of First Steps gives little away as to what he has planned, although we do know it involves Sue and Reed's infant son. He will spearhead a massive cast in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently set for release on December 26, 2026. More Trending Names already announced include Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright and Paul Rudd, as well as X-Men actors Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden. Of his return to the MCU, Downey Jr. joked: 'New mask, same task. 'What did I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.' The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in UK cinemas now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Pedro Pascal responds to misconceptions and his answer is so on-brand MORE: Benedict Cumberbatch blasts 'grossly wasteful' film industry MORE: Meet the 'hidden' Russo sibling leading her Marvel director brothers' studio
Scottish Sun
23 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Iconic British film starring Keira Knightley confirmed for a sequel after 23 years
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BEND It Like Beckham has been confirmed for a sequel, more than two decades after it was released. Director Gurinder Chadha revealed she is developing a follow-up to the 2002 hit film, which launched the careers of Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Bend It Like Beckham has been confirmed for a sequel, more than two decades after it was released Credit: Kobal Collection - Shutterstock The sequel is being lined up for release in 2027 to mark the film's 25th anniversary and coincide with the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. Gurinder told the BBC: "We've been part of changing the game for women, so it felt like this was a good time for me to go back and investigate the characters." The director said she has been asked 'almost twice a week' since the original came out to create a sequel, though no decision has been made on whether it will take the form of a film or a television series. She added: 'A lot has changed since the original movie, but I think that people still don't think that women should play football. "There are people who still don't take it seriously, although the Lionesses are riding high. I've left it a while, but I thought: 'Look at the Euros, look at the Lionesses.'" Gurinder said she hopes to reunite the original cast and suggested members of the current England squad would be 'queuing up' to appear in cameo roles. The original film, made on a £3.5 million budget, became a box office success, earning nearly £60 million worldwide. It followed Jess Bhamra (Parminder), a teenager who dreams of playing football professionally, despite pressure from her traditional Sikh family to focus on education and marriage. She is recruited by Jules (Keira), who spots her talent and brings her into the local women's team. Chadha claimed she had not expected the film to take off, but wanted to 'uplift girls who were always being told how to dress and what to say'. Keira Knightley admits she's only watched Love Actually once - and reveals real reason why She said: 'What I did was say you can do what you want, and you can have it all,' she said. 'And I think that's a really great message to put out again. I think there's still stuff to say, and stuff to challenge.' Gurinder previously told The Mirror she had been working on a sequel to iconic movie The filmmaker said in 2023: "For the longest time I never wanted to do a sequel. "But I have to say, after the World Up this year, and also with the Euro's a few years ago, my brain is ticking again and I have an idea in my head that I'm thinking through for the first time. "I'm thinking that I could definitely do something. I never wanted to follow the girls off in America, because I felt that what I had created was so magical for that moment in time. "It's very hard with sequels - there are very few sequels that I think really hit the mark after the success of the first film. "However, I do have an idea and I am starting to work on it, so I think I will definitely do something that shows how brilliant our athletes are right now." The film highlighted the challenges girls face despite women's football growing in popularity since the film was released in 2002. Gurinder was inspired to create the film after seeing a photograph of legendary England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright dressed in a union jack flag. This made her think about what Britishness actually meant and the "evolving concept of Britishness." Football is important to Britain and the sport has the power to pull many different people together. Gary Lineker, who featured in the film, reflected on it saying how "football does unify the nation, everyone gets behind England and it's probably the only time we do all come together. That's what originated the idea of Bend It Like Beckham." There are plenty of fun facts about the film besides Wright being the inspiration. The budget may have been just £3.5 million but it grossed at nearly £60 million. Chada didn't know much about football and relied on co-writers to add the football bits. It was even the first Western filmed to be screened in North Korea at a public broadcast during a film festival in the country. Actresses Nagra and Kiera did three months worth of football training for the film and didn't use any doubles. The title itself is a metaphor as Chada explained back in 2003. She said: "We can see our goal but instead of going straight there, we too have to twist and bend the rules sometimes to get what we want. "No matter where we reside, no matter what group we claim or do not embrace as part of our ethnic lineage." 4 Director Gurinder Chadha revealed she is developing a follow-up to the 2002 hit film Credit: AFP 4 The original film earned nearly £60 million worldwide Credit: Rex
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Major update in MasterChef saga as embattled BBC forge ahead with new series
Scroll down to read who is expected to be the new host BACK IN THE KITCHEN Major update in MasterChef saga as embattled BBC forge ahead with new series SCANDAL-hit MasterChef is casting for contestants for a new series. The BBC show put out an internet plea days after confirming it would air episodes already filmed with Gregg Wallace and John Torode, despite both being axed. Bosses said the decision came 'after consultation with the contestants'. Earlier this month, a report revealed more than 40 historic complaints against Wallace had been upheld, along with a claim that Torode once used a racist term. The BBC said it had taken the decision 'after consultation with the contestants' but some of the women who came forward with claims against Wallace have slammed the move. Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt is expected to be the new host, with Great British Menu star Andi Oliver also in the frame. Production firm Banijay posted: 'For over 20 years we have been putting Britain's best food talents through their paces. 'Cooking doesn't get tougher than this. 'Whether you're an amateur cook looking to showcase your home-taught skills or a professional chef wanting to take your career to the next level you can apply for a UK MasterChef series below.' Hopefuls can apply online at Shamed Gregg Wallace says 'I'm no groper, sex pest or flasher,' as tearful star refuses to accept blame for BBC sacking 1 MasterChef is casting for contestants for a new series after axing John Torode and Gregg Wallace Credit: BBC Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
