Benedict Cumberbatch Quotes

I don't like watching myself. That's kind of weird but you know it's not me really, it's this character, which I think might make it a little easier.

I'll never accept that I'm a sex symbol. That will mean that someone is a bit too fond of himself. If it happens, I think it's certainly going to be odd. People shouldn't see me as a sex symbol. I'm really just Henry. I'm just telling a story. I could be playing an incredibly unpleasant character who's not sexually attractive at all in my next movie. So I've no expectations at all.

When you're in the head of the character, you feel less self-conscious. If I was just being me, I would feel so exposed and be like, 'Why is there a huge camera in my face?' But, when you're believing in the person that you're playing, you feel protected. It's about being true to that person you're playing.

I do enter into character on set, but I can step out of it.

It's fun to play a character when you can't concern yourself with how sympathetic they are.

The character is what trips you up - the thing of, "I'm going to get so dark in this character that I'm going to get lost in a character." You can't get lost in a character. You can only think you're lost in a character.

When I act, a part of me goes into the character I am playing.

I can't watch myself on screen without dying a little bit inside. And there are lots of moments when I think, 'What am I doing as an actor? I can't act!'

I am not of the vein of actors - and I will not pretend to be one - that takes my character home with me. I don't.

None of the characters I played was very close to me as a real person.

It's more difficult for me to get into a character in the lead-up as opposed to leaving it.

I don't do many films at the same time, as I don't like to switch between characters. At a given point, I would like to get into the skin of whatever character I am playing.

When you're playing this bad of a character, it's obviously not reality for someone who's not living that life.

When I'm [playing] a character, I can look at it and know it's not me and not be concerned with how it looks.

I've had to play characters who I absolutely disagree with, as far as their politics, as far as their religion, and their stance on certain social issues, I completely disagree with them. But I have to go in and find who they are and get to their core, into their truth, and have absolute faith and believe in that, in order to portray it. So you have to walk in a lot of different shoes, in that you can't help but have your mind open as a result of that.

I avoid seeing myself while I'm working on role so I won't see "me."

I've just never been the kind of actor that things have stayed with. I've never needed to carry a character off stage.

I think a lot of acting is about the removal of self-consciousness. The actor is going to be in front of a lot of people, and will naturally feel self-conscious. So a lot of the preparation for that is the removal of that idea. Like you embody or are connected to this character, therefore you can present this character in a way that eventually, when you come back to see it, you feel not exactly ashamed of.

When I'm writing, I try to have the mask of my character on as I'm walking through the world. When I'm not at my desk, the rest of the time, I try to stay in that character and see the world the way that character would It's almost like method acting in a way — keeping the character close the way the actor keeps a script close and always tries to be in character.

As an actor playing a character, I can't come in with my judgement, or else I can't play it honestly. My judgement has to be reserved for later.

As an actor, I've been drawn to those characters that are further away from who I may be.

I hate watching myself, as do a lot of actors.

I never like to go out of character when filming starts. I fear that if I do, I might not be able to pick it up again.

A great deal of my battle, as an actor, is to widdle away the things that make me self-conscious and try to trick myself into not being self-conscious.

I think actors always like to think they don't bring the character home, and then their family all laugh and tell you otherwise.