After his recent nomination for best actor at the 2022 Oscars for his role in the movie The Power of the Dog, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch will once again wear the cape of the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the new Marvel film which premieres this Thursday, May 5 in all movie theaters in the capital.
In this new installment, directed by Sam Raimi, Strange travels into the unknown and with the help of mystical allies traverses dangerous alternate realities of the multiverse to face a mysterious adversary. The Republic spoke with the actor through Zoom together with other media in the region.
How difficult has it been to build a character with different personalities in each universe?
The multiverse is a kind of therapy for the character. I’ve really enjoyed it, plus it’s evolved a lot and can be approached in different directions. I loved it. The looks are different and how it feels too. It takes a lot of time to prepare a character to the point where you don’t get confused about which one you’re playing. For me, the most important thing was to give enough correlation, but also to understand that they are different people. The challenge itself was not to separate them, but how to make them different.
Strange is a character with a certain amount of arrogance and has no patience with others. However, he now has to build and work with guys, first with Peter Parker and then with America Chavez. Has your experience as a parent helped you in any way to work on this?
I’m not going to talk about my experience as a father, it’s part of my private life, but I will say that like all relationships in the Marvel universe, you learn a lot. It’s funny because at first, Strange mistakes Peter for a soldier he has worked with and sees this emotional need, in this young man, who has been suffering a lot in his life and is now mentally dying and wants to help responsibly. as a kind of uncle-nephew. He doesn’t think much of the complexities or what he’s giving Peter. He also does not reveal the complications of the spell to her. It is a complex relationship, but very interesting.
For many people, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a horror movie. Do you sympathize with terror? Did you like to see these kinds of stories when you were a child?
Not so much, but it’s the kind of thing you look for to be on the edge. Sometimes, you have to get hooked on things you don’t like too, but it was never very much my vibe. I can’t lose my sleep watching horror movies, but there are a few that I’m a fan of, The Shining, for example, is one of my favorite movies. And yes, Doctor Strange can be seen as a little bit scary and I can understand him at times being seen as terrifying.
What was it like working under the direction of Sam Raimi?
Sam is fantastic. He is a very humble collaborator, a great person to be on set and make you laugh. He is very enthusiastic and energetic, he is like a child, he is hungry for things. He’s also like very old-fashioned, he’s always apologizing, he’s very different from others. It’s weird getting used to it until you realize he’s directing the movie. He is a sweet, amazing person.
You’ve been involved in movies with a lot of potential for spoilers, but now with Doctor Strange in the multiverse bringing in characters from other franchises it makes it that much more dangerous for you. People look for hidden meanings in the things you say. Does that tire you?
Not much really, because I want them to have the same experience as me, besides, the script is not ready until the film is going to be shot and I am not one of those who go and ask what is going to happen, I just want to see it in the cinema. But it’s a joy to know that many people are trying to guess, I think those relationship moments are plagued by this humor because of these jumps, the fears and I like it and I think it’s a great thing to experience together especially in the American culture. I think in the end it’s about creating a community of an experience, half theatrical in the cinema, not just being you, but being in the space with others and bringing that to life. I think I like those secrets.
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