Benedict Cumberbatch on playing gay character in new film: “It wasn’t done without thought”
Benedict Cumberbatch has opened up about playing a gay character in new Netflix film The Power of the Dog, admitting it “wasn’t done without thought”.The Jane Campion movie, which has just premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, sees the Doctor Strange actor take on the role of “sadistic” cattle rancher Phil Burbank, who forms a relationship with Peter Gordon (Kodi Smit-McPhee).The conversation about whether straight actors should take on LGBTQ+ roles has gained increasing prominence in recent years, with It’s A Sin‘s Russell T Davies saying earlier this year that gay actors should play gay roles.“It’s about authenticity, the taste of 2020,” he said at the time.