In new movie The Power of the Dog, the 45-year-old plays Phil Burbank, a “sadistic rancher” who gets into a relationship with Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
The actor has since revealed that this “wasn’t done without thought” and frequent conversations took place about the topic. Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival, Cumberbatch said: “I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion. “One of the appeals of the job was the idea that in this world, with this specific character, there was a lot that was private, hidden from view.” Although his character is never directly described as gay in the movie, Cumberbatch previously played a gay man in The Imitation Game when he acted as Alan Turing.