Benedict Cumberbatch did his TIFF premiere without his loyal & faithful wife

42nd Toronto International Film Festival - The Current War Premiere

I just had a lightning-bolt realization as I was looking through these photos of Benedict Cumberbatch at the TIFF premiere of The Current War: oh, right, we’ve been obsessed over this dude who absolutely looks like a posh British banker. Benedict was never a sex symbol. He was never a heartthrob. It was his greatest acting trick ever to convince us that he was sexy. He’s just a normal-looking posh guy. Benedict didn’t even bring his loyal and faithful wife to Toronto – Sophie probably has her hands full taking care of babies Kit and Hal, which says to me that Sophie might not be riding with Batch for this promotional tour/Oscar campaign. Benedict ended up posing awkwardly with his costar Katherina Waterson (who looks a bit like Sophie). I’m also including a photo of Michael Shannon at the TIFF premiere – yes, Shannon wore a jean jacket to the premiere, because why not? He’s amazing.

As for The Current War, TIFF critics aren’t really divided on it, so I won’t call the reviews “mixed.” Most critics think it’s a solid, albeit boring, historical movie. The filmaker is trying to make the electricity war seem sexy and dramatic while avoiding making the film all about science. THR’s review points out that “the filmmakers were averse to the idea of making a fusty period drama” but for all of the filmmaking tricks, “The Current War is an uninvolving bore, making it unlikely to measure up as the kind of Oscar-baity prestige entry the Weinstein Company obviously had in mind.” Ouch. That being said, THR also published this piece about The Current War’s Oscar chances:

The film, which was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and which The Weinstein Co. will release on Nov. 24, is a bit of a Rorschach test. On the one hand, it can be seen as self-serious, a dull history lesson, a by-the-numbers historical period piece that is almost comically designed to appeal to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (These criticisms are reflected in some of the early reviews of the film.) On the other hand, so, too, to a degree, were The King’s Speech, The Imitation Game and any number of other previous Weinstein Co. — and, before that, Miramax — releases that the Academy did indeed ultimately embrace.

It’s true that, demographically, over the past few years, the Academy has begun to look very different than the Academy of, say, a decade ago, and the Academy also has recently embraced some films that the Academy of yesteryear probably would not have (e.g. Arrival, Mad Max: Fury Road, etc.). But that does not mean that the people who responded to more traditional films no longer have a voice — just that theirs is not the only one that gets heard.

What must be said of The Current War is that it has a certain prestige (its Oscar-nominated stars Benedict Cumberbatch, as Edison, and Michael Shannon, as Westinghouse, are no slouches), style (it does something interesting with its production design and visual effects that I can’t quite pinpoint) and romanticism (I heard more than a few “Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” as people learned certain things, like the way we came to have General Electric, etc., and the film wisely ends by bringing everything back to the movies).

I’m not saying that The Current War is going to dominate the rest of the season — just that people shouldn’t write it off because of a mixed critical response. The Weinsteins don’t sit out Oscar seasons; they make the most of them. And even if The Current War wouldn’t necessarily make it to the Oscars with any other distributor, it will be their pet project for the next five or six months — in addition to the August release Wind River, which attracted favorable reviews, but seems to have very little enduring buzz — and you can bet The Weinstein Co., even while not as flush as it’s been in the past, will take it The Current War as far as it can go.

[From THR]

I agree – don’t ever count out Harvey Weinstein when it comes to pushing a period drama on Oscar voters, whether they want it or not. Plus, the Academy loves nothing more than to nominate white (mostly British) actors for historical dramas, so I think that even if the film ends up not making a huge impact, Harvey will push for Benedict, Michael Shannon and Nicholas Hoult to get some nominations. Of course, Harvey is also going to need Bendy to get in gear. Quick, someone get Sophie ten Erdem dresses!

What else? Benedict has signed on to the film Gypsy Boy, an adaptation of Mikey Walsh’s memoir. Bendy will play “a demanding father and a member of the last generation of the Romany Gypsy people, known for their ability to fight. Boxing is a religion to the Walsh clan, so much so that when Mikey is born, he is given a pair of golden gloves on a chain to wear around his neck. The pressure for Mikey to become a boxer splits the family.” That… does not sound like the kind of role in which Benedict should be cast.

42nd Toronto International Film Festival - The Current War Premiere

42nd Toronto International Film Festival - The Current War Premiere

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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44 Responses to “Benedict Cumberbatch did his TIFF premiere without his loyal & faithful wife”

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  1. Lindy79 says:

    …….that next movie sounds…….interesting for him. Is it a comedy? Or meant to be? Is that why they’ve cast a posh Brit? :/
    Watching bendy try to do that accent and also not put his foot in his mouth when talking about the travelling community, yeah…this’ll be interesting.

    Jesus, just cast Brad Pitt to do his Snatch character and job done
    (joke)

    • Maxine DuCamp says:

      On the one hand I agree that he seems an odd choice for the role as the father in Gypsy Rose but on the other hand many here (and elsewhere) complain that the majority of his roles are poshish, super intelligent types. This role will be more challenging for him, and succeed or fail, I’d rather see him branch out a bit.

  2. rachel says:

    Gypsy… Hmm. And yes this movie looks pretty dull even with Michael Shannon involved.

  3. Kristi says:

    Can’t wait to see him in The Child in Time

  4. Shirurusu says:

    Katherine Waterston is the most boring actress to me, she ruined Fantastic Beasts and Inherent Vice, and I avoided the new Alien because she was in it. I have no idea why she keeps getting these roles. It’s nothing personal against her at all, I just think she completely lacks charisma. Will not be seeing this movie.

    • Nicole says:

      AGREED! She was a blackhole of charisma in Fantastic Beasts. I don’t get it.

      • Megan says:

        She was terrible in Fantastic Beasts. It was like she was reading her lines off the cue cards and forgot to add any inflection to her voice.

      • Imqrious2 says:

        Uh oh… her profile says she graduated Tisch School of the Arts (at NYU). That’s one of the four acting studios at NYU. This studio was”founded” by William Macy and David Mamet. I hope she’s not considered to be a real representative of it: my nephew just started there, in that program! Lol (But he’s really good at acting, natch 😉☺️) *You couldn’t tell I’m a very proud auntie, could you??? 🤣

    • lightpurple says:

      Nepotism

    • browniecakes says:

      And her accent, “Mistah Scermandeh!”. Thank you for helping me figure out why I didn’t like FB. It was indeed a really dark movie for kids to try to enjoy, but another actress would have made a big difference.

    • Cleo says:

      It took me until the end of FB to realize she wasn’t Brie Larson.

    • Still Viola says:

      Her seeming boring must be why they’re comparing her to Sophie Hunter.

  5. third ginger says:

    Nominations are not impossible, but unlikely. There is a very crowded field in best actor. Remember there are only 5 spots. Also, every review I read said Hoult’s Tesla is given virtually nothing to do. I don’t think Harvey has a winner here. But you never know. What performances are talked about as Oscar worthy? Gary Oldman, Denzel Washington, Jake G., Timothee Chalamet. And we have not even seen Sir DDL yet.

  6. Heat says:

    Guys, this movie was so boring. I love all the actors including Katherine Waterston 😄 , and I think they all did what they could with their roles, but the story isn’t there. It’s not even half as good as The King’s Speech or The Imitation Game. It’s not even the case where the performance rises above a mediocre movie, so it would be a stretch for this to get nominated for anything IMO.

    • third ginger says:

      Thanks for the information.

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      Thanks. I watched the trailer and it seemed like they used a lot of Bright! Gold! Flashing! Effects! to make it seem exciting. It just seemed confused and talky. Disappointing, because I love a good science and tech history movie. Maybe they could make one about Marconi.

    • Nic919 says:

      I saw this too and I agree with the above. Cumberbatch and Shannon did what they could but the story was incoherent. And Hoult as Tesla was barely in the film.

      Also there was frickin’ lens flare. This is a historical movie and I don’t want to see lens flare when ladies are playing whist.

    • Alice says:

      Curious to see what the reviews will be for its release in November in it’s finished form. Apparently, the movie is not done per the director. Distributor must have made them submit a rough cut for TIFF.

  7. Carol says:

    To each his own. Benedict is sexy IMO; he looks smart, which is definitely my trigger. He is even better when he speaks. I love his accent. Keep Michael Shannon, who I am sure is lovely. Benedict and I will be off in the corner by ourselves.

  8. lightpurple says:

    Michael Shannon is fabulous!

  9. Escaped Convent says:

    Benedict as a Romany boxer? That sounds very weird.

    And Katherine Waterston—I don’t know her, but I like her dress.

    • ogg921 says:

      Romany boxer – yeah, that puzzles me too.
      The makeup people would need to be tremendous. His cheekbones are too sharp and his nose is straight. A 40 year old boxer’s face would reflect 25 years of being hit. Probably be a good idea if he beefed up some too.
      Early days though. This may be like Crimson Peak & Lost City of Z.

  10. bread says:

    I love the look Katherina Waterson is giving Cumberbatch in that picture – like she doesn’t get the appeal either.

  11. Chantal says:

    Cillian Murphy was not available. After seeing Pesky Blinders, gipsy is his game with the dark hair and beautiful peepers. Have you guys seen his last GQ cover? How come we are not talking about his talent? Cumber is always boring to me.

  12. Boodiba says:

    I’ve never thought he was sexy, lol. Strange looking is more like it.

  13. Grace says:

    “Benedict was never a sex symbol. He was never a heartthrob.”
    ???
    Maybe not to you… but millions of other women get it

    • OG Cleo says:

      Oh, believe me, the OP used to be a huge Cumberbatch fan. For some reason or another *cough he got married cough*, not so much within the last year.

  14. Margo S. says:

    First, love Michael Shannon. He. Is. It.

    Second, Sophie looks like Benedict’s sibling.

  15. Sarah says:

    My cousin works TIFF every year and had Cumberbatch twice, this year and a few years ago. Said he was a really nice dude both times and the main TCW cast gets along really well but they clearly felt bad for the director.

    I never thought he was sexy per se but his appeal is when he’s in motion, not in photos.

    • Nic919 says:

      I was at the premiere and it was a muted response at the end, even with TIFF audiences being politer than others.

  16. Sabine says:

    Bendy was a hot Sherlock, we all and some boys I know fell in love with. After that, the sexiness just faded away…

  17. Alice says:

    Watched some of the TIFF promo come down and the lead cast of this movie, particularly (and surprisingly to me) Cumberbatch, were delightful. Just comfortable, happy, despite them clearly being tired (late screening + early morning promo) and the lackluster reception. Great answers from all of them, too!

  18. Mac says:

    K. Waterston is giving Sophie Hunter realness in that rc pic! Wow. How (why?) do these frosty women manage to extend their necks so far into the air while posing with him? Only Sophie herself could look more pained next to him.

    I just think he gets on much better with men. He seems more normal with the guys. And present and intrigued….like when Michael Shannon admitted to “dreaming about Benedict” before he met him (VF interview) . I’d have liked that conversation to continue.

    • Annie says:

      I’m going to be fair to her: they have no scenes together so it’s likely they don’t know each other at all given how this was shot.

      Their press stuff out of TIFF has been very good. Shannon and Cumberbatch are definitely comfortable with each other lol. Messy scheduling, however, there would have been less than 6 hours between the screening and Q&A and the press the next day.