Actor Danny Dyer is probably best known in England for being part of the British soap opera Eastenders. I’ve only ever seen Dyer in this episode of Cats Does Countdown, where he was actually one of the most amusing people to ever come to Dictionary Corner. Dyer is known for his Cockney accent and for being a “working class bloke” in the British entertainment industry. He’s been openly critical of the rise of the posh, privately-educated actors in the British film community too. Lately he’s taken to criticizing Benedict Cumberbatch, for some reason. Didn’t some of you posh-watching English people say that Tom Hiddleston and Eddie Redmayne are actually a great deal posher than Bendy?
EastEnders’s Danny Dyer has sung the praises of fellow actor Benedict Cumberbatch, but doesn’t believe that the Sherlock star could cut it in a pub.
Speaking in the new issue of Radio Times, Dyer says: “I love Benedict. The Imitation Game looks amazing. He couldn’t play a kid from a working class estate, but I couldn’t do what he does either. I think I could play Sherlock, though, if I did it my way. Benedict’s brilliant and the lines roll off his tongue, but that role is about being highly intelligent rather than posh. I think I could do Doctor Who as well.”
But when it comes to Benedict holding his own in a boozer, Dyer isn’t convinced. “There’s a niche for what I do. And there’s a demographic for Benedict. But it means that he’s more likely to get roles in Hollywood and I’m more likely to stay living in Debden. In this country, he has got utmost respect, but if he walked into a pub, he’d get annihilated by geezers. He’d be bullied.”
What’s funny to me is that several of Benedict’s TIG interviews have actually taken place in pubs and bars in NYC and London, and he really wasn’t bothered by anyone other than “the florals” and his fellow castmates. Granted, I’m sure Benedict would not be welcome in some of the more rough-and-tumble pubs, but that’s true of a lot of people. I live in an overwhelmingly churchy, middle-class area, but there are still some dive bars and pool halls that I would never visit because I know my place! I’ll just stick to the Applebee’s bar, thank you very much.
And yes, obviously, no one would hire Benedict to play a working class character! Just like Tom Hiddleston and Eddie Redmayne would never be hired to play a working class bloke. Now, Tom Hardy on the other hand…
Photos courtesy of WENN.
He was working class in Wreckers.
He was also really amazing in Wreckers.
Yeah I still think that’s one of his most impressive roles.
Agreed. He can pull off wc and stupid, as in Starter for 10. I wish I could see him in more roles like those.
Really, that was one of his more convincing lead roles.
For you fans of reedy, fair, high-cheekboned Brits playing detectives, I highly recommend “Endeavour” with BC’s Wreckers costar Shaun Evans. It’s available on Netflix.
The crimes are a bit anachronistically grisly, but other than that it’s a great production with great actors (also BC’s Cabin Pressure costar Roger Allam!).
+1 on the Endeavour recommendation.
Fantastic leads, well written and really beautifully shot.
Sophie in a pub. Discuss!
She’ll terrorise everyone with her florals. Don’t think the hard-as-nails geezers can stand up to that, and they’d probably be fleeing from her avant garde presence. Her grace and ennui are too much for them to bear. She’ll be the one protecting Benedict. Don’t underestimate the Power of the Soph.
Everyone will want to sleep with her. Uni all over again.
Sophie would spit in the sawdust, order a cider and black, down it in one, follow it up with a Jager bomb, clear the pool table in one visit, do a 9-dart checkout and then vamoose back to her comet, leaving the clientele stunned. Alien visitation websites would be full of the story for GENERATIONS.
Sophie is phenomenal
I love Sixer and Sophie.
Sixer that sounds like a perfect night out in my neck of the woods. Snakebite and black rules. Haha.
Sophie sounds a bit like a very interesting version of The Doctor…
“Sophie would spit in the sawdust, order a cider and black, down it in one, follow it up with a Jager bomb, clear the pool table in one visit, do a 9-dart checkout. ”
I call that Tuesday.
But seriously, either Sophie would basically OWN THE PLACE or she would sip a pint of beer only after wiping down the glass, the seat, the counter, etc. I guess I’m picturing a female version of Niles Crane in a bar.
I want Sixer’s version of Sophie. Wouldn’t even care what BC was doing, after that.
now THAT was amazing, areason to stick around as benevolent ex-fan …
I think the only way she would be in a pub is if someone knocked her out and dragged her there. And even then I’m sure her special snowflake comet dust would put up some sort of unbreakable barrier between her and said pub.
Poor dear would probably wake up thinking she’d wandered into some dystopian art installation or terrifying immersive theatre experience.
Jeebus, what did she ever do to you?
well, in them dresses, she would be camouflaged against the Victorian London East-end flock wallpaper walls and heavy curtains that are all over bad pubs, the kind Danny hangs out in.
a proper wall-flower :-p
Watch yourself, Danny Dyer. Benedict will crush you like a clam on his tummy.
I doubt the pubs Benedict hangs out in are the ones Danny is talking about… Seriously..
He is right, although I think Benedict is a much better actor than Danny there is no doubt that posh actors have it much easier. Also seems like Americans have some kind of fascination with upper class English actors that doesn’t extend to the larger demographic of England because it doesn’t fit into the stereotype or fantasy if you will. Hence the public school educated with plummy vowels are all over Hollywood.
That includes tom hardy who is also pretty posh.
Hardys more physical earthy acting style makes him more believable as working class or even American than the likes of hiddles or cumberbatch.
ehhh Nick Frost is getting there.
Nick frost is the funny fat sidekick. He isn’t getting the leading man parts. So I don’t see that as a good example.
The late Bob Hoskins,Ian McShane, Ray Winstone ,Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. All have carried movies and far from being posh.
True, but they are from a different era. Today all the Brit boys are public school boys. Just look at this site. It is overwhelmingly covering posh Englishman because that’s what the readership likes.
Idris Elba? Charlie Hunnam?
Christian Bale?
Is Daniel Craig considered ‘posh’?
what about Andrew Lincoln? Tom Mison?
David Morrissey isn’t posh.
And is being able to cut it in certain types of pub anything to brag about anyway?
Is Daniel Radcliffe posh?
Just wanted to jump in to agree with Tia on this – I’m British, and there’s no doubt that the current (and up-and-coming) crop of Brit actors skews ‘posh’. Yes, we can probably all come up with a few names who have come from less advantaged backgrounds, but they’ll generally be older and not among the current elite – things have definitely become a lot less meritocratic over the past couple of decades. Cumberbatch, Redmayne, Hiddleston, Lewis – all of them are Eton or Harrow educated. Even that ‘geezer’ Tom Hardy actually went to private school!
There are loads of reasons for this – Tia’s already mentioned that the posh boys fit with the ‘fantasy Brit’ of Hollywood’s (and movie audiences’) imagination (perfect for all those period dramas!). Then there’s the British obsession with class (upward social mobility is pretty non-existent here at the moment); the fact that fee-paying schools like Eton and Harrow have drama departments that state-educated kids can only dream about; the fact that these kids are more likely to have parents in the creative industries to start with, so acting is more of a ‘known quantity’; the fees needed to make it through drama school; the years of relying on parental hand outs afterwards, while you’re struggling to find work. And so on.
Not doubting these actors’ talent for one moment, but I’m also sure there are loads of guys and gals from the less glamorous parts of Birmingham and Newcastle who have just as much acting potential as BC, TH and the like, but will never enjoy the same opportunities.
And that, I think, is pretty much the first and last time I’ll ever agree with Danny Dyer! 🙂
@Floribunda – I agree about mobility and about austerity shutting out all but the rich from a chance at creative careers. But the bare facts show that Britain and America are equally immobile. It’s just the national myths that differ, and the American tendency to optimism set against the British tendency to pessimism. I also think the discussions of “class” get lost in transatlantic translation sometimes. Aside from that tiny 1%, class does not enter into British consciousness in the way Americans think it does. If you see what I mean!
As far as I can gather:
Daniel Radcliffe – properly posh, privately educated, artistic background
Tom Mison/Christian Bale – middle-class artistic families – TM went to Hurtwood House, which is an insanely expensive performing arts school.
Andrew Lincoln – professional middle class background but state educated
Daniel Craig/Idris Elba/David Morrissey – not posh
Excellent post Floribunda.
The same also goes for the the creative fields, like music. You can afford to fail if well, you can afford to fail.
@SunnyD Thank you! I’ve got some experience of this sort of thing as I’m currently trying to make my way as a writer, but don’t come from the ‘typical’ writing background myself. When I did my MA in Creative Writing, it amazed me how most of the others on my course came from identical public school/Oxbridge backgrounds and had parents in creative fields. I realise I’m far luckier than most – I’ve had a great education, and am managing to scrape by financially – but at times I still feel like a fraud for not coming from the ‘right’ sort of family, or attending the ‘right’ school. And I’m sure acting is far, far worse.
Tom Mison. That’s all. *Melts* (Very good friend of Rupert Friend, do believe they went to the same drama school.)
P.S. Floribunda, don’t feel like a fraud, I’m sure you’re a wonderful writer, it has absolutely nothing to do with the name of one’s university. Have to say; I love Great Britain, but I am happy that the playing field in my country is quite leveled, university names don’t mean much here.
@Cate Thank you! In my case it’s not so much the education that’s the problem (I went to a fantastic state grammar school and an elite university), it’s the confidence, sense of entitlement and networking skills that people of a certain social background have here in the UK. There’s still very much an Old Boys’/Girls’ network here – when I turned up for the first session of my MA it turned out that 3 of my class of 15 had known each other at school (St Paul’s Girls, as it happens, where the infamous SH also went!) No one in my family had even been to university before, let alone tried to break into the creative industries, so I guess I’m just suffering from a bad case of imposter syndrome!
OT
@ Floribunda. Def pegged you as a writer, but shocked to hear you’re not oxbridge! *faints* Thought you were super old school Times of London alum chipping in before luncheon with Tina Brown. That’s how much I enjoy your posts. (you too Sixer, but I’m too intimidated to talk to you 😉
Back to topic:
You know what I wonder? Are there scholarships and/or student loans available for RADA or the other top UK acting programs? While student debt isn’t ideal, at least it’d be in service of a dream *breaks into Man of LaMancha*
@Floribunda, congratulations on achieving your dreams of a university education and doing work that you love. Your parents must be so proud! Hold your head high — you are no impostor. I’m sure you are an inspiration to those younger than you who need similar courage to pursue their dreams.
@Floribunda, I completely understand, I’d be the first to feel like that too. I do think that feeling like an imposter is part of the human condition, especially if one is creating things. I feel like a fraud all the time, hahaha. It’s the pushing forward despite feeling like that, that makes it really interesting and wortwhile. 😉
OT
@Juliar Republico Aww, thanks *blushes*. I’m hardly old school Times of London, though – parents are East End Cockneys made good (proper ones, mind – not Tom Hardy Mockney wannabes!). Did consider Oxbridge, but was a bit intimidated by the idea and ended up elsewhere. A close school friend did make it to Cambridge though, and ended up being Tom Hiddleston’s tutorial partner! (She’s utterly useless, though – no decent gossip, and had no clue he’d since become famous until I showed her pictures of Loki on my phone.)
More relevantly, I think RADA and the rest do offer scholarships, although they’re pretty hard to get hold of. I think the bigger issue, though, is that kids from less advantaged backgrounds don’t see acting as a viable option in the first place. I went to one of the best state schools in the UK and we were pushed hard down the academic/professional route (basically medicine/law/accountancy/teaching at a push) as these were seen as sensible, ‘safe’ options. The idea of becoming an actor, musician, set designer or even something like a journalist or writer seemed incredibly remote, and not for ‘people like us’. For kids from more ‘average’ schools the idea of a creative career must seem even more of a pipe dream.
@floribunda excellent post.
A close friend is an actor. Much like you he felt intimated by the elitism of rada and never applied there. Also due to the fees he figured he couldn’t afford it unless he got a scholarship which only goes to 1 or 2 students. As rada is a private school there was no way he could afford the massive fees.He ended up at a drama school that’s produced just as many great classical actors as rada but has a more egalitarian approach to fees, the central school of speech and drama where they meanstest you or your parents to determine what you should pay. He ended up paying next to nothing so his dream was doable 🙂
He still felt like the odd one out because the majority of his classmates where from posh or artistic upper middle class families and him being a black south London boy from a council estate he has described it as an fish out of water experience, there was somewhat of a culture clash.
There is still that element in British society. The directors invariable come from Oxbridge as well and tend to hire people of their own class because they understand that experience and as you say when most writers come from that background then we end up with a less diverse artistic community at least at the very top.
@floribunda you need to watch the TED talk by Amy Cuddy!
I think there is a section of America that gets off on the posh Brit. Hollywood certainly loves one. And it also feeds into the class-ridden stereotype that many Americans have of Britain, when what we actually have here is a tiny remnant rump of heritable privilege (royals, plummy toffs like Cumbersquat and Hiddlesburp) and a vast mass of people who don’t consider class at all, ever, or are in any way deferential or otherwise mindful of “their place”.
Aside from this remnant rump, things work pretty much here as they do the American side of the Pond – money talks.
ITA agree Sixer. I spent a semester in Spain during my university days, and made friends with a group of American exchange students. Almost the first question they asked me, after initial introductions etc., was ‘So where are you in line to the throne?’ They weren’t joking – they genuinely thought each of us was issued with a number at birth that told us how related to the Royals we were! I was more than slightly taken aback.
Oh, bless! That’s a fabulous story! I replied to you above – but I’m not sure I was particularly articulate about it.
What is amazing to me is how many breakthrough here in the US. Comparatively, Great Britain is tiny yet an amazing number break into the American arts scene. I’m including theater, television, film, and music, both popular and classical. The vast majority of American actors never get beyond regional theater or commercial work.
“Almost the first question they asked me, after initial introductions etc., was ‘So where are you in line to the throne?’ They weren’t joking”
Yes, they were clearly joking.
ha floribunda. i think my only thought to ask my classmates when i was in the UK was what the heck accent was coming out of these 3 people in my literature class. (i think they were geordie).
@Jenny Honestly, they weren’t – we had a long and in-depth discussion afterwards about how the whole line of succession thing worked. Maybe they didn’t think we were literally given a ticket with our number on, but they certainly thought we were all aware of our ‘place’ in relation to the Windsors.
Not implying in any way that all Americans would think this of course – just made for an interesting perspective. (I’m certainly no expert on American social history.)
@**sighs** Yes, I’m in London and I sometimes get stumped by the Geordie thing too! And don’t get me started on Liverpool…
@ Lilac
I saw Anatol Yusef – you’ll know him from Boardwalk Empire – on TV the other day (he’s not posh but he went to Bristol Old Vic). He was saying that the training here is superior in producing versatility, which explains why Hollywood is so keen to cast Brits. That, and we’re cheaper.
Plus, you only get our serious, “proper” actors. There is another route into the entertainment business here, and that’s stage schools. But those are feeders for our soaps and lowbrow dramas. Few of those alumni get any work stateside.
Yes, I’m no expert, but as far as I can make out the British routes into acting go:
Route 1: public school + Oxford/Cambridge + RADA/LAMDA etc = serious actor
Route 2: stage school e.g. Italia Conti + working professionally from an early age = soap actor, mainstream drama or cruise ship entertainer
Route 3: working-class background + raw talent + hard graft = eventual drama school scholarship = serious actor – see Timothy Spall, Gary Oldman etc.
Sadly I suspect that Route 3 is now almost completely impossible. 🙁
That’s exactly as I see it, Floribunda.
Everyone is assuming that British equals English. There are a number of actors from Scotland – Gerard Butler, Robert Carlyle, Alan Cumming, David Tennant and more- who are doing fine that aren’t particularly posh, and some welsh too including Rhys Ifans. John Simm is fab and working class and should be a bigger star but am not sure he’s interested.
@Anne tommy You have a really good point there. I don’t (to my shame) know much about how things work in Scotland, but I quickly googled the names you mentioned, and most of them seem to have attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, which I’m assuming is equivalent to RADA, LAMDA etc. Given Scotland’s politics, I wonder if the Scottish system is perhaps a little more egalitarian/less class-bound than England’s?
I forgot the Lovely Jason Issacs… I think being posh gives an initial advantage but No-one hired hiddles for the Avengers because he went to eton, they hired him cos he delivered the goods in Thor.
@ “sighs” and floribuna
Don’t worry, I’m a Brit and I worked with a Geordie for 12 months and still couldn’t understand him. He was very patient and repeated everything slowly for my benefit. 🙂
@Sixer, I also think a very large part of it may have to do with how we import so many British television series. Here, actors labor in commercials and regional theaters going nowhere. Daytime Soaps used to be a starting point (Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Julianne Moore, Demi Moore, Josh Duhamel, and many more) here but they’re gone now. PBS’s Masterpiece Theater & Great Performances, HBO, AMC, and Showtime either import completely or co-produce all those costume dramas with the BBC or other British production companies and expose us to British talent giving the unknown people in small bit parts exposure that young American actors don’t get here because there are just too many of them and not enough work.
I think you are right. Most posh actors would have problems but Benny more than others because he tends to come across as haughty and unbending.
If it came to a fight he would be trampled as would most of the posh guys.. I was in a pub in Whitley bay when a fight broke. I thought at first someone was hurt so I hung around to see if he needed help until I not I saw three guys were holding him down. The next thing I knew it was a free for all. When I saw the guys behind the bar get their baseball bats/trungeons out and we was out of their double speed. Luckily we were near the door.
Newcastle area is pretty tough.
Charley humnam (however he spells his name) does not count. He doesn’t even speak with an English accent anymore.
@Floribunda, that’s one of the things that always set me off about BC, and I have been a huge fan of his: “the confidence, sense of entitlement and networking skills that people of a certain social background have here in the UK.” Sure, he worked hard and has talent. He deserves his success. But he’s always had that undercurrent of entitlement for me, and it’s something he can’t help. For all the insecurity one can detect in his personality, there is a basic, unshakeable social confidence that comes from his background and rearing (esp. because his parents are successful actors). I.e., he apparently has never doubted his “right” to be where he is. It’s a somewhat subtle but completely pervasive quality. His talent but also his social inheritance gave him that.
@Lu Yes, I definitely see that in BC too. I came across plenty of people like him as a student and working in the publishing industry, and they all have a similar ‘polish’ – confident, articulate and charming, and sort of at ease with themselves knowing that the odds are on their side and that they’re likely to succeed in their chosen field (or at least have a nice feather cushion to soften their landing if they fail).
There do seem to be some underlying insecurity issues with BC, but that’s tempered by the fact that he’s socially and professionally at ease in a way that most people from less privileged backgrounds can never hope to be. As you say, there’s a sense – which his background and schooling will have given him – that his status as a successful Hollywood actor is his rightful inheritance. That glossy self-confidence (not necessarily academic results) is what people who stump up extortionate public school fees are paying for.
Just an aside, but a school friend of mine, who’s now a lawyer, was saying recently that she once broke down in tears during a legal practice lecture because she felt the ‘posh’ students on her course were so much more eloquent and self-assured than she was. When she told her tutor what was wrong, they just laughed and said “Yes, but have you actually *listened* to what they’re saying? Most of it makes no sense at all.” I get that sense sometimes when I listen to BC go off on one of his long, actorly sermons!
I’m not from the UK but did my undergraduate degree at a well-known university there. And yes there are plenty of posh types in my class – confident, smug, very well-spoken but the hilarious thing is, once it comes to completing our assignments they couldn’t even do basic algebra, integration and differentiation problems. I was amused. I’m not sure how rigorous the math training in those posh public schools are but that’s one thing I like about the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field – you can’t bullshit your way through class! 🙂
@Floribunda — Yes! What you say is just it. Listening to BC talk, it’s easy to see that he’s intelligent. It’s also easy to vastly overrate his intelligence. I overrated him for a long time (though not vastly, I think). I didn’t quite catch on that someone could be extremely articulate and have a large vocabulary while not actually having the underlying analytical framework for what he’s saying. And your tutor hit the nail on the head. He *does* make sense, but it’s generally not anything that insightful or deep; he just uses a lot of words to express what are essentially emotional reactions to things. God love ‘im.
Also, I have to add that I am as susceptible as anyone to feeling outclassed by people with advantages and self-confidence that others had just by virtue of whose children they are. It’s not a good feeling, is it? One can be proud of having cultivated talents and gotten somewhere in life, but it’s hard to cultivate self-esteem!
“the florals”??? What is this?
He did an interview for Out magazine and referred to some ladies who wanted an autograph as “florals.” Which amuses us to know end, considering his fiancee’s predilection for floral dresses.
Danny Dyer is like the poster child for boozy/broken Brittan but he is also very limited as an actor or perhaps he is constantly pigeonholed. However if you are an excellent actor does not matter what background you come from, look at the diverse roles Leo Dicap,Robert Deniro,Jack Nicholson have played including taking on different accents. Maybe its harder in UK to break out.
That’s true, dyer is very limited but it’s arguable wether cumberbatch is able to convincingly play people who aren’t English and posh. His strongest work is in costume dramas and I found him underwhelming and a bit mannered in contemporary material such as the Streep movie and the julian assange movie. I wouldn’t say he strikes me as having the greatest range in that respect he is just really excellent in the sort of movies such as parades end and the likes.
That is true,we have not quite seen him in a role that has been way out of his comfort zone and the fifth estate fell flat for me.
Danny acted in a soap opera. In Egland, unlike say Austrailia, it’s almost impossible to transit from a sopa opera to “serious” movies. I know very few actors who had managed that.
@Charlie Agreed – I’d struggle to imagine a British Guy Pearce, for example. I’m sure it’s possible in theory, just very difficult in practice!
I’d be really interested to see Cumberbatch in a genuinely working-class role to see if he can pull it off. And yes – I’d imagine he’d last about 30 seconds in a fight before he either passed out or burst into tears.
I think this is an allusion to Cumberbatch not being able to hold his liquor. He’d be annihilated by the regulars who would be slamming jars at a far faster — more manly — rate.
I think Dyer was saying that he wouldn’t fit in and I agree. Look at the pictures of BC watching World Cup at the bar at Sonsie in Boston. Boston is sports-crazed. Every bar in Boston, even those in the fanciest restaurants, have televisions turned to sports. Watching sports is a communal activity here. The World Cup was a giant party in every bar with total strangers watching together and celebrating or commiserating, yet he managed to isolate himself at that bar.
OT : American here, would our elusive lover Clive Owen be considered a bloke? He doesn’t strike me as the posh type but he doesn’t seem too bloke-y either? Is there an in between? Help a sister out please lol
I think Clive is borderline bloke, honestly. He comes off a mix of blokey/posh but I don’t really think he’s fancy enough to be posh. He had a rough upbringing and wasn’t like, rich or better off at all.
Sounds good to me! Thanks! 🙂
I miss The Knick, he’s so great in it. The entire show is greatness. Love me some Clive Owen.
He was perfection! He really the made the series as the cokehead Dr. John Thackery. You should binge watch it 🙂
Yeah, I saw the entire season, but I might still watch it again before S2 starts next year! Seriously one of the best new shows this year, maybe THE best. Hope it’ll get some awards love.
Such a good show!!! No one I know watches it and I always find myself talking to myself about it haha I can’t wait for season two. I’m not over the fact that Nurse Elkin is Bono’s daughter.
Eve Hewson, ah yeah! And what a find she is too. But it’s true, far too little people watched the first season, hopefully more and more will discover it.
Clive’s borderline bloke!
Sixer, can you define “bloke” for us Yanks? Is it basically a working class dude? I tend to be liberal in how I’d apply it to men, but not sure where the line is.
BLOKE (from Cambridge Dictionary)
a man, often one who is considered to be ordinary
Paul’s a really good bloke (= I like him a lot) .
He’s a funny (sort of) bloke (= slightly strange) .
Yes, you’re right, Brits say “Bloke” where Americans would say “dude”.
Thanks for the clarification. Bloke = Dude. That I get.
Bloke has different senses, MtnRunner.
It can just be a synonym for “guy” – “that bloke over there with the red hat on”; “that bloke off the telly who goes on about X,Y,Z”.
Or it can be, as above, a fairly masculine, bluff, straightforward man.
@Sixer, I get it. I think. I’ll leave it to the experts to actually identify who specifically it applies to since I tend to take creative license with my labels and descriptors.
Clive Owen is definitely not posh but I wouldn’t pick a fight with him.
Love Clive Owen. I borrowed him to be the muse for a character in one of my little novels. He fit the costume and the dry humor of the character perfectly.
Oh Danny Dyer is a 20 watt bulb, he really is. Mockney wally.
Translation for your American posters? I’m pretty sure that was hilarious but I don’t know what I’m laughing at.
I am not a Brit but I am bilingual 🙂
Mockney = mock Cockney. Person who talks with working class accent but really isnt (see Guy Ritchie)
wally = general term of derision but basically idiot
Danny Dyer is the actor in Britain who can greenlight a project despite being a complete unknown as far as Hollywood is concerned.
He concentrates on diamond geezer type roles in films that are derivatives of Guy Ritchie geezer films. Usually straight to video, but they are very, very profitable.
East Enders is the first mainstream role he’s held for a very long time, and he’s playing a diamond geezer. Totally stereotypical role for him.
BTW: the type of bars and pubs Cumberbatch is being interviewed in are completely removed from the authentic pubs Danny is talking about.
And yes, Eddie and Tom are posher than Ben.
Tom Hardy can be a geezer, but he is posh as well. He’s as much a mockney Geezer as Guy Ritchie.
I was going to say – he’s best known here for the hard man docos, really, isn’t he? Deadliest whateverthecrapolaitwas. It was quite a thing when EastEnders got him, rather than the other way around. If that managed to permeate my soapophobia, it must have been newsworthy.
If we were going to have a serious discussion on the way the public school numpties have managed to get a stranglehold on RADA and LAMDA now that industry and commerce doesn’t bother with them, I’d rather listen to David Morissey than Danny Dyer.
Sixer: I completely forgot about the docs he makes.
I come from the fictional side of film making and we have the Danny Dyer conversation nee regret about once a year ie if we could find one of his diamond geezer scripts and attach him, the funding would be a doodle because they are very, very profitable. They rarely make a splash in the news, usually straight to video things often with one of Ray Winstone’s kids well.
……I wish I enjoyed Diamond Geezer films. my professional life would be so much easier.
And yes, from both sides of the coin, East Enders was very lucky to get him.
Okay, since we Yanks are requesting Brit-to-Yank translations:
Diamond geezer?
To me, a geezer is some really really old guy yelling “You kids get off my lawn!”
???
Diamond geezer means “nice guy”, “good bloke”. It’s a Londoner idiom. In film, it’s applied to stuff with a working class central character who might do naughty stuff (eg crime capers) but who the audience can feel has a heart of gold underneath that.
I think BC could play working class and no, I don’t think Danny could play the Sherlock role. Know your place, soap actor.
LOL Certainly sounds like he’s bitten off the jealousy apple. This is the 2nd time he’s brought up Benedict in a negative manner.
I urge everyone to watch Danny Dyer meeting some “hard men ” on you tube. He spends his time looking like hes about to soil himself if one of them looks at him funny.
Also his appearance on channel 4s big fat quiz of the year 2013.
I doubt BC cares about what geezers in a pub would think of him.
Something I really liked about the last season of Sherlock was showing Sherlock’s parents’ home as being a normal, middle-class place. In canon I think Sherlock is actually gentry, right? Wasn’t his dad a squire or something? But for the 21st century he comes from a very normative background, which I thought was a nice touch.
He was distant gentry, lower rungs, in canon but never a sir or lord or anything. It was implied that’s how he was able to gad about without real income and how Mycroft got his job in gov’t.
More vinegar to go with the chips Danny?
Hmmm. I wouldn’t trust Benedict to be able to defend my honor in a bar fight. Although, in the Tumblr Q&A, when he was asked for what he has in common with the wolf he’s playing, he did say that:
“I have an English accent, I’m very good at hand-to-hand combat in close quarters, I have an occasional intolerance for cuteness – please don’t ramp that up this afternoon. It’s been a long week.”
VERY GOOD at hand to hand combat? Doubt it.
I’ll give him that. He has had a lot of fight training for Khan and, especially, for the short film “Little Favour” he did last year. It looks as though he could handle himself.
Oh, I forgot about Little Favour. But isn’t that “fight choreography”? Maybe it does translate to real life fighting skills? Somehow I imagine him being all talky and getting sucker punched. 🙂
Like Patrick Watts in “Starter for 10.” Ha! Well, the behind-the-scenes clips of his training show that he does know how to move and is a strong, fit, guy, But I’ll grant you that real life and stagecraft are not the same thing at all. He’d probably try to blab his way out of the situation, like when he berated/enlightened his Harrow schoolmates as he related in the Out (I think) interview. 🙂
He’d ramble until they left him alone, fairly certain. Quite sure that’d work for him!
I can see that – he’d bore them into submission.
@Lu
I cringed so hard at that story. It just drove home how preachy, privileged and white he can be. And kids fighting would have just pushed him away and continued fighting LOL. I wonder if he really did that or if it was something he wishes he’d done.
Haha, yeah, I can see BC fighting like he did in Starter for 10! I think people would stop fighting with him only because they’d look at him and think “Huh?”
@tasha_nat I know, ugh. “Teach us how to be free, liberal white man!”
@Lu, Lol! It sounded like something out of dead poets society. Like GTFO Benadryl Chickenscratch *rolls eyes*
i thought that meant GOOD in bed 😉
coz he is always bragging about his lovemaking skills.
so do the mall rats outside hot topic 😛
please don’t do anything to endanger those delicate violinist’s fingers, Ben!!!
The problem is all that stage fighting is learning how NOT to hit people. I doubt it’d do him any good in a real fight. Probably the reverse. Like when Hugh Laurie talked about taking up boxing he kept getting hit because he’d hesitate and think “No, no don’t hit the nice man!” and then WHAM! Right across the face.
Personally I think BC would be good at smart arse-ing his way into fights and then when it looked like some was going to actually hit him he’d run for the hills screaming for Mummy.
Though we all wish he really did punch Jeremy Clarkson
We wish everyone would punch Clarkson.
It could be like a dunking booth. A punching booth. Can you imagine the queue to punch Jeremy Clarkson?
I’d love to see Benedict as a working class ‘geezer’. I think he can totally pull it off, it’d be refreshing and I’m sure he’d love such a role, he’d sink his teeth in it. Not sure it’ll happen soon, but who knows.
What, this cannot be the only cumberpost of the day. Where is the latest update on the showmance. So disappointed! Lol
There’s not even a photo of the perfect couple above the post! No Erdem dress, no nothing. I won’t be able to sleep tonight, quite sure… 😉
Have we beaten the enGAGment already to death or is there still room for one conspiracy train stop?
Because one thing that hasn’t really been addressed is Harvey’s point of view. Think about it.
He spend enormous amount of money buying the rights for TIG and definitely though it was his “it”-movie for this season. He needs a strong Oscar success this year since last year was truly awful for TWC. And after Telluride and TIFF reception, it’s clear this is The Film of the Year for him.
But his leading man is unable to campaign; his working. That’s bad, bad situation for Harvey. He relies on his actors to do the campaign. And does anyone really think that when Benedict told him “I don’t think I have the time”, Harvey went “Oh well, never mind then. There’s nothing we can’t do. Let’s wrap it.” NO F*CKING WAY. But BC cannot pull out of his projects, they needed to come up with alternative ways. The enGAGment was perfect. It created a media storm and made BC Serious!Actor!.
And who in they right mind can seriously consider this is not PR? Because it’s clearly is. Sophie only reappeared after TIFF in September, when it became clear TIG would get the big Weinstein push. And BC’s mood changed between August and September.
I’d buy that for a dollar, Ingrid. And if Benedict gets a GG or even a SAG nom next week then I’ll bet we get more of the Ben&Sophie show over here in the US, unfortunately
That’s a good point Ingrid, new POV for me at least! I also still think the missing initial in the engagement ad is weird, SoGo Tumblr has been a bit about that today, but it’s really quite strange to me. Ah well, it’s fun to speculate anyway…
I have a stupid but somewhat plausible theory about the missing initial. Carlton sounds like a surname and his dad uses it as his stage name. Based on what I’ve heard, it’s quite unusual to have more than one middle name in US. (Am I right here?).
If the text came from Harvey’s low-ranking intern, he/she might have mistaken Carlton for a second surname and didn’t put it in. Maybe BC proofread it and didn’t correct it on purpose. Or someone who did the proofreading, didn’t notice.
Or it’s just a typo courtesy of the Times. (speaking of typos, so many in my previous post. Sorry.)
we’ve talked about the missing initial before when the announcement was made, and someone yelled at me for being a conspiracy nut. but i think the missing initial is a big deal. ben would never leave out the initial he shares with his father and grandfather (and possibly more forebears), and wanda would make sure each and every initial of her only begotten son would be in full view. this was clearly the work of an intern.
i don’t think it’s a typo either. i think the times would want to get it right for a celebrity announcement. plus they’ve done so many of these announcements, they know how important they are.
i don’t think ben cared enough to proofread it.
you know I never gave much weight to the announcement initial thing but the way you put it, especially the first paragraph, it makes sense.
The unintentional comedy value of Danny Dyer is eternal.
#tool
Haha I can’t tell if this Danny fellow is trolling or not.
A few notes to make:
1 — thanks to the ladies offering me encouragement in the last thread! I appreciate it, wanted to make sure my thanks was read.
2 — it’s occurred to me after reading this thread how educated and accomplished all the ladies commenting here are. This is a far cry from the twitter and tumblr fans I used to read, thinking…what do these women do all their lives and what is their view of the world they’re fawning over this man so blindly?
3 — congrats to Floribunda on graduating!!!!!!
4 — after chatting with j on the last thread, what do we think of the theory all this coldness and lack of affection isn’t a sign of a sham engagement, but BC caving into SH’s cold/creepy/perverse hatred of public showing of affection?
4. if it’s real and he’s caving, well that’s sad because neither party should change drastically for the other and she also didn’t have to have a tantrum about it.
it’s not just that he doesn’t show public affection, it’s that their body language seems to show they are repelling each other. body language doesn’t lie.
#4
Nope! SorryNotSorry. But, nope! Even if he were trying to be unaffectionate there’d be residual feelings there. JMO but, to sound like a complete hippie, feelings are energy and they leave their traces. Some people can see it, some cannot. That’s how you can observe two people walking side by side, no one’s snogging, everyone’s clothes are still buttoned, but you just “know” they’re together. Happily. Comfortably. HunterBatch don’t have that.
But there’s no point in telling this to some people. Truly. Because reading people, scoping body language, picking up on invisible, emotive cues…not everyone can do this. Or see this. And hey, that’s cool! We’ll just disagree on tumblr. And see who breaks up right in time for Easter, shall we? *cackles*
“feelings are energy and they leave their traces”
Give me a daisy and call me a hippie, but I love that. And I agree we see nothing of that with Ben and Sophie. There’s acting – even really great acting – but when it’s just you being you, the human being, you will eventually give yourself away, good or bad. It’s inevitable.
I think I agree with you, smara. I mean, I think it could be true that he’s hands-off in public because she doesn’t like it, but only up to a point. If he felt warmly toward her, I can’t help thinking, it would shine out of his eyes—if he would ever LOOK at her—and at least his facial expressions would be kindly and twinkly. Or something.
you ladies all make great points and i’m inclined to agree.
“Some people can see it, some cannot. ”
I agree. But I’m skeptical that the people performing close analysis of celebrities’ red carpet behavior are those who can see it. I think they’re more likely the same people responsible for pushing the marker around on a Ouija board. Subconsciously or not, they’re just winging it. I’m sensitive to “invisible, emotive cues” to the point of distraction, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that sensing emotion is not the same thing as understanding what is causing it. And it’s particularly silly when people act like observing celebrities in their promotional capacities is the same as watching a nature documentary where the subjects are unaware that they are being observed.
All the body language interpretation of this couple is just “Confirmation Bias: The Game!” Which, if that’s your fun thing, I guess, fine? This is just gossip. But try not to go overboard crediting yourself with super-interpretational powers.
hey Bob! You know what? Even if they get married and stay married for fifty years I will always say what I see and stay with my opinion. If their body language changes and an emotional rapport is conjured from the ether then I too will have a change of opinion. People shift and change. Like their emotions. Or internet opinions.
One thing I have learned with time -when something’s weird, its because its weird. Simple, yet true. And no electronic remonstrations from strangers asking me not to make them uncomfortable by going beyond boundaries with which they are comfortable, will hinder me. Cheers!
ETA: Who said supernatural? Have you heard of microexpressions? Some people can see them, some can’t. Some people devour astrophysics for breakfast. Others -not. We’re all different. (some people roll around on the floor with octopi and fake engagements to fame hungry otters… ahem)
We’re all special snowflakes.
Normally I couldn’t care less what Danny Dyer says (he’s an arsehole : http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/may/05/danny-dyer-zoo-magazine ) but both him and Benedict have something in common – a dislike of critic Mark Kermode.
Except Hard Man Dyer is all mouth and trousers whereas Benedict DID actually strike Mark Kermode (defending Keira Knightley’s honour, I believe).
Mark kermode is a great film critic though he can be too dogmatic and tactless. He dubbed Keira “Ikea Knightly” After a furniture store, in tribute to Her wooden acting but has now warmed to her and has been complimentary about her recently.
I tried to post this before, but it didn’t work for some reason. Cumby did not punch Kermode. Just do a search on Cumberbatch Punch Kermode and see what Kermode himself said on Twitter about it.
*I* didn’t say punch… Kermode HAS said that Cumberbatch ‘lightly punched’ him. Which I think is covered by using the word ‘strike’.
and it was all a bit of a joke not a real fight.
I’m not sure not being a trashy drunk is something to be proud of… Most people would get their asses kicked in a Brit pub. Damn, my friends and I had to run for our lives out of a street in front of a pub because they wanted to beat the crap out of us for being Germans. And we weren’t Germans. But you don’t have a rational argument with a drunk when the pub’s just closed…
He’s just been officially announced as Dr Strange BTW.
Finally! So now we are just awaiting announcement for SH Big Comet Project produced by the weinstein company!!
please god no.
Def. no surprise, but he’ll have to learn to promo and just accept the fame. Can’t be part of Marvel and be moaning about the burdens of fame, smart phones and similar. Like he doesn’t want all of this bad. Tssssk.
And no more pissybatch tumblr Q&As.
he will not be able to pull that bratty stuff because the comic book nerds are not forgiving like the nannies are. he is introducing himself to a whole new audience and i hope he’s ready for it.
He’s usually great doing promo when he’s not hauling around the Ice Queen/former college Hot Stuff. I’m looking forward to interviews with Josh H. and Chris H., two serious fanboys. By 2016, Octopussy should be a distant, bad memory.
Marvel don’t play when it comes to promos so he’d better ask his buddy Tom about how to do that dancing bear act pronto.
oh blended. does he have no idea what he’s in for as far as fandom goes? comic book nerds make the cumber*****es look like amatuers.
^hmm yes but one difference. cumberasterisks are women and comic nerds, however derided they are, are men. men bring a legitimacy to fanning, while women are just written off as hysterical and full of fantasies
very true @claire.
Just read that too. They waited so long to decide and then announce that it feels almost anti-climactic. I had begun rooting for other actors to get the nod in the meantime.
I suppose it can be done, but I have to wonder how marriage to a person will work when he is, like one of his iconic characters, so married to his work. Benedict just confirmed for “Dr. Strange.”
I wonder when it’ll film. Didn’t he not have the time or is he pulling out of other projects to accommodate it? I’m disappointed he took the role but whatevs
but he’s got plenty of time after sherlock xmas special, just before hamlet rehearsals in june. Plus its being filmed in london…or so I heard.
didn’t he have other films to do? and s4?
I think this means we might have said goodbye to “Sherlock” for a good long time. Moftiss always say they’d work around BC and MF’s busy schedules, but no way could Benedict fit in another three of what they always describe as “movie-length” episodes in the next 2 years.
it goes with the whole saying one thing and doing something totally different kick he’s on right now. he said he would step back from work and concentrate on the people in his life, then he goes and signs a major marvel deal. the workload just keeps increasing.
was the ‘stepping back’ comment just a part of the image makeover? to make the fiancee more believable. how on earth will he have time to devote to a family?
@blended ^^ This. that stepping back comment now strikes me as very, very odd because he is definitely not doing that by signing up for Strange/Marvel.
I still like Benedict, but he’s really a typical ACTOR. He’s a walking contradiction, waffles wistfully about cottages near the sea, but the reality is different. The reality is that he wants to conquer Hollywood, he’s super ambitious. Maybe he himself doesn’t want to accept that truth (yet), but sooner or later he’ll have too. It’d make things easier. It’s hard to try to change yourself in someone you’re not. At least not at this point. Maybe he’ll slow down in 5 years time, or 10, but he’s not doing it now.
Actions speak louder than words…
YES to @blended, @curioser and @Cate. This is what we’ve been seeing for the past few months. What he says and what he does are very different.
And, he’s taken another “genius” role. Way to branch out there, Ben.
Lost City of Z is listed being back in pre-production now, so looks like it’s off the table and I haven’t heard about Yellow Bird in a while so it may be shelved or delayed since it’s not big budget by a long shot. The “oh I want to step back a bit” is PR. The man is so career driven, it’d take an act of an angry god to make him step back from anything that is bringing him work.
@MtnRunner
imo he couldn’t slow down unless he got a set-for-life role like this unless i am missing a multi-mill payday he got? (I feel like I am tbh)
The first thing that came to my mind: perfectly timed. TIG opened and it almost was a slow newsday for BC. PR cannot let that happen.
First thing that came to my mind is this isn’t the work schedule of someone who has the time to see and spend quality time with any children he wants so bad.
@claire – this really is the last nail in the coffin for the pregnancy rumor. But I always knew he was going to be strange. I know things. Lol.
Absolutely Claire. This is not the action of a man who wants to step back from it all. This is no short term commitment, depending on the success of the movie and what plans Marvel has for Strange in other movies, plus lots and lots of promo…this is a huge thing to sign up for.
I thought too that BC had a movie to film early next year (Yellow Birds)? What happened to that?I know the Lost City is back in pre-production so that’s not happening yet, if ever. I don’t know where Ben will find the time, honestly.
Edited to say that if BC though Sherlock fans were intense,wait until he sees some of the hard core Marvel fanboys/girls!
It doesn’t even seem like the work schedule of someone who’s getting married.
heh. I wonder if this makes it less likely they’ll get married. though it is filming in London.
It is being filmed in London and Chris Hemsworh managed to film a few Thors and his wife had babies. Actors manage their personal and working life just fine most of the time.
claire- it will fit in perfectly with the “they’re too busy to keep a relationship going” narrative.
Maybe he’s changed his mind about settling down with SH, now that he’s seen her true colors…or if it was an enGAGment from the beginning, his plan was to go along with Harveys strategy to better his chances of career longevity.
What’s creepy is that the psychic anons prediction is slowly coming into play!
Filming in London, yes,but I remember reading an interview where Tom was talking about how intense the filming for Thor 2 was on some days, from early morning until late at night. And Thor 2 was partly filmed in London.
BC being main character means he will be on set most of the time too.
I’m not saying they will or wont get married, but maybe this is what will be used as a reason if they do break up. Intense schedules, heavy commitments blah blah blah, still love each dearly but work better as friends…
psychic anons?
Maggie,
Your tenacity is admirable. I’m almost tempted to drift over to the terror lands of imdb to see how they tried to explain away her disgusting red carpet behaviour..
I say almost, though..
@Soothy: well, one of them saw the gifset of how Sophie was rushing away from Karon and commented that maybe she was in dire need of the ladies’ room since she’s pregnant and all. I swear to god……
@gg
You ARE kidding me? That *has* to be a joke..
I gave my theory on things below but in short, this is an out. The romantic leading man schtick was never going to pan out and he knew it, PR knew it, but it was a nice run to attempt and he’ll keep this going through campaign season, whenever it ends for him, then looks like he’s slammed with filming this AND doing rehearsal for Hamlet AND performing Hamlet… there’s an out. Too busy, incompatible careers, whatever… neat and tidy.
I suggest the reporter BC was talking to asked one too many questions about upcoming projects (possibly Dr. Strange) and it triggered an angry response from SH. His career is more important than her ring, etc.
Benedict can say whatever he want about wanting to settle down and spending time with loved ones, but it’s really him just wistfully thinking out loud. He’s 38 and he is who he is at this point in his life, let’s be real. The man always has been a workaholic and only something extreme happening could change that imho. The great love of his life at this point in time is his career, maybe kids will change that one day, but I’m not so sure anymore. Let’s also not forget that this is the same man who two years ago said that he looks up to George Clooney and Brad Pitt and the way they’ve established their careers in HW. I do think that was not just him waffling, he wants to get at that point where he can call the shots more or less. Now think about that and then wonder if that also might be the kind of guy who might agree with using some kind of PR regarding his private life. Even if he does so begrudgingly. *Whistles*
yep. even OP said a long time ago that he is *very* ambitious. i think we’re just finally seeing that ambition on a larger scale. pr, pr, pr!
Well, he’s been acting awfully strange lately. guess it won’t be too much of a stretch!
and like his hands have been cut off
He has made seversl jokes about Dr Strange… So.. And he wants to be famous, very very famous, what better way than a Marvel movie??
I wonder if he’ll have a moustache… ?
I thought for a sec that might be a sever joke. darn.
Why? Why? I don’t get why he is doing this? With the passive-aggressive anti-fandom/”Imma serious actor” attitude, it seems like such a strange choice for him right now.
I think, and this is my opinion and only based on that and nothing I’ve read or heard… I think he was aiming for “romantic serious lead” while Strange was up in the air. Now he’s signed the dotted line, he’s going to ditch that Downton Abbey knock off attitude and start the dancing bear act soon as Oscars are over. Marvel don’t play when it comes to promotions so he’d better get his sh*t together.
right? if he thought he had bat $hit crazy fans before…..
I read somewhere that Marvel will “train” their stars on how to handle the interviews, red carpet, etc, so it all comes off as “we are thrilled to be part of this” and not…well, no wild cards and no wtf stuff like the Dreamwork q&a incident.
“Marvel don’t play when it comes to promotions so he’d better get his sh*t together. ”
You are so right, Miss Mary. I don’t know how he’s going to make thru a promotional tour. His patience has been waning as it is with the press lately, I can’t imagine him doing the shilling that is needed for Marvel.
hopefully when shilling time comes around he won’t have the albatross around his neck, and will be happier for it.
Marvel won’t “allow” it’s actors to be dicks if they can help it because they know that yeah, a huge chunk of the audience are older teens and fanboys/girls who’ve been fans of characters since they were kids and are now adults, but there’s also a HUGE kid demo, kids of the “old school” fans, kids just coming to the fandoms… And now being owned by Disney, they will do the fist of an angry god schtick on anyone who tries to come off as “above it all” on the red carpet or in interviews, I’m sure. So he’d better learn to start loving the PR, or shake off the doldrums and get rid of what/who*cough*ever is causing his funk because he’s about to hit the loopdeloop on the fame/PR rollercoaster. HW only *wishes* he had Marvel’s PR machine.
Also he’s already an iconic (and clearly due to return) baddie in Star Trek. With his career taking off amazingly like this, as an unusual-looking Brit in his late 30s after an already-long trudge through castings, it’s weird to sign on and resign oneself to to being the 2010s version of late 1980s, early 1990s Alan Rickman, when Brits had fewer options in Hollywood.
Really, I think there’s a terror underlying all this that if he doesn’t lock down the “leading man” thing now, it may all slip away again, even if he’s gone from playing second banana, to lead second banana in a Marvel movie. Really, after Tom Hardy’s ludicrous Bane, I’m amazed that anyone thinks playing a comic strip villain will enhance their career beyond collecting paychecks and increasingly embarrassing roles.
I was wondering, maybe the acceptance of this contract with Marvel is recent and SH didn’t know he was planning on accepting and made the tantrum at the Theatre because of this. She might have thought he actually meant the “I want to settle down an giv time to my loved ones”, and then… “Oops honey, I’m doing the Marvel Dr Strange, so I’ll be very busy…”
I think it’s more he said he wanted to settle down, etc, in case the Marvel deal didn’t go through and also to buoy the “I am serious actor man” image being pushed during the campaign. Now he’s out as having signed with marvel, all bets are off.
kinda depends on how many movies he’s doing?
IDK i know hes worked steadily but this is the first time he’s hit that million-dollar payday, i can now retire after this type role, right?
like he can be out or just doing Sherlock and small indie movies forever once Strange is done as long as he doesnt go on a binge or anything
I was always on the fence leaning more towards PR and some people think he will rush to a wedding now but I honestly think real or not, it would not shock me if the engagement was called off.
He’s allegedly signed for four with Marvel for Strange but that may not be four full Strange or Avengers or whatever, but include cameos or short appearances. If they opt to have him in four films at all, depending on how this first one turns out.
@j, Marvel does not provide big paydays. Marvel provides public exposure but the studio is notoriously cheap. Only RDJ makes large money (by movie standards) for his Marvel role. They even skimp on benefits – when they send an actor on a PR tour, including red carpets, they only pay for one accompanying person, so if the actor wants to bring an assistant and a spouse, the actor has to pay all expenses for one of them himself.
MissMary, depending on how this one turns out is a big condition. Marvel has no qualms about switching out an actor (bye-bye Terence Howard) or ending a planned franchise if the actor is difficult (bye-bye Edward Norton and Incredible Hulk stand-alones. Sorry William Hurt and Liv Tyler)
They give lavish gifts, but only to RDJ it seems (the “A” from the tower and a Mercedes-Benz during IM1 promo).
@ Lilacflowers, tbh compared to his paydays in the past, this is ‘big’. you figure he’s going to clear 7 figures, and he certainly hasnt done that yet. star trek pays like crap
I *think* I read somewhere that Tommy got around $3-4 million for his Marvel contract. Don’t quote me on that, but I doubt BC would have received anything like that for his previous work.
I *think* I read somewhere that Hiddles got around $3-4 million for his Marvel contract, don’t quote me in that though. I don’t think BC has received that kind of cash for his previous work.
edit: gah, i think this is going to post twice, sorry!
This is my shocked face. : | See how shocked I am? He’s Doctor Strange… way to cover that up, Benny et al. Reminds me of the ‘Oh no, I’m not Khan! I’m an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT CHARACTER” thing.
Eh, MissMary, they signed him today. You’re really not cast until the deal is closed, since it can always fall through, but youre not supposed to talk about negotiations either
@J -How do you know they signed him today?
The deal might have been made already back in October for all I know, but they might have decided to postpone the announcement to accommodate TIG opening.
Which is exactly what happened. The news came on a slow BC news day the week before GG and SAG nominations. TIG opened limited last week and is going to be a full release in Christmas. This was a”free week” for BC publicity.
With the Doctor Strange announcement, I now wonder if Benedict wanted to lock down a relationship (any relationship) before all the good career things that would keep him busy for the next few years…it would be more difficult to date around when you’re onstage, or shooting, or jetting around doing promos and Comic-Cons.
I still feel that he’s settling by being with SH.
You may be right. I initially thought his career would impede a serious relationship. Maybe the push to get married was to get his personal life settled so focus could remain strictly on his increasingly busy career, as I think that is the true love of his life.
i think this just means he’s not in the right place or time to settle down. as much as he’s a workaholic, i believe he would want to be present in the lives of his spouse and/or kids. i think he was offered dr. strange a while ago but kept them waiting. now he can take it because he knows he is far from settling down. there won’t be a wedding anytime soon, and i still believe there will never be one with sophie
I think he’s settling too, which is why I still think they’ll get hitched. I think he needs to go through a ‘starter’ marriage before he finds The One; he needs to shake off some of the idealism, perhaps, in regards to his ideas of ‘The Perfect Home Life’.
And with Dr. Strange (I’ve never even *heard* of this character until BC’s name got mentioned) he’ll be doing more PR than ever… I wonder what SH thinks about it? I also wonder when she’ll start getting papped. And BC will be papped more than ever now, LOL. Already he seems pissed with the press. This guy may end up having a melt-down.
I know I’m always late to the party… I wonder if anyone will even read this? LOL,.. my timezone doesn’t work in my favour.
lol I have the same issue re: time zone Just here. I’m awake when everyone else is asleep!
If he’s settling…why does he look so bloody miserable, or at the very best, apathetic, when she’s around?
@just here
I would’ve thought his decade long relationship with Olivia would have been his starter marriage. I think he does need to get it out of his system. He’s wanted the marriage and baby thing for so long I guess he’s woven his own fantasy. Sophie is a safe choice because once his career takes off at Hollywood levels of insanity, he’ll have a whole other level of groupies/starf—ers to contend with, were he a single man.
Marvel is going to work him on the PR front, for sure. Sherlock fans are nothing, nothing compared to Marvel fans. Yep, waiting for a meltdown or a pap altercation. I don’t think Sophie will get papped alone, unless it’s a baby bump watch or she ends up not wearing the ring one day…
@ Claire:
Thing is I don’t think he looks ‘miserable’… apathetic is closer to what I think. Businesslike’ is how I would describe it. Which is why I’m having a picnic on my proverbial fence, because I think there’s truth on both sides: It’s a real relationship being used for pr purposes.
I think he was intending to get settled but he’s realized SH is not going to do – if he hasn’t he just needs a couple more ridiculous tantrums on the red carpet, a couple more humiliating moments for him, Karin, Emily. I hope it is just a starter engagement. I’d be pissed if this spoiled brat was the one to get substantial amount of his money and alimony.
And no, he doesn’t look businesslike like – he looks sad.
does anyone know whether dr. strange is american or british?
Pretty sure he’s American.
From what I’ve heard of his American accent, he seems to hit the rhotic r’s a bit too hard. Benny better practice that accent or he’ll give the already negative fans more ammo.
Comic-verse, he’s supposed to be from Nebraska. Benny’d better brush on either on “generic American” or “midwestern” accent…
It’d be more sensible to just retcon the character’s back-story to work with Ben’s natural accent. Worked fine for Professor X.
I knew the announcement of dr strange was coming soon. When DC announced all the suicide squad actors, marvel needed to counter act. Which dc has some great people, tom hardy will smith, Jared Leto.
I think benedict will make a great dr strange.
It’s pretty much Marvel telling DC, ha! you can’t have Cumberbatch because he’s ours! We got to him first.
There are some new gifs on Sogo and Wiki of the NY red carpet…can we all chip in and buy Karon one hella big bottle of champagne or a holiday to somewhere nice because seriously, the attitude on SH is just jaw droppingly awful.
The party never stops does it?
Nope, it just keeps going…and going….and going…
It’ll keep going now he’s involved in Dr. Strange.
I saw the gifs. I would definitely describe the pair of them as ‘businesslike’ when it comes to posing. SH is a pro, it seems!
I also want to offer my own speculation on why SH was never around and then ‘poof!’ she appears: Perhaps she assumed people (i.e. BC’s fans) would appreciate her efforts in trying to appear like she isn’t a ‘user’ or a ‘famewhore’? I know I’m playing Devil’s Advocate here, I just like to offer balanced/semi-balanced alternatives. Obviously, her strategy backfired. On both of them. And thus, ‘POOF! Here’s Sophie!! Look how supportive she’s being!’
(Granted, that small tantrum at the Evening Standard Awards was eye-blinkingly funny/awkward. I bet she’s super high maintenance).
@just here -Businesslike is the perfect word to describe these two. I will steal it from you. LOL.
i love the term high maintenance. euphemism for b****
yeeeeee doctor strange!!!
i think this just means he’s not in the right place or time to settle down. as much as he’s a workaholic, i believe he would want to be present in the lives of his spouse and/or kids. i think he was offered dr. strange a while ago but kept them waiting. now he can take it because he knows he is far from settling down. there won’t be a wedding anytime soon, and i still believe there will never be one with sophie.
i think this just means he’s not in the right place or time to settle down. as much as he’s a workaholic, i believe he would want to be present in the lives of his spouse and/or kids. i think he was offered dr. strange a while ago but kept them waiting. now he can take it because he knows he is far from settling down. there won’t be a wedding anytime soon, and i still believe there will never be one with octopussy.
On the other two movies, Lost City of Z was supposed to film near in Colombia Africa. He may not be a big star but no one’s letting him anywhere near a continent with Ebola. As far as Yellow Birds, they hadn’t even finished casting yet, AFAIK. So, he does kinda have the time, he just happens to have an albatross around his neck that needs to be taken to a farm upstate. What’s interesting is the reaction for some of the hardcore b*^chs. On twitter I saw a lot of Oh Gag, and great now I can’t go see that movie and stuff. Not sure if I was missing some sacrash or something but maybe they realiced they won’t be the biggest fans in the universe to him anymore? LOL Aww poor nannies…
“farm upstate”
frozen aisle crumbed calamari company?
wow, overwhelmingly negative reaction on marvel’s official twitter to the news.
that’s nothing new. the comic book nerds are notorious for hating any casting decisions, unless it’s an unknown actor.
+1
It would be very worrisome if the reaction was 100% positive. Negative reaction also lowers the expectations, which will serve the film very well. Think about Guardians of Galaxy, no one expect it to be a good / great film and that worked for its favor.
The Big Issue interview via SoGo:
“I really want to do more, by which I mean less work and more of other things. I want to be more present for other people. As I get older I increasingly feel the need to step back, ask what I’m neglecting, what do other people need of me. ”
The interview was conducted during LFF and he was clearly in negotiations with Marvel then. So someone was lying his ass off to make the enGAGment believable.
After the Dr. Strange confirmation, I truly understand why Harvey brought in the big guns to make BC appear more grown up and Serious!Actor!. Imagine the situation and his image now without the engagement. No Oscar voter would take him seriously, he would be just the fangirl and fanboy favorite. It might have been Weinstein’s people who originally leaked the Dr. Strange rumor to Deadline in October so it wouldn’t overshadow TIG opening and Oscar campaign.