Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has revisited several of his iconic characters over the years, with multiple turns as Sherlock Holmes in the “Sherlock” series, Smaug the dragon in the “Hobbit” trilogy and Dr. Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But he said there’s one character he won’t play again: All, the nonbinary model from “Zoolander 2.”
“I’ve had to apologize for that quite a lot so it’s a difficult one to talk about,” he said in a video posted by Variety.
Cumberbatch said he “loved” the team behind “Zoolander,” which included Ben Stiller ― who directed, co-wrote and starred as the title character ― and Owen Wilson, who played Hansel.
“It was the chance to sort of be part of something that the first time around was iconic, and I was a huge fan of, but it got complicated, it got misunderstood, and I upset people and I respect that,” Cumberbatch said. “So I probably wouldn’t do that again now.”
As People noted, Cumberbatch also issued regrets in 2022.
“There was a lot of contention around the role, understandably now,” Cumberbatch told Variety at the time. “And I think in this era, my role would never be performed by anybody other than a trans actor. But I remember at the time not thinking of it necessarily in that regard, and it being more about two dinosaurs, two heteronormative clichés not understanding this new diverse world. But it backfired a little bit.”
The All character led to calls for a boycott of the film by some in the LGBTQ+ community.
“This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority,” activist Sarah Rose wrote in an online petition. Rose also slammed All as “an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals.”
It was one of many flaws with the film: While “Zoolander” was considered a beloved send-up of the fashion industry, the sequel wasn’t nearly as well-regarded. It has a 22% critics rating and 20% from fans on Rotten Tomatoes.
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See Cumberbatch’s full discussion of his characters and their lines below:
English (US) ·