As one of the front-runners to land the Academy Award for Best Actor after delivering an incredible performance in Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, Benedict Cumberbatch will have braced himself a long time ago for the inevitable deluge of questions on the awards trail regarding upcoming superhero sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
He’s nothing if not a pro, and it’s even gone down in Marvel Cinematic Universe folklore that he was deliberately paired with Tom Holland on the Avengers: Infinity War press circuit to provide damage control and prevent his youthful and exuberant co-star from accidentally revealing any major spoilers, as was the Spider-Man star’s reputation at the time.
However, after being presented with the Cinema Vanguard award at the 37th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Cumberbatch spoke to Collider for a deep dive on his career and impressive list of accolades. Naturally, Sam Raimi’s reality-warping sequel came up, but the franchise’s former Sorcerer Supreme wouldn’t bite when pressed for details.
“Absolutely f*cking nothing! If you came here tonight for that reason, you have to leave now. You just need to get home quick because there’s no point in hanging around. Sorry. I’ve been very long-winded with lots of answers, but this one is just nothing.”
On the plus side, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is less than eight weeks away from coming to theaters on May 6, so Cumberbatch’s veil of silence will be broken very soon. The project remains shrouded in secrecy, but we’re about to be blitzed with trailers, teasers, TV spots, promos, and everything in between.