Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch: Nicotine poisoning after filming
Benedict Cumberbatch poses at the premiere of a film at the Toronto International Film Festival 2021. (Archive image) Photo: Chris Pizzello / Invision via AP / dpa
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In his role as a chain-smoking rancher, actor Benedict Cumberbatch contracted nicotine poisoning. However, the film “The Power of the Dog” also made the British a banjo player.
The British actor Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”) claims to have gotten nicotine poisoning three times while shooting a film. The 45-year-old said in an interview with Esquire UK magazine, which appeared on Wednesday.
In the Western “The Power of the Dog” by director and Oscar winner Jane Campion, Cumberbatch plays a chain-smoking rancher.
“One after the other without a filter,” he said, the actor reported, adding: “If you have to smoke a lot, that’s really terrible.”
But he wanted “a layer of stench” on his body to better embody the role. For the film, he also practiced excessive banjo games in order to become a “world-class player,” as Cumberbatch said. “I think my main motivation is that I really, really enjoy it,” said the Briton.