Benedict Cumberbatch knows the debate surrounding his character in Zoolander 2
In the 2016 funny– a ticket office and important flop– the Doctor Strange star plays a non-binary, long-haired, eyebrow-less design called All.
“There was a lot of contention around the role, understandably now,” the star informed fellow Zoolander 2 star Pen élope Cruz, throughout Variety‘s Actors on Actors series. “In this era, it would never have been performed by anybody other than a trans actor.”
Cumberbatch continued, “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 yeah, it kind of backfired a little bit.”
Controversy aside, being on set was an unbelievably great experience. “It was charming to satisfy you because quick minute and to deal with Ben [Stiller] and Owen [Wilson],” he included, “and the craziness of that film, being such a huge fan of the first one.”
