Benedict Cumberbatch has complained that his privileged background and elite schooling have left him typecast. The 35-year-old actor grew up in Kensington, West London, and was educated at Harrow—where fees are £30,930 a year—before studying drama at Manchester University.As a consequence, he claims he suffers from ‘class-typing' in his career.
Cumberbatch, who also starred in this year's film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, said: ‘I was brought up in a world of privilege. It can ostracise you from normal codes of conduct in society. Being a posh actor in England you cannot escape the class-typing from whatever side you look at it. I realised from quite early on that, although I wasn't trying to make a class specialty of it, I was playing slightly asexual, sociopathic intellectuals.'
Sign up here with your email