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Benedict Cumberbatch was in South Africa filming the BBC miniseries To the Ends of the Earth when he was allegedly abducted and held captive by a group of men.
He shared that the incident fueled his appetite for adrenaline. (Photo Credits: X)
Benedict Cumberbatch has lived a life filled with gripping stories, both on and off the screen, but one particular chapter of his life stands out as both harrowing and transformative. Nearly two decades ago, while working abroad, the acclaimed actor faced a nightmare scenario that forever changed his outlook on life. In an interview ahead of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of his latest movie, The Thing with Feathers, the 48-year-old star reflected on a traumatic incident from 2004. At the time, he was in South Africa filming the BBC miniseries To the Ends of the Earth when he was allegedly abducted and held captive by a group of men.
“It gave me a sense of time, but not necessarily a good one. It made me impatient to live a life less ordinary and I’m still dealing with that impatience,” Cumberbatch shared with Variety.
The chilling ordeal began after Cumberbatch and his friends decided to go diving. On their way back, their car suffered a flat tyre, leaving them stranded. Suddenly, six men appeared, abducted the group and subjected them to hours of terror. The assailants robbed them, forced them to drive around and eventually abandoned them, bound and helpless, before fleeing at night, the actor said.
Reflecting on the “near-death” experience, the Doctor Strange actor shared how it fueled his appetite for adrenaline and adventure. “It made me go, ‘Oh, right, yeah, I could die at any moment. I was throwing myself out of planes, taking all sorts of risks,” he admitted.
But life has changed dramatically for the actor since then. Back then, he didn’t have a family depending on him. Today, he’s a husband to Sophie Hunter, with whom he shares three young sons. That shift in responsibility has brought a new perspective. “Apart from my parents, I didn’t have any real dependents at that point. Now that’s changed and that sobers you,” he said.
Looking back, Cumberbatch believes the experience gave him a deeper understanding of life and its inevitable end. He added, “I’ve looked over the edge; it’s made me comfortable with what lies beneath it. And I’ve accepted that that’s the end of all our stories.”
His new film, The Thing with Feathers, based on Max Porter’s book Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, deals with the themes of loss and resilience. Cumberbatch plays a young father grappling with the sudden death of his wife, haunted by a mysterious presence in the apartment he shares with his two sons.
Discussing parenthood, Cumberbatch shared how becoming a father changed his perception of time. “The minute you have kids, this sense of time sinks in far more profoundly,” he said.
He reflected on how quickly his children are growing up. “My youngest is turning 6 tomorrow, and I’m like, ‘I will be in my 60s when he’s 21.’ It’s crazy. It’s gone so fast. There’s a huge shift in priorities and it makes you value what you do with your life in a very different way,” he said.
Cumberbatch admitted that the passage of time is something he thinks about often. “It does weigh on me. When you become a parent, your thoughts turn more towards mortality,” the actor confessed.
