At the age of 28, Benedict Cumberbatch faced a harrowing incident that could have ended tragically, profoundly impacting his life.<\/p>\n
Put your hands on your head!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
The event took place in 2004. At that time, Benedict Cumberbatch was already a successful stage actor, albeit not widely known outside of theater circles. He was in South Africa filming the miniseries “To the Ends of the Earth” for the BBC and took some time off to tour the area with friends. It was then that the future star of “Sherlock” was assaulted, as he recounted to the Hollywood Reporter<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“We were in South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal, north of Durban\u2014an extraordinary place. It was cold and dark. I felt privileged. We were cautious because it\u2019s notoriously dangerous to drive there. Then, suddenly, our right front tire blew out. We had to take out the spare tire, which meant we had to unload all our luggage.”<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That’s when six armed individuals appeared. “They kept telling us: ‘Look down! Look down! Put your hands on your head! Look at the ground!’ They started searching us and demanded: ‘Where’s your money? Where’s your drugs?’ – we had smoked some weed – ‘Where are your weapons?’ At that moment, my fight-or-flight adrenaline surged. I thought: ‘Oh damn, we’re screwed!'”<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What are you going to do with us?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
Tied up and lined up as if for execution, the tension escalated. “I was scared, really scared. I asked, ‘What are you going to do with us? Are you going to kill us?’ I was genuinely terrified of being raped, molested, tortured, or otherwise manipulated as an act of control and savagery.”<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Then, without any apparent reason, the aggressors left as quickly as they had arrived, leaving the small group of tourists in shock. In reality, people were approaching the scene, and it was time for them to flee. Cumberbatch admits, “I looked into the face of that black man and cried out of gratitude.”<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Following this ordeal, the actor decided to live his life without limits and embarked on a quest for adrenaline at all costs, before ultimately deciding to tone it down<\/span>: “Having brushed with death fueled all this. I realized I could die at any moment. I was jumping out of planes, taking all sorts of risks. But back then, I had no real dependents other than my parents. Today, that’s changed, and it sobers you.”<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This year, Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the drama “The Thing with Feathers,” where he plays a father grappling with the death of his wife and mother of their two children. He also appears in the miniseries “Eric” on Netflix, about a father whose son has disappeared and who starts communicating with the monster under his child\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He will also reprise one of his most popular roles, Doctor Strange, in “Avengers: Secret Wars,” set for release in 2027.<\/p>\n
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