Benedict Cumberbatch on Cumberbitches, photobombs and baby names
The Sherlock star appeared on Ellen and found himself considering unusual appellations for Cumberbatch junior
Benedict Cumberbatch was a guest on American comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ eponymous NBC chat show this week – and of course photobombs and babies were on the agenda.
First though, after a little prompting, the Sherlock and Imitation Game star admitted that his fans like to call themselves Cumberbitches.
"It’s like trying to squeeze a confession out of me getting me to actually say that word," he said, "because I squirm a little bit about it."
Initially, he tried to persuade the Cumberbitches to choose a more flattering moniker, he explained.
"I went 'ladies, this is wonderful, I’m very flattered, but has this not set feminism back a little bit? Empower yourself if you’re going to get silly about a guy with a little more self-regard.' Then they were very sweet and they wrote back to me saying: 'we didn’t mean any harm to feminism. We’re just having a bit of fun with your name.'"
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DeGeneres next asked about his second foray into photobombing at Sunday's Golden Globes Awards (below), and Cumberbatch revealed it wasn't planned.
"Somebody asked me on the red carpet [whether I was planning another photobomb] and I said 'no, that’s never going to happen again'. And then Meryl Streep and someone from North Korea stood right in front of me for about five minutes trying to take a photograph. I thought 'this is ridiculous' so I just jumped up and did it again."
Finally, following last week's news that the actor's fiancée Sophie Hunter is expecting a child, DeGeneres proffered ideas for baby names that would suit his unusual surname: Engelbert, Harpsichord and Glockenspiel. Cumberbatch didn't seem especially taken with any of them but agreed that the second could be used for either sex whereas the latter was a boy's name – "a German boy in lederhosen maybe".
Yet the name the actor seemed least impressed with her final proposal: Carl.
“I’m not getting [the joke],” he grimaced.
Commiserations to all the Carls out there. At least DeGeneres' suggestions will make the bookies' lists of favourites more interesting.
Watch the clip of Benedict Cumberbatch on Ellen here
