【1999 Archives】

LONGCROSS STUDIOS999 Archives England -- Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Strange himself in Marvel’s Doctor Strange, has an admission to make: He’s never read any Marvel comics.

Or, rather, he hadn’t by the time he was approached to star in the film.

Instead, the actor’s comic library consisted of just two illustrated creations: Tintinand Asterix.

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SEE ALSO: 5 things in the 'Doctor Strange' trailer that could spell a magical debut

“I had a very sparse comic upbringing,” he admitted to Mashableand a handful of other self-confessed professional nerds from inside a tent within the film studio’s vast sound stage on a wintry February morning here.

"I was never geeky about anything.”

“Not because I was being whipped into reading Chekov and Dickens but I just, I kind of read Asterix when I was on holiday as a kid and Tintin was featured I remember for a few years, but I was never geeky about anything.”

Instead, Cumberbatch -- who incidentally is sporting a straggly beard and flecks of snow fresh from a scene set on an imaginary Mount Everest he’s been shooting -- says he “was a bit of a butterfly and a magpie and would shift disciplines whether it was musical instruments or sports of whatever.”

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He discovered Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange, who made his Marvel debut in 1963 and has been a regular in several series since but never been star of his own major film, through discussions with producer and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and director Scott Derrickson.

“My first questions were ‘how do you make this film’ and ‘why do you make this film now’ and the answers were so enticing I thought 'I’m in,'” he says. "One of things that attracted me to the role is that it's a really lively origins story."

Cumberbatch also discussed the logistics of starring in a film of this magnitude, which also features Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong.

"I've never done a lead role in a film this big, and I wanted to know what the toy box is like," he said. "It's just insane the amount of facility that everyone gets but the amount of artistry and craft that's brought to every aspect ... you go for your costume fitting and it's one of 30; it's myriad but it's for a reason."

Disney also revealed more artwork Tuesday from the trippy movie, which sees Strange graduate from a difficult surgeon to a mystic superhero, including the image of Cumberbatch on set above and several character posters, including:

Doctor Strange

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Wong

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Christine Palmer

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Keep your third eye on Mashable in the next few days for more reports from the London set of Doctor Strange, which hits theaters on November 4.

CARD ID: 94101

Topics Marvel

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