Benedict Cumberbatch has a new movie out soon, The Power of the Dog. It's directed by Jane Campion, who did classics like The Piano and In the Cut — and it has serious Oscar buzz.
In a recent interview with Esquire, the actor revealed that he was so committed to his role that he literally made himself sick. Really.
You see, the movie is based on a book by Thomas Savage, where Cumberbatch's character — rancher Phil Burbank — is described as always with a cigarette. So Cumberbatch ended up smoking a lot of cigarettes, which didn't make him feel so great.
"That was really hard. Filterless rollies, just take after take after take," he said, noting that he got nicotine poisoning three times during filming. "When you have to smoke a lot, it genuinely is horrible."
That's not all, though. Apparently Cumberbatch really wanted to live in the role — so he basically gave up regular bathing.
"I wanted that layer of stink on me," he explains. "I wanted people in the room to know what I smelt like. It was hard, though. It wasn't just in rehearsals. I was going out to eat and meet friends of Jane and stuff."
Well, we'll just have the pleasure of watching him act — not smelling him — when The Power of the Dog hits Netflix on December 1 (it's coming to theaters for a bit later this month too.)
