Benedict Cumberbatch found worldwide fame when he starred in the role of Alan Turing in the Oscar-winning 2014 movie The Imitation Game. Based on the real-life story of the cryptologist who essentially saved millions of lives during World War II.
The real-life Alan Turing was a gay for which he was shunned and isolated for the majority of his life. He was found dead of Cyanide poisoning in 1954 after he was forced to go through hormonal treatment. The scene was actually going to be included in the movie but Benedict Cumberbatch did not feel that the scene was right to end the movie.
Benedict Cumberbatch Did Not Feel That The Original Ending Was Right
In an interview, the Sherlock actor talked about how there was a scene cut from the Oscar-winning movie. The real-life Alan Turing was found dead of Cyanide poisoning in his home on 7th June 1954. There were allegations of suicide but not enough evidence to count it as one.
Benedict Cumberbatch talked about the original ending of The Imitation Game wherein there was “a scene where the policeman comes into the house and discovers his body — the death scene, the suicide scene, and the solution of cyanide that’s been drunken, some of the residue left on the bitten apple on the nightstand.”
The actor recalled that the ending “didn’t feel right” while they were in the production stage of development. Morten Tyldum, the director of the movie agreed with the actor and then later on changed the ending. The ending that was shown in the movie felt more like a feel-good ending wherein the world seemed all right for a second.
Benedict Cumberbatch Changed The Ending To Make It More Feel-Good
In the interview, Benedict Cumberbatch recalled that the world owed an apology to Alan Turing. Although the real-life cryptologist saved millions of lives during World War II, he was forced to go through chemical castration. Alan Turing rather ended his life than chose to be someone who he was not and the world owed him an apology for that.
The film’s final scene showcased Alan Turing with “someone telling him something he never had told to him in his life: that he did matter — the fact that he was regarded as different and not normal was hugely important to the world and to everybody around him. No one had told him that in his life. So to end it on that note, with someone explaining, was our way of thanking him in the structure of the film, our eulogy to him.”
The Imitation Game went on to receive a rating of 8.0/10 on IMDB and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley received high acclaim for their roles. The 2014 Oscar-winning film is currently available to stream on Prime Video.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
