His early years were dramatized in the Oscar-nominated The Theory of Everything. He was also immortalized in pop culture, appearing in The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory.
In 2004, Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed the legendary theoretical physicist in a 90-minute BBC TV movie titled Hawking. But when the Marvel actor met the scientist in reality, he expressed humility and self-doubt.
Benedict Cumberbatch Felt “Stupid” Meeting Stephen Hawking
Similar to The Theory of Everything, in Hawking, the young cosmologist encounters his future wife, Jane Wilde, at a party.
Cumberbatch plays Hawking during a period when he can still walk and speak. It was different than the portrayal of Eddie Redmayne, where Hawking’s physical decline is depicted to the point of losing the ability to use his own voice.
For his great performance, Cumberbatch was nominated for a Bafta TV Best Actor Award in 2005. According to Buzzfeed, the actor had the chance to meet Hawking prior to playing him in the 2004 movie. That’s when he noted with reverence:
“He’s such a presence and you have to really know what you want to say to him or ask him because it takes such a huge, phenomenal effort for him to communicate with you. You think, “I really don’t want to waste this man’s time.” I was myself rather than thinking, “I’m a stupid actor; how on earth can I impress someone like this? I don’t know what to say to make me feel worthy of playing this man.”
Here, Cumberbatch described his meeting with Stephen Hawking. At that time, he felt “stupid” in front of him and questioned himself how he could impress a genius like him. The Hollywood star literally felt a sense of humility in the presence of such an extraordinary individual.
No doubt, he has a tremendous respect for Hawking, which was also visible when he expressed his deep sadness upon hearing about his death.
Benedict Cumberbatch on the Death of Stephen Hawking
Benedict Cumberbatch gave tribute to the late physicist professor Stephen Hawking when he died at his home in Cambridge in 2018. The actor was “so sad to hear that Stephen has died” and that he will raise a margarita, which they once shared together, “to the stars.”
In a statement, he also said that he felt so lucky to have known such a truly great man whose profundity was found both in his work and the communication of that work—both in person and in books. The Power of the Dog star also gave a reading at a memorial service held at Westminster Abbey.
