Original-Cin Q&A: Benedict Cumberbatch on Accessing His 'Inner A--hole' in The Power of the Dog
Benedict Cumberbatch does a nasty about-face in his latest role. In the film The Power of the Dog, he plays Phil Burbank, a domineering rancher who responds with mocking cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son. And yes, there is talk of another Oscar nomination.
Directed by Jane Campion, the movie also stars real-life husband-and-wife Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst, along with Kodi Smit-McPhee
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Benedict Cumberbatch about his intense preparation to play a vile man.
CLICK HERE to watch Bonnie’s interview with Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons
CLICK HERE to watch Bonnie’s interview with Kodi Smit McPhee
Benedict Cumberbatch is a nasty rancher and Jesse Plemons plays his bullied brother
ORIGINAL-CIN: Benedict, I've interviewed you many times, I always love talking to you, and you are one of the nicest guys in the business. So to play this role had to have been life-changing. How far deep did you have to dig to bring out your inner asshole?
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH: (Laughs) I never thought doing press for this film that someone would ask me how far deep I had to go to find my asshole! You might have to edit that out!
O-C: (Laughing) Nope, leaving that in my friend!
CUMBERBATCH: OK, it’s yours. You can have it!
But to answer your question, many people of course are asking, “What did you have to do to prepare for this film?” Well, I did do a lot. There was a lot of soul searching to play such an asshole, but you know what? It's very liberating.
I can be very apologetic and quite a people-pleaser. So to stand in the boots and have the mindset of someone who's apparently very assured of the world and his place in it, was a really liberating experience.
Also the way I was allowed to behave during the shoot was very freeing, because Jane gave me a long runway to do what I wanted to do to get there. We talked a lot over the months preceding the shoot and I did a lot of prep.
We both did dream analysis to get into the subconscious to try and get at the raw material of Phil. When I read the material, I wanted to get at why he acts like he does. What was it that forms the decisions and actions that he puts forth?
PROUDLY SUPPORTS ORIGINAL-CIN
O-C: It was not just a deep dive into his psyche. You also had some physical work to do.
CUMBERBATCH: Oh, definitely. I went to “dude” boot-camp for two-and-a-half weeks. I did a lot to prepare, as we had a long stretch into this, both to understand and gain the knowledge how to get there. Once we started to shoot, to be allowed to be him for the whole working day and not break character was the real gift. I was introduced to the crew as Phil and not as Benedict, which was quite exhilarating.
O-C: Quite a lot to wrap your mind around I’m sure.
CUMBERBATCH: There was a lot to examine playing this guy. He's a wounded animal. He's a suffering, damaged human being who, likely as a child, suffered some horrible treatment or trauma to produce this adult who is so angry and abusive. So yeah, this role took some time to pull together and a great deal of commitment.
O-C: One of my all-time favorite directors is Jane Campion. What did she bring out of you that you didn’t get from any other director you’ve worked with?
CUMBERBATCH: Gosh, so much. We spent a lot of time getting to understand this character in tandem. It’s a novelty for me to work that closely with the director leading up to the project. But also, she told me to re-trust the camera, to trust not having to demonstrate or signify a moment. Just let the space of cinema in, let the audience in and trust what I’m doing. Don’t overthink it, and just let Phil come through. And that was wonderful, not to have to worry about the fine-tuning of a character.
She was her own worst enemy because she allowed me to be Phil, so there were some Phil moments with Jane. She would ask me something or try to rework a piece of dialogue, and I’d go, ‘I'm not saying that.’ (Laughs).
I felt very empowered in a sort of way to be able to stand my ground. I felt very close to him, and that was thanks to her. It did come back to bite some people a few times, but it turned out to be one of the best collaborative creations.
It was funny when Jane would just giggle and say, ‘Oh, I love it when you're full Phil with me.’ I’d get such a kick out of it.
O-C: Sounds to me like you made a friend for life.
CUMBERBATCH: We have a wonderful relationship. And I'm so glad it came about for this project as well, because I just think there’s something about this one that really stands out. From her craft, every single person involved were so at their peak. She was our leader and she was the one that we were so happy to be serving.
O-C: I just want to know which Avenger would take Phil out and put him in his place?
CUMBERBATCH: (Laughs) Oh, Phil would make them all cry in the corner before they got anywhere near him!