Star Trek Into Darkness actor Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed how director J.J. Abrams pitched the role of John Harrison to him, by comparing the character to The Joker and Hannabal Lector. Benedict also admitted that he sees the character as a psychological master.
Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight
Cumberbatch explained (via TrekMovies.com), “JJ described the role in movie terms as a mixture of Hannibal Lector, Jack in the Shining and The Joker in Batman. There are sorts of levels to pitch in amongst quite a high bar as well to succeed in comparison to. It was a framework to understand this character before I saw the whole script.”
Talking of his character he added, “He's someone who has extraordinary physical strength, he is someone who is incredibly dangerous as both a physical entity and as a user of various technologies and weapons. He performs acts of terrorism but he's also a psychological master. He manipulates the minds of those around him to do his bidding in a very, very subtle way. It was a wonderful game of mental chess.”
Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison
As well as Benedict Cumberbatch, Star Trek Into Darkness also stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana. Star Trek Into Darkness is set to be released on May 17, 2013 in both the US and the UK.
Star Trek Into Darkness trailer with John Harrison voice over
