By now, everyone knows that Benedict Cumberbatch plays the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness, a mysterious character named John Harrison. All we know about him is that he's a homegrown terrorist who will stop at nothing to destroy Kirk and everything he stands for.
Benedict Cumberbatch at the BAFTA Awards
Benedict has been trying his best to give interviews without giving away any plot details or spoilers. In a recent interview with SFX, he spoke about his training regimen for the character. He first spoke about the stuns that he's done before in his career, saying, "I’ve done stunts and swordwork and horseriding, a cavalry charge, stagefights that I’ve done, night after night, stuntwork in Frankenstein… I’ve been quite physical all my life. I played Stephen Hawking when I was about 26… There have been elements that have been physical or stunt oriented in all my work, but this was the most intense work I’ve done."
He then added, "To go up from a 38 to a 42, eating 4000 calories a day and training sometimes two hours a day in that period, at least, as well as all the stunt rehearsals and fight choreography rehearsals..."
A new poster for Star Trek Into Darkness
Cumberbatch seems like one of those actors who's intensely devoted to his character and getting the smallest detail correct, so there's no doubt that he worked until he got his body in perfect physical condition for Star Trek Into Darkness. Indeed, in most of the trailers and clips that have been released so far, he has managed to be both physically and psychologically intimidating. It's what J.J. Abrams and the filmmakers are counting on, especially when the film releases on May 17th.
Benedict Cumberbatch talks about his role in Star Trek: Into Darkness
