a mother's love

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Own Mother Thought He Wasn’t Hot Enough to Play Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock' Screening Of The 2016 Christmas Special
Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

A mother’s love may be unconditional, but that doesn’t make it blind. That’s a lesson Benedict Cumberbatch knows well, because, far from suffering the cruel rejection of superficial Hollywood insiders, the actor had to hear from his own mother that he wasn’t attractive enough to play a certain part. Sherlock creator Steven Moffat spoke with Time Out London about the show’s star, and if his account is to be believed, “Benedict’s mum didn’t think he was good-looking enough to play Sherlock.” Of course, as Moffat reminds us, while her comments may put some Sherlock-level honesty on display, there was once a time, back before those Tumblr boyfriend days and looong before he went mainstream, when doubting the sex appeal of the long-limbed space alien was to toe the party line. Because not only did “nobody” think Cumberbatch was up to heartthrob snuff, but Cumberbatch himself was leader of the pack. Per Moffat, “He never thought of himself as good-looking and everyone casually agreed with him. He still regards it as preposterous that he’s become this sex symbol.” Honestly, we don’t exactly disagree, but here’s to the satisfaction of your parent finally being proven wrong about something, Benny; the teen in you has gotta be feeling pretty good.

Cumberbatch’s Mom Said He Wasn’t Sherlock-Hot