November 10, 2021
Benedict Cumberbatch is touching upon his challenging role requirements in movie The Power of the Dog.
Speaking with Esquire UK in a recent interview, Cumberbatch touched upon suffering from nicotine poisoning multiple times while playing the role of a sadistic ranch owner.
'[Smoking] was really hard. Filterless rollies, just take after take after take. I gave myself nicotine poisoning three times. When you have to smoke a lot, it genuinely is horrible.'
Despite the inconvenience, the Sherlock star maintained on his strict method acting and ensured the stench of the character did not leave his body off-camera too.
He said: 'I wanted that layer of stink on me. I wanted people in the room to know what I smelt like. It was hard, though. It wasn’t just in rehearsals. I was going out to eat and meet friends of Jane [Champion – the film’s writer and director] and stuff.'