Benedict Cumberbatch Regrets His Non-Binary ‘Zoolander 2’ Role: “I’ve had to apologize for that quite a lot”

Before he was MCU’s Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch took on the role of a non-binary fashion model named All in ‘Zoolander 2.’ the character’s appearance in the movie caused controversy because some people felt it made fun of gender identity. Looking back, Cumberbatch regrets taking the role and has apologized multiple times.

The actor admitted that playing the non-binary character was a role he wouldn’t take on today. He acknowledged that the role is difficult to talk about and revealed that he has had to apologize many times for it.

It’s a difficult one to talk about. I’ve had to apologize for that quite a lot

The actor also said he loved working with the cast and crew of ‘Zoolander 2,’ especially since he was a big fan of the original movie. He explained that playing All became complicated and misunderstood, leading to a backlash. Cumberbatch acknowledged that the role upset people, and out of respect for that, he wouldn’t take on a similar role today.

It was the chance to sort of be part of something that the first time around was iconic and I was a huge fan of.

After numerous calls for a boycott of the film. Some of the cast, like Will Ferrell, defended the role, while Justin Theroux said the backlash hurt his feelings. Back in 2022, Cumberbatch said the role should have gone to a trans or non-binary actor instead.

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