Following a big December for Marvel star Benedict Cumberbatch, Spider-Man: No Way Home's Tom Holland shared his thoughts on his fellow co-star's performance in Netflix's The Power of the Dog, adding that he despised Cumberbatch's character (which is a good thing).
The Power of the Dog is the recent film from Netflix that is generating a lot of awards season buzz, especially for Cumberbatch's demanding performance. The Western, based on the 1967 novel, follows Cumberbatch's Phil Burbank, a cruel and domineering rancher in 1925's Montana who takes a disliking to his brother's new wife and her son. Cumberbatch immediately received praise for his performance, as he is currently nominated for a Screen Actors Guild and is one of the big frontrunners for Best Actor at the Academy Awards.
Reuniting to discuss Jane Campion's film, Holland showed nothing but praise for Cumberbatch's role, sharing that he truly hated his character. “Congratulations pal, the movie is breathtaking,” Holland quickly said at the start of the interview. "It’s incredible. The film is so shocking and it’s so gut-wrenching and the intricacies of your character — I’ve never seen a character arc quite like it.”
After teaming up for so many years in the MCU, Holland seeing Cumberbatch in a different light came as a shock. “When I meet you in the beginning of the film, I’m like, ‘Whoa, that’s not the Benedict that I know. What on earth is going on here?’ For the first time in knowing you, I really, like, hated you," Holland said. "I thought you were horrible and so, just, grotesque and awful. As the film progresses, what I loved about it was that it has these themes of toxic masculinity and gaslighting but it explores the problem rather than the problem just being present. Not that his actions are justified in any way, but you understand why he is the way he is.”
Holland and Cumberbatch both joined the MCU in 2016 before sharing the screen in two Avengers films and now Spider-Man:No Way Home. Cumberbatch tapping into such a conflicted character and cruel character is not too much of a surprise. The veteran actor has been in critically acclaimed roles such as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. Holland is no stranger when it comes to delivering captivating performances either. He revealed a much more mature side of himself in award type performances with the Russo Brothers' Cherry and Netflix's The Devil All the Time.
Now coming off of the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the two stars are gearing up for their next big projects. For Holland, he will be returning to the big screen very soon in the action-adventure film Uncharted, which is based on the popular video game series.
For Cumberbatch, he will be returning once again as the famous sorcerer Doctor Strange in Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The Power of the Dog is available to stream on Netflix while Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to play in theaters.
Source: Netflix Film Club
