Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Physical Transformation in The Fifth Estate—Watch Now!

Actor revealed he wore three wigs for the role and prosthetic teeth

By Lily Harrison Sep 06, 2013 8:38 PMTags
Benedict CumberbatchJason Merritt/Getty Images

Benedict Cumberbatch divulged details about preparing for his role as Julian Assange to E! News Thursday evening.

While attending the red carpet premiere of his upcoming flick The Fifth Estate, he revealed that he got in contact with the WikiLeaks creator during pre-production on the highly anticipated film.

"I had a bit of communication with him at the beginning of the film," he said. "It was very helpful but he, quite within his rights, said ‘I don't want to condone this film because of the book that it was based upon."

And after immersing himself in the backstory and getting into the Assange mindset, Cumberbatch had to undergo a complete physical transformation as well.

The hunky British actor looked hardly recognizable in a white wig that made him a spitting image of the controversial Assange.

Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch at TIFF 2013

So how did the 37-year-old British actor feel about his dramatic makeover?

"Weirdly, I quite like it; everyone else called me 'The Skunk' or 'The Badger,'" he said of peoples' response to the wigs.

Cumberbatch explained that he wore "three varying wigs" throughout filming.

"Together with the teeth and the eyes as well, I had to change the front of my teeth and my lip because his lip is slightly different to mine, and the eyes are quite darker and bluer than mine," he said.

"I had contacts in for the whole film, which is the first time I had done that."

And it appears that Cumberbatch's risk taking with this film may pay off.

He has already garnered serious Oscar buzz at this year's film festival for the role.

But his successes aren't ending anytime soon.

Dreamworks

It was revealed earlier this week that the actor will be honored at the 2013 BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he will receive the Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year.

The Britannia Awards are BAFTA Los Angeles' highest accolade, celebrating individuals and companies that have dedicated their career to advancing the arts. 

"Benedict Cumberbatch has had a remarkable year, and as one of the UK's leading talents he truly exemplifies the continued respect that British talents have garnered around the globe," Gary Dartnall, Chairman of BAFTA Los Angeles said in a statement. "Masterfully performing in TV, Film and Theatre and never failing to astound us with his talent and versatility, BAFTA Los Angeles is proud to honor Benedict as our British Artist of the Year."

Bravo!

Be sure to tune into E! News at 7 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. for more on the Toronto Film Festival!