Home US Benedict Cumberbatch Reveals He Was Kidnapped While On Location In South Africa: ‘It Made Me Impatient To Live A Less Ordinary Life’

Benedict Cumberbatch Reveals He Was Kidnapped While On Location In South Africa: ‘It Made Me Impatient To Live A Less Ordinary Life’

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Benedict Cumberbatch talks about a terrifying experience that shaped his life in an unusual way more than twenty years ago.

Benedict Cumberbatch talks about a terrifying experience that shaped his life in an unusual way more than twenty years ago.

The 48-year-old actor was in his 20s when he was on the set of the BBC miniseries To the Ends of the Earth in South Africa in 2004.

He was driving with some friends during his free time when the car they were in got a flat tire.

While standing on the side of the road, six men robbed and kidnapped them and forced them into a car.

They were driven around in the car for hours before being released and ordered to face execution before the kidnappers fled.

Although the actor and his friends suffered no physical damage, it changed him irrevocably, he revealed Variety interview in which he also opened up about his concerns about growing older.

Benedict Cumberbatch talks about a terrifying experience that shaped his life in an unusual way more than twenty years ago.

The 48-year-old actor was in his 20s when he was on the set of the BBC miniseries To the Ends of the Earth in South Africa in 2004.

The 48-year-old actor was in his 20s when he was on the set of the BBC miniseries To the Ends of the Earth in South Africa in 2004.

‘It gave me a sense of time, but not necessarily a good feeling. It made me impatient to live a less ordinary life, and I still deal with that impatience,” he said.

The experience turned him into an “adrenaline junkie” who relaxed by skydiving and doing extreme sports.

‘The near-death thing fueled all of that. It made me think, “Oh yeah, I’m going to die at any moment,” Cumberbatch admitted.

‘I threw myself out of planes and took all kinds of risks. But other than my parents, I had no real family members at that time,” he admitted.

The actor is now father to three children – sons Christopher, 9, Hal, 7, and Finn, 6 – with wife Sophie Hunter, who are celebrating their 10th birthday on Valentine’s Day.

He admitted that being a family man has “changed” his exciting ways, adding, “that makes you down to earth.”

I looked over the edge. It has made me comfortable with what lies beneath. And I have accepted that this is the end of all our stories,” Cumberbatch said.

On fatherhood, he added: ‘From the moment you have children, this sense of time penetrates much deeper.

'It gave me a sense of time, but not necessarily a good feeling. It made me impatient to live a less ordinary life, and I still deal with that impatience,

‘It gave me a sense of time, but not necessarily a good feeling. It made me impatient to live a less ordinary life, and I still deal with that impatience,” he said

The experience turned him into an

The experience turned him into an “adrenaline junkie” who relaxed by skydiving and doing extreme sports.

'I threw myself out of planes and took all kinds of risks. But other than my parents, I had no real family members at that time,” he admitted

‘I threw myself out of planes and took all kinds of risks. But other than my parents, I had no real family members at that time,” he admitted

Of his youngest, who just turned six earlier this month, he added: “I think, ‘I’ll be in my 60s when he’s 21,’ you know? It’s crazy. It happened so quickly.

“So there’s a huge shift in priorities, and it makes you appreciate what you’re doing with your life in a very different way,” he added.

The actor continued, “It does weigh on me. As you get older, your thoughts turn more to mortality.”

The actor is gearing up to return as Doctor Strange in the highly anticipated Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday.

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