Benedict Cumberbatch slams broken male emotional culture

Benedict Cumberbatch shares vulnerable thoughts while discussing the issues raised in his latest film, 'The Thing with Feathers'.

The 49-year-old actor's recently released movie is an adaptation of Max Porter’s Grief Is the Thing With Feathers.

While discussing his film, the Sherlock star said it felt important to explore “the male inability to manage emotion” while speaking to The Independent.

“It’s easily co-opted into pretty awful causes,” he said, pointing to incel culture, riot culture, and patterns of blaming others.

He added that men need permission to be “a mess,” to be vulnerable, and to feel deeply rather than turning pain into anger or avoidance.

The actor also highlighted how the film shows children in a different light. His on-screen sons display empathy and gentleness, something Cumberbatch believes kids naturally possess.

"Children have an extraordinary ability to be empaths without any lived experience or promptings. They just go to you and give you love, unasked for, and it’s regenerated, without any input or feedback from you, necessarily, to bolster that," the actor said. 

Cumberbatch’s drama film The Thing With Feathers was released on Nov 21, 2025, and is now screening in cinemas.