Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the most versatile actors currently working in the industry. He delivers top-notch performances in every role that he takes on. While we wait for Doctor Strange 2, and several other upcoming films starring the English actor, fans are quite eager to see him as the Star Wars villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ahsoka Tano made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 2, and now she’d be going after Thrawn in her own solo Disney+ series.
There are several actors who could play the aforementioned blue villain, but Cumberbatch is the one who has been fan cast for the role by most viewers. Well, all those fans who wanted to see him as Thrawn would be disappointed as he has already turned the role down. He has denied the part even before Disney and Lucasfilm made a potential offer.
Collider’s Steve Weintraub recently interviewed the Doctor Strange actor during a press junket for his new film The Courier. Here’s how the conversation went between Weintraub and Cumberbatch:
“WEINTRAUB: There’s a lot of people that would like you to play a character called Grand Admiral Thrawn, and I’m just curious if you’ve heard people saying this because I could see you playing this role.
CUMBERBATCH: Grand Admiral Thrawn? Does he turn into Peter Cushing or something? Is that…?
WEINTRAUB: No. He’s blue. He’s a very cool character that’s a villain… you’d be under a blue makeup thing. I’m just curious if you’d heard about it.
CUMBERBATCH: That’s a straight no from me, right now. There’s no way I want to be turned blue. I turned the air blue, very recently. No no, seriously, I have precious time with my children and I think sitting in a makeup chair and being painted blue, and the amount of time it would take to do that and then take it off at the end of the day might just… it’s not the right time in my life for that.”
Well, Cumberbatch is too busy to star in the Ahsoka Tano series anyway. After Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he is supposed to begin production on a mystery thriller called Rio. So, we should expect some other actor to play the part of the infamous blue Star Wars villain. My personal pick is Hugh Laurie.
Which actor would you like to see as Grand Admiral Thrawn? Tell us in the comments section. And, follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd.
