Benedict Cumberbatch talks motion capture for Smaug, ‘Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies’
Playing a dragon may not be all that it looks as Benedict Cumberbatch spoke negatively about the experience. The Sherlock star said he felt like a “knob” in the suit while at the The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies world premiere in London, as quoted by the Radio Times.
“You get in the gear and feel like a complete knob,” he said referring to a British slang term for “idiot” and “penis.” He said he was “wandering around in these sparkling pajamas.”
While there’s not much comfort or style, the British superstar was the skin-tight black suit covered in white dots, the Sherlock star was quick to jump to the equipment’s defense, adding that it was “really good fun.”
“It’s the most extraordinary technology, unlike green screen which can be really demanding,” he said. The tech transformed the actor into the dragon Smaug allowing him to be “playing this extraordinary character and just imagining everything.”
Battle of the Five Armies is the conclusion to the trilogy from director Peter Jackson. He promises a ton of action, but wants some special character moments. “What we’re trying to do is have a lot of that conflict and resolution happen during the course of the battle, so it doesn’t just become all action.
“There’s still a plot with the characters to follow, even though they’re surrounded by fighting trolls and orcs and things.”
The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Hugo Weaving, and Cate Blanchett.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives in theaters in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on December 17th.