Benedict Wong talks ‘Doctor Strange’ role, not like the comic book
While there was some fuss over the casting of Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange as The Ancient One instead of an Asian male, there is now some talk and reassurances from Benedict Wong over his role as Strange’s sidekick, or manservant in the comic book, but Wong is quick to tell fans to expect something different.
“I’m certainly not going to be the tea-making manservant. We’re heading in a different direction,” Wong promised of his role in Doctor Strange. “He’s more of a drill sergeant to Kamar-Taj [the fictional kingdom where the Ancient One resides]. He’s one of the masters of sorcery.”
While it’s encouraging to hear that Wong won’t be playing a stereotype that solely exists to serve a powerful white man, it’s the actor’s last sentence that’s actually the most intriguing for fans.
In the comics, Wong is an exceptionally skilled martial artist, but he’s entirely human without any magical skills or training in the arts of sorcery like the Ancient One or the Sorcerer Supreme.
Wong is a star on Netflix’s Marco Polo and plays the character by the same name, Wong, Strange’s sidekick and personal valet, part of a family of Himalayan monks raised to serve the Sorcerer Supreme.
In addition to Swinton and Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character, the cast of Doctor Strange is full of famous faces like Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, and Wong.
Marvel recently offered this “synopsis” of the film: “Marvel’s Doctor Strange follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions.”
“Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.”
Doctor Strange arrives in theaters on November 4, 2016.
Strange and Wong battling in Marvel Comics
