Moffat: ‘Sherlock’ made Benedict Cumberbatch sexy

By Harri Sargeant (@harrisargeant) at 6:45 pm, February 24, 2012

He was recently voted the 33rd Sexiest Man of 2011, and has become a Hollywood heart-throb. However, Sherlock executive producer Steven Moffat has said in a recent interview that playing Holmes in the BBC Drama is what made Benedict Cumberbatch attractive. Moffat also discussed his approach to writing the show, amongst other things.

Speaking with The University Observer, Steven said the following:

…[Benedict’s] not the first handsome man to play Sherlock Holmes oddly enough. He could be one of the younger ones. It’s odd. It wasn’t like, in all fairness, anyone was salivating over Benedict before he was Sherlock Holmes, its a meeting of part and actor I think that makes geeky sexy.

You can read the full transcript of the interview (which includes very detailed discussion on both Sherlock and Doctor Who) at the above link.

Did you find Benedict attractive before he played Holmes, or do you think that he’s only good looking when in character? Let us know in the comments below.

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grimmbrother

Kind of a douchey thing to say, don’t ya think?
chabby

anything and everything benedict is attractive. end of story.
Diduknowpigscanfly

People usually only find him attractive after watching Sherlock but that doesn’t mean they only find him attractive when he’s in character… It kind of starts with Sherlock then you see him in other things and HE’S ALWAYS ATTRACTIVE.
http://twitter.com/Ashia86 Ashia A

Come on guys I love Benedict too but in all honesty Moffat is saying no less than the truth on this one. Benedict was not making top ten list or fangirl tumblr wallpaper before Sherlock. Come on fangirls even we must acknowledge the truth from time to time.
Diana

Honestly, I have to say YES. Tbh, before Sherlock, I knew him as the rapist off of Atonement.
Guest

It starts with Sherlock then spreads. He’s attractive all the time. Everywhere. Yep.
Glaciusx

That’s kind of mean.
Cailleachaeryn

Well, I had only seen Benedict in “Atonement” prior to “Sherlock”, and since I don’t get off on creepy (spoiler!) rapists I had no reason to start salivating. Playing Sherlock may have been the catalyst, but the man is gorgeous on his own.
Also, that *voice*.

Oh, and Moffat should spend less time theorising about people’s attractiveness and more on writing season 3. :D
- Andrea
  
  OMG! No you have no idea how much this comment made my life. Like seriously. I thought the same thing when I saw Atonement for the first time and when I started watching Sherlock, I knew I had seen him before. And suddenly his character in Atonement wasn’t so creepy any more.
  
  Plus, I also agree that Moffat should focus on writing season three. I mean, he has to start soon if he wants to get it out by next year. :)
Guest

I’ve never found him attractive at all. He is a good actor, however.
Fairwynn

Moffat was not saying that the part of Sherlock made Cumberbatch sexy. Rather, he was pointing out that there were not hoards of women salivating over him until Sherlock, which is simply the truth. When my daughter first told me to watch Sherlock she said, “Sherlock is played by the guy that played William Pitt in Amazing Grace,” and that’s what convinced me to give it a chance – because I loved his portrayal of Pitt. But I’ve always thought brainy was sexy. Until Sherlock, though, I never saw any blogging or other fan interest in Cumberbatch. Moffat’s just being totally frank.
Creevs

I fell in love with him when he played a minor character in The Other Boleyn girl. I mean, yeah, he was a bit of a creeper-rapist before that, but he has perfect facial structure. Those cheek bones are too fabulous to not have seen it before Sherlock.
Matthewhpg

Why is it everyone Moffat touches instantly becomes sexy?
- http://twitter.com/VeronicaADuff Veronica Duff
  
  New Year’s Resolution: Shake hands with Steven Moffat.
- Anna
  
  His touch failed on Matt Smith, IMO.
Kate

Sherlock introduced me to Benedict (so I thought). Then I realized he was the creepy guy in Atonement. But yes, Sherlock sparked the initial interest and it exploded from there.

Who can resist those eyes AND the voice?

If you like hearing his voice you should check out benedictcumberbatchreadsthings on tumblr. A nice way to fall asleep at night; he can read you bedtime stories.
notenoughpuff

I was never really attracted to him until the first time I heard him speak. Granted, the first time I heard him speak was in Sherlock. Benedict IS attractive, but I never realized it until I saw him with dark fluffy hair in the long coat and lovely blue scarf. ;D
Rdh014

REALLY?? wow. i think he is an attractive man, but SEXY? Not my flavor per say…
TheOneAndOnlyCliche

The thing is, I never heard of him before Sherlock. Even then, I find him more attractive outside the role. I think for people attracted to the character, that’s true, but I first found him attractive watching an interview with him.
upper_westsider

I’m still not salivating over Benedict Cumberbatch. I love him as Sherlock, but sexy? Just doesn’t do it for me. Now as for Watson? LOL, just kidding.
Sassy3012

Could Moffat be any more full of himself? That man is such an arrogant wanker. unless he was just joking then fair enough.
But he needs to understand that it’s difficult to discern whether or not someone is joking in articles vs on television where everyone can see the persons facial expressions.
But I agree with Diduknowpigscanfly that this actor would be handsome regardless of what character he was playing.
What next? Moffat will take credit for making George Clooney sexy? I doubt the fact that George has never worked for him would stop him from making such an outrageous claim. lol

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Moffat: ‘Sherlock’ made Benedict Cumberbatch sexy

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