Quotes from Benedict Cumberbatch

Mum did a lot of commercial theatre and farces in the 1980s and '90s to make sure the school bills were paid.

I was always performing, doing silly voices. The teachers realized I could go one of two ways: be creative or destructive.

My massive motivation in life is to make parents proud. But even that has to stop at a point.

As an actor, you are aware of how a role can seep into your real life.

I feel like I'm away for much of my own life.

There's a huge raft of roles that actors in our culture perform, and you can see any one of about three Hamlets in a year. It's not something to be completely daunted by.

I wish my 15-year-old self had known about my allure to the opposite sex!

My first, big, silly role at school was as Arthur Crocker-Harris in Rattigan's 'The Browning Version,' where my job was to make school-masters' wives weep with recognition.

A woman who knows that she doesn't have to get all decked out to look good is sexy. A woman who can make you feel smart with her conversation skills is also sexy. I believe the sense of humor is important.

Mystique is rare now, isn't it? There aren't that many enigmas in this modern world.

It is a wonderful thing to get married young and become a father.

I was thrilled with how the first series of 'Sherlock' was received. It was such great fun to film, which makes it so rewarding when something you enjoy is so well received.

It's difficult because nothing's preordained by plan and you can't control it. That's one of those joys and thrills and nerve-racking realities of being an actor. A lot has to do with luck, no matter what your talent or contribution can be.

I wasn't born into land or titles, or new money, or an oil rig.

Being on set is quite difficult, because it's so big and you've got to try and relax, which isn't easy when you know you're in a massive film. I was terrified for quite a long time.

My mum and dad had worked incredibly hard to afford me an education.

I'm a Prince of Wales Trust ambassador, so I'm all about giving youth an education, a voice and a chance to not take the wrong road.

I can feel infinitely alive curled up on the sofa reading a book.

I'm quite sensitive to people noticing me. There are times when I'm relaxed, then others when it does make me self-conscious.

We're living through a time where we are fighting wars fostered by politics, admittedly not on the same scale as the First World War, but with equally tragic realities for our soldiers and their families.

My own grandfathers were a submarine commander and a 'desert rats' tank operator in the Second World War.

My first agent dissuaded me from calling myself 'Cumberbatch.' I had six months of not very productive time with her, so I changed agents. The new one said, 'Why aren't you using your family name? It's a real attention-grabber.' I worried, 'How much is it going to cost to put my name in lights?' But then I decided that's not my problem.

'Frankenstein' was all about the idea that, through electricity and the destruction of night, man creating light and darkness, we took on god-like powers and then abused them like gods, and we are only men. That's a story about man making a man in his own image. The inversion of natural order.

Every job is incredibly different, and I love it because you're picking up skill sets and experiences. It's the university of life.