Benedict Cumberbatch Admits He Loved the Lockdowns Because He Had More Time With Family

Benedict Cumberbatch The Power of Dog new zealand lockdowns COVID-19 pandemic sophie hunter Benedict Cumberbatch sons Robert Fisher Te Awanga Hawker's Bay Black Barn Retreat Wanda Venthom Timothy Carlton

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Jan 26, 05:25 am

Photo: (Photo : Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

While the rest of the world dreaded the pandemic because of the restrictions, Benedict Cumberbatch said he loved the lockdowns because it gave him more time with his family.

The actor was filming "The Power of Dog" in New Zealand when the world slowed down with various stay-at-home orders in place because of the COVID-19 virus. However, Cumberbatch said that he was pretty lucky since he spent the lockdowns in an idyllic location with his wife, Sophie Hunter, and their three children -- Christopher, Hal, and Finn -- who are all under six years old.

Cumberbatch also revealed that his parents from London traveled to New Zealand for an initial three-week stay. He felt joy and gratefulness because his parents got to see him in action at work, where he steered cattle while riding a horse. However, his family had an unplanned five-month stay due to the pandemic, so they decided to rent a secluded lodge since production for "The Power of Dog" was on pause.

Home Away from Home

According to Stuff New Zealand, Cumberbatch thought of hauling his family back in the U.K. amid the concerns and worries of the COVID-19 pandemic during the first wave. However, it was too late to fly out since the government was set to enforce the lockdown.

In a matter of days, the "Sherlock" star and his family moved from a hotel to an acre in Te Awanga in Hawker's Bay. The home was built in 1926 and was turned into a retreat house in the 1990s by well-known New Zealander businessman Robert Fisher.

The property was sold to a private owner in 2015, who did massive renovation works to reopen as the Black Barn Retreat. Reports cited that it was a perfect place for a celebrity who wanted to maintain a low profile while the world came to grips with a public health crisis.

"We were so lucky," Cumberbatch said about finding the house. "Far away from home, but we found a new one."

Cumberbatch and his family had access to the beach for swimming, the rivers for trout-fishing, and heaps of nature trains for birdwatching and other outdoor activities at their temporary New Zealand home. The place also had its own winery where locals said they saw the actor just sitting around.

As a father, Cumberbatch said that he wishes to take more child-friendly roles, so his kids will understand what he does for a living. However, his boys will have to wait until they are much older to watch their father on the screen since Christopher is only six, Hal is four, and Finn is still a toddler, and their dad hasn't done a lot of kids' movies yet.

Discouraged to Get into Acting

Cumberbatch will likely not encourage his sons to get into acting just like his mom, Wanda Venthom, who discouraged him from joining show business early, even if she's an actress. His father, Timothy Carlton, also had an illustrious career as a stage and TV actor but was against Cumberbatch becoming a child actor.

The star of "Doctor Strange" said that his parents were more mature and experienced when they had him, so they knew that acting "was a ridiculous choice of occupation" for a child. However, he still could not resist the acting bug and realized that it was what he wanted to do in his 20s. When he told his parents of his decision, after watching him on stage in college, his father said he was a better actor than him.