The Times - UK (2021-11-25)

the times | Thursday November 25 2021 5

News

As a Hollywood star and an alumnus of

one of Britain’s most traditional boys’

schools, Benedict Cumberbatch may

not be an obvious opponent of the

patriarchy. But he has used his platform

to criticise “toxic masculinity” and the

potential harm caused by stereotypical,

oppressive male behaviour. Men, he

says, need to “shut up and listen”.

The old Harrovian, best known for

his role in BBC’s Sherlock, was discuss-

ing sexism and masculinity, themes in

his latest film Power of The Dog.

“We need to fix the behaviour of men

and to understand that, you have to

kind of lift the lid on the engine a little

bit. “I think it’s ever relevant... and in a

world that’s questioning and ripping in-

to and finally pointing out the inade-

quacies of the status quo and the patri-

archy, it’s even more important,” he told

Sky News.

He added: “You get this sort of reb-

ellion aspect [today], this denial, this

sort of childish defensive position of

‘not all men are bad’ and blah blah blah,

but no, we just have to shut up and

listen.

“We’re living through an era now

where survivors can speak and are

having a platform to realise that

there is not enough recognition of

abuse, there’s not enough recogni-

tion of disadvantages.”

Cumberbatch suggested that

“somewhere along the line,

maybe not now, but some-

where along the line, we

need to do what the film

does as well, which is ex-

amine the reason behind

the oppressive behaviour

to fix the men”.

In Power of the Dog, an

adaption of the Thomas

Cumberbatch: Men

badly need fixing

Savage novel set in 1920s Montana,

Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank, a

masochistic rancher who inwardly re-

presses his desires while outwardly

bullying those closest to him, including

his brother’s new wife, played by Kir-

sten Dunst.

It is out now in cinemas and available

to stream on Netflix from December 1,

and has been warmly received by critics

on both sides of the Atlantic.

The film is directed by the Oscar win-

ner Jane Campion, who directed The

Piano, and is known for portraying the

female experience. “She’s always been a

heroine of mine,” Cumberbatch said.

“The Piano was a seismic film when I

was growing up, for me, and I just com-

pletely fell under its spell.”

He went on: “It does feel like a pain-

fully long road compared to where she

began. But... she has inspired people all

along the way. It is like mental health,

you know, these things are still a stigma.

“There’s still something that needs

talking about, needs addressing, needs

writing, help with, and until there is

equal pay, a place at the table, equality

across the board of every kind, we still

have to have that conversation.”

Cumberbatch has been outspoken

on societal issues before. In 2015 he

stunned theatregoers with speech-

es condemning the government’s

handling of the migrant crisis after

performances of Hamlet at the Bar-

bican. He implored spectators to

make donations to help

Syrian refugees. Audience

contributions raised more

than £150,000 for Save

the Children.

“Everywhere on the

horizon there was noth-

ing but boats and on the

shoreline nothing but

life jackets,” he said. “We

are saying, as citizens of

the world, we see you...

and at least some help is

coming.”

John Reynolds

Benedict Cumberbatch

called for “equality

across the board”

I

t is not unheard of

to see a birdie, an

eagle or an

albatross during a

round of golf

(Charlotte Wace

writes). But players in

West Yorkshire were

given a shock this

week when two huge

pigs went on a

rampage around

Lightcliffe Golf Club,

near Halifax.

The hogs, believed to

be Vietnamese

pot-bellied pigs,

knocked over golf bags,

nudged club flags, dug

Two hurt as

pigs cut up

rough on a

golf course

holes on a green and

hurt two people when

they stormed through

the course twice.

David Mckidd, 40,

the club’s head

professional, said the

two black pigs were

first spotted on the

course on Sunday,

when they injured a

golfer. They returned

on Tuesday and injured

a male worker who

ushered them off the

course.

Both people had

minor injuries on their

legs and were treated

in hospital, where they

were inoculated for

tetanus.

The pigs were

eventually caught by

police. A driver who

helped to capture one

said he ushered it into

a trailer with a child’s

booster seat.

Mckidd said the pigs

“looked like wild boar

and had hooked teeth”.

He said they were

“wandering around

everywhere” and had

been trying to get into

the car park,

presumably to search

for food.

The club said the

pigs had not come

from a farm but it had

not yet confirmed the

identity of the owner.

T

Both pot-bellied

pigs were caught

after running

amok on a course

near Halifax

DAVID MCKIDD/PA