‘Doctor Strange’ Star Benedict Cumberbatch Opens Up About Stopping a Robbery

Doctor Strange and Avengers star Benedict Cumberbatch says his June rescue of a bike messenger was [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo

Doctor Strange and Avengers star Benedict Cumberbatch says his June rescue of a bike messenger was "exaggerated" by second hand reports.

"I feel weird about this because I haven't talked about it at home, it became this huge furor," Cumberbatch said on The Ellen Show of the London encounter.

"Basically what happened was... I saw a bicycle delivery guy getting surrounded by some guys on a very cold November night, and I just stopped the Uber that we were in and got out and tried to intervene, tried to calm the kids down, who were riled up. Tried to calm [the messenger] down, who looked like he was about to fight for his life."

Cumberbatch, who was traveling with wife Sophie Hunter, admitted when leaping out of the Uber he "didn't really think twice about knives or acid or any of the other things that can be part of that situation, so it was a bit foolhardy."

"No real brave heroics," he added, explaining he "literally just got in the way."

The star also attempted to make a scene to better protect himself and the bike messenger, who Metropolitan Police reported had been "punched in the face, struck on the head and hit with his helmet."

"I also tried to just stop traffic so that they could witness it and if anything did happen, that there were people there and that might scare any violence out of the situation," Cumberbatch told host Ellen DeGeneres.

Uber driver Manuel Dias told The Sun "Benedict's a superhero," saying the actor "was courageous, brave and selfless. If he hadn't stepped in the cyclist could have been seriously injured."

Asked about the account of his heroics, Cumberbatch told DeGeneres, "This is where it gets embarrassing."

"Because he said he was in there and I was fighting and I jumped on someone — it's all been a bit exaggerated, so I feel a bit weird talking about it," he said, adding Dias was "very supportive that night."

When asked by The Sun about his heroics, Cumberbatch said he got involved "out of, well, I had to, you know."

Cumberbatch next returns as Doctor Strange in Avengers 4, out May 3, 2019.

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