Benedict Cumberbatch was once considered too unsexy for TV.

Over the past few years, Benedict Cumberbatch, has become one of the today’s most celebrated actors. There are millions of fan sites that praise his good looks and acting abilities. But, it is also a scary thought that he was once consider not attractive enough for television.

After Benedict Cumberbatch was cast in the role of BBC’s Sherlock, network executives were concerned that the actor was not sexy enough for the part.

At the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, Sherlock/Doctor Who executive producer and showrunner told the audience about his dilemma when he was casting Benedict Cumberbatch in the Sherlock TV series:

“They said of casting David Tennant as Casanova, ‘Damn, you should have cast someone sexier’. With Benedict Cumberbatch, we were told the same thing. ‘You promised us a sexy Sherlock, not him.'”

BBC later gave in and agreed to have Benedict Cumberbatch. His acting career has

Benedict Cumberbatch’s career has really taken off. In November 2013, he was honoured by BAFTA Los Angeles with a Britannia Award for “British Artist of the Year” for his “masterful performances in television, film and theatre.” In March 2014, Cumberbatch was included in The Sunday Times “100 Makers of the 21st Century,” cited as the “next Sir Laurence Olivier.” In April 2014, Time magazine included him in its annual TIME 100 as one of the “Most Influential People in the World”.

Since BBC’s Sherlock, he was in Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy. In 2013, he was featured in the films ‘Star Trek into Darkness, 12 Years a Slave and August: Osage County. In addition, he played the lead character of Julian Assange in the Dreamworks production ‘The Fifth Estate’.

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