BBC Benedict Cumberbatch revealed he almost turned down the Sherlock role

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The 39-year-old British actor, who stars alongside Martin Freeman in BBC's Sherlock, admitted to CNN's Talk Asia that he was initially hesitant about accepting the notorious detective role due to a wariness of being in the limelight. "I was very wary having done roles which were challenging and terrific and, you know, kept a good career going," Benedict said.

"I was also wary about stepping into the limelight and the populist role like Sherlock Holmes", the actor continued. But Benedict, who is currently performing in a stage adaptation of Hamlet in London's West End, was eventually persuaded to step into Sherlock's shoes once he saw what an exciting script Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss had created.

BBC Benedict was wary of being in the limelight

The Imitation Game thespian said: "The minute I saw who as involved and read the script and the quality of it I thought, 'I've got to do this'." Nevertheless, Benedict's wariness of fame proved to be justifiable as performing as the famous detective made Benedict an unlikely superstar and a frenzied sex symbol. And the father-of-one, who was crowned the world's sexiest man by Empire Magazine, says he is still amused at the idea of being a heartthrob. "(It's) just truly strange", he said. "The first sort of few years of my career nobody sort of battered an eyelid.

BBC Performing as the famous detective made Benedict an unlikely superstar

"And now it has just, yeah, it's gone a bit berserk." "I still giggle when people sort of fall about if they meet me in the streets or something. I find it funny." Benedict's revelation came in the week that he revealed his son's name as Christopher Carlton Cumberbatch. Sherlock is set to return this Christmas for a one-off period episode set in Victorian London, but a full fourth series won't enter production until Spring 2016.