"It's what I would have done if I wasn't sort of famous," he says of his engagement announcement in a newspaper

What did you expect, an Instagram photo?

Benedict Cumberbatch was never going to announce his engagement to theater director and actress Sophie Hunter on social media. Instead, he announced it in the births, deaths and marriages column of The Times – and told PEOPLE Monday that the decision just “seemed right.”

Get push notifications with news, features and more.

“It’s what I would have done if I wasn’t sort of famous. It’s what we do. It’s a kind of traditional thing to do,” the actor, 38, said at the premiere of The Imitation Game in Los Angeles, sponsored by Chanel.

“I wanted to have some control over the message. I don’t Tweet or do social media. It’s too impersonal. I would rather do what we did, and have people find it, and not see us from some s—ty, grainy footage staring lovingly into each others eyes with a ring on someone’s finger. I wanted it to be ours.”

He added: “We’re so happy, and we just wanted to let everyone know how happy we are.”

And in turn, fans let the couple know how happy they were.

“One of the most incredible things about getting engaged, which we had no idea would be coming back our way, is the amount of love that just comes flooding back,” the Sherlock and 12 Years a Slave actor said. “I thought it was just all about us declaring that we were in love and getting married, but actually it’s the world going, ‘We love you too!’ It’s amazing. Family, friends, the world it’s amazing.”

Finally, PEOPLE mentioned to Benedict that his fans are now expecting something else – so-called “Cumberbabies.”

“Oh my God,” he replied. “Well, my mother is also waiting for Cumberbabies.”

• Reporting by MATTHEW COLE WEISS

Want more stories like this?

Sign up for our newsletter and other special offers:

Thank you for signing up!

The Moment That Moved Benedict Cumberbatch to Tears