Fatherhood has changed my outlook, says Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch has explained how fatherhood has changed his outlook on life.
Benedict Cumberbatch has thought more about "mortality" since becoming a dad.
The 48-year-old film star - who has Christopher, nine, Hal, seven, and Finn, six, with his wife Sophie Hunter - admits that fatherhood has changed his entire outlook on life.
Speaking to Variety, Benedict explained: "The minute you have kids this sense of time sinks in far more profoundly.
"My youngest is turning six, and I’m like, ‘I will be in my 60s when he’s 21,’ you know? It’s crazy. It’s gone so fast. So there’s a huge shift in priorities, and it makes you value what you do with your life in a very different way.
"It does weigh on me. When you become a parent, your thoughts turn more towards mortality.”
In 2004, Benedict and some friends were robbed and abducted by six men while they were in South Africa.
The actor has confessed that the terrifying incident has left an indelible mark on his own personality.
He reflected: "It gave me a sense of time, but not necessarily a good one. It made me impatient to live a life less ordinary, and I’m still dealing with that impatience."
The near-death experience also turned Benedict into a so-called adrenaline junkie.
The movie star shared: "The near-death stuff turbo-fuelled all that. It made me go, ‘Oh, right, yeah, I could die at any moment.’
"I was throwing myself out of planes, taking all sorts of risks. But apart from my parents, I didn’t have any real dependents at that point.
"Now that’s changed, and that sobers you. I’ve looked over the edge; it’s made me comfortable with what lies beneath it. And I’ve accepted that that’s the end of all our stories."
