Benedict Cumberbatch, the beloved actor behind Marvel’s Doctor Strange, revealed that being abducted by six men while filming in South Africa more than 20 years ago, continues to haunt him.
“It made me go, ‘Oh, right, yeah, I could die at any moment,’” the actor said in an interview, explaining how the event irrevocably changed the way he looked at life.
Highlights
- Benedict Cumberbatch is haunted by a kidnapping in South Africa 20 years ago.
- The experience led him to become an 'adrenaline junkie' as a coping mechanism.
- Cumberbatch acknowledges his children shifted his life's priorities.
- Experts note PTSD in men can lead to impulsive, risk-taking behaviors.
The 48-year-old actor was filming a miniseries for the BBC in 2004 called To the Ends of the Earth. Between recordings, the actor went on a driving excursion with some friends.
Things were going smoothly until their car got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Criminals then ambushed them and forced the group to sit as if waiting to be executed. The men then fled with the stolen vehicle.
While no physical harm befell the actor, he’s still dealing with the psychological wounds more than 20 years later.
“When you become a parent, your thoughts turn more towards mortality,” he added.
Benedict Cumberbatch confessed he's still dealing with the trauma of being kidnapped at gunpoint in Africa, more than 20 years later
Image credits: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images
Cumberbatch has told the story about his near-death experience in Africa many times over the years, but the fact that his three kids, 9-year-old Christopher, 7-year-old Hal, and 6-year-old Finn, are rapidly growing gave the harrowing anecdote renewed relevance.
“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,” he said.
The traumatic event “gave [him] a sense of time, but not necessarily a good one.”
Image credits: Prime Video
As the actor remembered how it felt to be held at gunpoint, fearing for his life, he confessed that “it made [him] impatient to live a life less ordinary,” and that he is still “dealing with that impatience” to this day.
Image credits: Prime Video
The experience turned the actor into what he described as an “adrenaline junkie” in the following years, taking part in ever more extreme activities and sports as a coping mechanism.
“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,” the actor recounted.
“Now that’s changed, and that sobers you.”
According to experts, men experiencing symptoms of PTSD are at a higher risk of engaging in life-threatening activities
Image credits: Prime Video
Cumberbatch’s testimony coincides with a common side-effect of PTSD in men: increased risk-taking and impulsivity.
According to Maggie Talbot, a professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, men who experience trauma are much more likely to engage in life-threatening activities when compared to women suffering from the same psychological disorder.
“Gender differences in post-traumatic stress disorder prevalence are well documented,” she explained.
Image credits: Variety
In a 2020 study conducted on a sample size of 105 trauma survivors, Talbot explored the relationship between gender and impulsivity, finding that men with PTSD had an impaired level of inhibitory control.
“It’s the ability people have to exert control over their behaviors,” she explained, adding that her findings allowed her to tailor treatment plans to better suit men with PTSD.
A neurologist explained that risky behavior is attractive to people with the disorder because it helps them regulate their emotions
Image credits: Netflix
To better understand what motivates the thrill-seeking behavior in patients with PTSD, Bored Panda spoke with neurologist Carolina Contreras, who explained what exactly makes these activities so attractive for patients.
“The literature suggests that risky behaviors may have an emotion regulating function,” Contreras explained. “[They] serve both as an escape for the person dealing with traumatic memories, as well as a tool.”
Image credits: Marvel Entertainment
For the neurologist, one of the most important objectives when treating trauma-exposed patients is teaching them skills to help them manage their emotions without engaging in harmful behaviors.
Image credits: Darren Arthur/Getty Images
It seems that for Benedict Cumberbatch, the support of his family, as well as the love of his children have been the anchors he needed to remain focused and gradually eliminate his fear of death.
“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.”
"We need a movie based on this!" said one netizen, as others joined in to share their impressions of Cumberbatch's story
