‘Sherlock’ Star

"[Sherlock] gives up a lot of what we consider to be human and sociable; I can't," says Benedict Cumberbatch.

Before he became an overnight Internet favorite following Sherlock's 2010 British debut to astonishing ratings (the first season aired on PBS in October 2010), Cumberbatch had seemed consigned to being an actor's actor, drawing praise for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in a TV movie about the scientist and gaining notice for roles in such films as Atonement and War Horse. But he was catapulted to a different level of fame by his present-day take on Arthur Conan Doyle's creation.

‘The Fifth Estate’ Actor

At the flick of a switch, he can turn from icy to incandescent, from dignified to indignant. "He embodies the contradictions of Julian Assange," says DreamWorks partner Stacey Snider of Cumberbatch, who plays WikiLeaks founder Assange in The Fifth Estate. "He is classical and modern, he is cerebral and intuitive, he attracts you and at times keeps you at a distance. That's what makes him singular and utterly compelling."Fabrizio Maltese

Philosophical ‘Buddhist’

Cumberbatch speaks of being drawn to the "transcendent" and calls himself a Buddhist (at least "philosophically"), but he can just as easily leave all that, become Holmes and "imagine faking my own death."

Stanley Kubrick Admirer

He lives in a flat in north London, which he describes as both minimalist and eclectic ("I like light; there's not a single room in the house that doesn't have a window"). He watches some television, including Breaking Bad and The Killing, but not much. He professes a deep admiration for Stanley Kubrick, the subject of a dissertation he wrote at university about "how within a diverse subject matter his worldview is still very unified."

DreamWorks’ Offer

Cumberbatch heard about the part for The Fifth Estate's Julian Assange "at someone's birthday party. I stepped outside, and both my agents [he’s repped in Hollywood by UTA's Billy Lazarus] were sort of going, 'Woo-ooo! Really exciting news!' And I said, 'What? What?' I had no idea. And they said, 'DreamWorks would like to offer you Assange.' "

Communication With Julian Assange

While preparing, he did everything to reach Assange. Although they never met in person, the two did communicate, via "e-mail through a friend, basically," explains Cumberbatch, wary of divulging the details. "He was pretty keen for me not to do the film, and the rest is sort of between us, really."

‘Eye of the Storm’

Assange's interests, and actions, continued to play out in the media during the film shoot, which largely took place in Belgium early this year. "When you're playing someone who's in the eye of the storm, you suddenly become incredibly conscious of that particular world, those particular concerns," says Cumberbatch. "And the news kept crashing in about [WikiLeaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning]. There was this static in the air all the time."

Among Britain’s Most Memorable Actors

It’s unclear what direction Cumberbatch's career will follow outside Sherlock, for which he's committed to another season after the current one (he claims he does not know how long he'll continue beyond that). Regardless, he seems poised to become one of Britain's most memorable actors.