Benedict Cumberbatch has said he does not want his three sons to attend boarding school, despite having attended one himself. The actor, who went to Brambletye and later Harrow, told the Daily Mail that he and his wife Sophie Hunter have decided against it.
“Not unless they really want to, but no way,” Cumberbatch said. “Selfishly, I want them around – I still want to be there, in case the call comes, [when] the fall happens, I wanna be there.” He praised Harrow’s “amazing facilities and very structured timetable” but insisted his sons would not follow his path.
The 47-year-old previously admitted he felt he had disappointed his parents by becoming an actor. His parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton, had “scrimped and saved” to send him to Harrow, hoping he would become a doctor or lawyer. “I took that education, threw it all in their face and became an actor anyway,” he told The Lady magazine.
Cumberbatch has also spoken about the “incredible homophobia” he witnessed at school. In a 2014 interview, he recalled an incident where two boys were chased down the street after being caught together. He confronted the pupils involved, urging them to learn acceptance. The actor officiated the gay marriage of his friends Seth Cummings and Rob Rinder in 2013.
