Benedict Cumberbatch on ‘Experimenting’ with Sexuality in School

“Sherlock” star Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that he has “experimented” with sexuality when he was younger in school.

In an interview with Out magazine, Cumberbatch has revealed that although he is not gay, he has experimented with his sexuality when he was studying in the all-boys boarding school Brambletye School.

“While there was experimentation [at Brambletye], it had never occurred to me as ‘Oh, this is that.’ It was just boys and their penises, the same way with girls and vaginas and boobs. It wasn’t out of a desire,” he said.

The 38-year-old actor is starring in the historical thriller “The Imitation Game,” which is about British mathematician Alan Turing who helped cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code, but was prosecuted for homosexuality. Turing was found dead in his home at age 41. The inquest determined that he committed suicide by consuming a fatal dose of cyanide.

In December 2013, Queen Elizabeth II signed a posthumous pardon for his conviction for gross indecency, which he was charged with after acknowledging a sexual relationship with another man.

Cumberbatch described the film as a warning rather than a history lesson, saying that what happened to Turing could easily happen again. He was also unimpressed with the Queen’s pardon.

“It’s an insult for anybody of authority or standing to sign off on him with their approval and say, ‘Oh, he’s forgiven.’ The only person who should be [doing the] forgiving is Turing, and he can’t because we killed him. And it makes me really angry. It makes me very angry,” he said.

His passionate stance on gay rights has perhaps been deep-rooted in him. He remembered a time when he stood up for a bullied gay student at Harrow School. He shooed the bullies, telling them that their behaviour was disgusting.

It’s no different in Hollywood even today as well. While talking with his “Star Trek Into Darkness” co-star Zachary Quinto, who came out as gay in 2011, they discussed gay actors’ hesitance in admitting their sexuality.

“I think if you’re going to sell yourself as a leading man in Hollywood, to say ‘I’m gay,’ sadly, is still a huge obstacle. We all know actors who are [gay] who don’t want to talk about it or bring it up, or who deny it. I really don’t know what they do to deal with it,” Cumberbatch mused.

“The Imitation Game” also stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong and Charles Dance among others. It is set to hit theatres in November.