Claire Foy and Benedict Cumberbatch and have been talking about the ‘guilt’ they sometimes feel upon landing a big role. This topic came up while the pair – who appeared together in a film called Wreckers, back in 2011 – were chatting at length for a new article by Variety.
Foy was in the middle of an anecdote about getting cast in The Crown, which happened while she was pregnant, when this part of the conversation cropped up:
“And then you get an invitation to go and meet [series creator] Stephen Daldry, who I just think is extraordinary. I went in with that sort of impression of going, one, this is ridiculous I’m in a room with these people. But two, in what world are they going to give a pregnant woman the role of the Queen of England? My nose had started to spread, and I was quite sweaty a lot of the time. Also, just because it’s one of those jobs where — I don’t know if you do this, but I definitely do it — where I think in my head, “I know all these incredible people who [could play this part].”
Cumberbatch then chimed in, revealing that he has experienced similar feelings:
“Always. You feel this sense of guilt like, ‘Are you sure you’ve got this right? I mean, there’s literally five people I know who would cut off their right hand to do it, and who would be much better, in my opinion.’ All the time. It’s like you know how lucky you are when it works out for you. That’s another key motivator for me — just to sort of prove people’s trust or faith in me. I just go, ‘Right. Well, they’ve made this choice. I’ve really, really got to fulfill.'”
It’s interesting to hear that even our nation’s finest actors have these sorts of doubts, despite how wonderful they both obviously are.
The full article, which is well worth a read, can be found at the link below.