Benedict Cumberbatch has had an eventful 2021. The English actor made waves with his Netflix drama The Power of the Dog, which has already locked down 17 collective nominations from the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards.
He also reprised his role as Marvel sorcerer Dr. Strange in the box-office-breaking flick Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Disney+ series What If..?
Continuing on the list, Cumberbatch played the title character in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. This autobiographical picture tells the story of feline-obsessed artist Louis Wain and his deteriorating mental health.
He stars in the movie alongside the Golden-Globe-award-winning actor Claire Foy, last seen in Netflix’s The Crown. In The Graham Norton Show’s upcoming New Year’s Eve special, Foy opened up about her on-set experiences — including some of Cumberbatch’s off behavior.
Claire Foy tells all about Cumberbatch’s relationship with his feline costars
Recounted by the Daily Express, Foy spoke about the Sherlock actor’s weird relationship with the production’s on-set cats. After sharing that she “loves cats,” she told the talk show host, “But, Benedict now has a pathological hatred of working with them.”
“They are very high maintenance, and they were more important than him,” she continued to say.
The actress also opened up about her reluctance to accept her role as Wain’s wife, Emily Richardson-Wain. While Foy found the movie “beautiful,” she was turned off by its focus on her male counterpart. She said, “It is a beautiful, beautiful film, but I didn’t want to be in it at all because it was a period film about a man.”
But she went on to joke about her “terrible taste,” adding: “I’m really glad I didn’t go with my instinct on this one as it’s really good; so whimsical, and beautiful.”
Critics gush about The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Like most films, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain has a varied release date across countries. It has already had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival back in December, followed by a limited release. Currently, it is available for streaming in the United States on Amazon Prime, and it is expected to have a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2022.
However, UK viewers have much to anticipate as critics have gushed about the movie. It currently has a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes with many praising its leading actors and “whimsical” additions to the storylines.
Critic Deirdre Molumby wrote, “It’s not every day you come across such a character of a movie as The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. The film really is as electrical as the title indicates. It is also quirky, ambitious, charming, and deeply moving.”
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is currently streaming on Amazon Studios.