Benedict Cumberbatch is tired of playing geniuses, says he wants to play ‘stupid’

Benedict Cumberbatch says he’s sick of playing smart.

The English actor and current Hollywood “It” boy has made a career out of portraying eccentric geniuses, learned gentlemen, and people who are just too smart for their own good. But while promoting his new film “The Imitation Game” (in which he plays the brilliant but troubled wartime codebreaker Alan Turing) Cumberbatch stressed that he can play other sorts of characters.

"[I] play stupid people as well, you know,” Cumberbatch joked at the BFI London Film Festival press conference for “The Imitation Game. “If anyone’s got any other stupid people I can play, let me know.”

It’s not the first time that Cumberbatch has complained about playing characters with super intelligence.

“I am so ready to play a really dumb character,” he told T magazine back in March. Then, last month at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cumberbatch got a little testy with journalists during the “Imitation Game” press conference when asked why he’s always hired to play men with brains.

“It’s very flattering, but one can only aspire to the level of intelligence of characters I’m lucky enough to play," the 38-year-old said. "I get asked that quite a lot, and I’m really tired of it.”

To get an idea of what Cumberbatch is up against -- and why he might be getting a little sick of these kinds of questions -- here are some of the brainy characters he’s played to date.

Stephen Hawking - “Hawking” (2004)

Cumberbatch played disabled theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2004 TV movie “Hawking,” (Not to be confused with the upcoming biopic “The Theory of Everything,” which stars Eddie Redmayne). It was a breakout role for Cumberbatch, who earned a BAFTA nomination for the role after previously working mostly in theatre and in bit TV roles.

Vincent van Gogh - “Van Gogh: Painted with Words” (2010)

You don’t get more tortured and genius than Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. Cumberbatch won critical raves for his portrayal of the famed artist in the 2010 TV movie “Van Gogh: Painted Worlds.”

Sherlock Holmes - “Sherlock” (2010–)

That same year, Cumberbatch took on the role that would lead him to stardom: Sherlock Holmes for the BBC series "Sherlock." The modern update of the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character features Cumberbatch as a mentally gifted but aloof version of the famed consulting detective.

Khan Noonien Singh - “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013)

The success of “Sherlock” led Cumberbatch to be cast as the villainous Khan Noonien Singh in JJ Abrams’ “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Unlike Ricardo Montalban’s portrayal of the genetically engineered “Star Trek” villain, Cumberbatch’s take on Khan unsurprisingly stressed the character’s mental prowess and strategic brilliance. He was brains and brawn.

Julian Assange - “The Fifth Estate” (2013)

Who better than Cumberbatch to play embattled cyber-crusader and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in “The Fifth Estate”? The two men share a striking resemblance, one that became almost frighteningly uncanny once Cumberbatch donned Assange’s blonde locks and got fully into character for the film.

Alan Turing - “The Imitation Game” (2014)

Cumberbatch’s latest turn as a complicated intellectual comes in the form of World War II codebreaker Alan Turing in “The Imitation Game.” The character of Turing ticks all the boxes one would expect for Cumberbatch. A mind so brilliant that most people don’t understand him? Check. Lacking social graces? Check. Personal issues that complicate matters? Check. A goal that will change the world? Check. The role has already earned Cumberbatch some early Best Actor Oscar buzz.

Getting typecast as these erudite and quick-witted characters might have something to do with the fact that in real life, Cumberbatch himself is an extremely witty and smart person. Being repeatedly cast as tortured geniuses is certainly preferable to being an actor known as the go-to to play “idiot” characters, but it’s understandable that Cumberbatch feels like stretching his acting muscles a little more. The only question is: Does anyone really want to see him play dumb?

“The Imitation Game” arrives in theatres on November 21.