Entertainment

Will Martin Freeman Be Cumberbatch's Best Man?

by Alanna Bennett

Much like Ryan Gosling before him, Benedict Cumberbatch is living a very strange life. Within popular culture, he plays a role that exists simultaneously within the classic tropes of crossover British hits and in the modern trappings that come with being a heartthrob/walking gif. Along with that very particular set of baggage comes a lot of people with very strong feelings about Cumberbatch's personal life, especially as it pertains to his most beloved character. And so it is that the actor is definitely aware that Martin Freeman should be the best man at Cumberbatch's wedding — that is, as far as his fans are concerned.

"I'm sure they do, I'm sure they do," Cumberbatch said during a recent interview when E! News brought up his fanbase's desire to see Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman in the honored role of IRL best man. So will he be? According to Cumberbatch, "I think we'll let the Internet talk to Martin Freeman."

That... was not helpful, Benedict.

Cumberbatch and Freeman have been working together on the BBC show since 2009 and are known to get along, but as Freeman himself said in an interview last April they're not actually all that close in real life.

We are very friendly [Benedict and I] and we’re good work colleagues but we’re also quite busy and I don’t really hang out with many of, or any of, my co-stars.

Heartbreaking, yes, but them's the breaks.

The good news? Tom Hiddleston and Cumberbatch are "really good friends", as Hiddleston himself has said, so if you've got to hope for the Sherlock star to choose a fellow British actor for his best man role in real life, stick with that one. At the end of the day, though, we've gotta face the facts: Cumberbatch might very well go and choose someone we've never even heard of. Perhaps not great for the fanfic, but I trust Cumberbatch to go with what will make him happiest.