Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch relished not having to play a "people-pleaser" as rancher Phil Burbank in The Power of the Dog. Cumberbatch told The Guardian newspaper: "As somebody who's a bit of a people-pleaser and apologetic at the best of times, who worries too much about what people think of me, I loved the freedom of being somebody who wasn't in that space. The Power of the Dog Movie Review: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Netflix Film is a Stellar Psychodrama Set in the Western Era! (LatestLY Exclusive).

"Of course, there's this deep kernel of truth he never lets get exposed. And that ties into the breadth of fear and fury that we know he has. "But he can also stand behind his back and survey all these scenes with a sort of calm acceptance and knowing. And not be taken in with the hoopla of worrying about what the ranch-hands think of him. He's very self-assured. I admired that." The Power of the Dog Trailer: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst’s Film Arrives on Netflix on December 1 (Watch Video).

Cumberbatch had to learn how to play the banjo for his role in the movie, which has been nominated for seven Golden Globes, and said he will continue using the instrument for personal pleasure, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The Doctor Strange star said: "I really enjoyed playing the banjo. I was awful at it compared to Phil, but it's a very satisfying if peculiar instrument and you can have a lot of fun with it, with very little skill. I'm getting there."

Asked what he is able to play, he added: "Little exercises and repetitive scales and standards which are on the verge of bluegrass but the minute I speed them up kind of fall apart. A bit of Radiohead. It's very meditative. I'm not gonna sing on a stage any time soon; it's just for my own enjoyment. But I really do love it."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2021 09:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).