Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the cover stars for Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue and his unusual photoshoot has ruffled some feathers with fans and set Twitter ablaze.
The 45-year-old British actor is among eight stars who are featured in the magazine's awards season special and in his cover he is pictured emerging from a bath fully dressed and covered in suds.
Oh, and there are a bunch of swans in the background.
The images quickly went viral after they were published, with commentators left confused as to what was actually happening in the scene and about the editorial decisions behind the shoot.
Can someone please explain what is happening in this magazine cover pic.twitter.com/HeYiySyq6V
— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) February 17, 2022
"Our concept is, you've been milking swans and now you're done milking swans" pic.twitter.com/xm6smzn2h2
— Norm Wilner (@normwilner) February 17, 2022
"So Benedict, what we're thinking is just a snapshot of your average day. Bit of swan bathing, maybe?" pic.twitter.com/QCl7xXN6pl
— Mic Wright (@brokenbottleboy) February 17, 2022
Photo shoot director: Ok Benedict. For this photo shoot you've going to be giving some swans a bath.
— Conor (@Erne_Kid) February 17, 2022
Cumberbatch: Ok. But how soapy will my Jeans be?
Director: don’t worry Ben, We’ve got that covered.
This isn't a photo shoot. Benedict Cumberbatch just lives with swans in his bathroom. https://t.co/gS1zjzd2Vn
— Laura (@_shinypsyduck) February 17, 2022
Benedict Cumberbatch, Professional Swan Bather. https://t.co/eHVgBlK93V
— Michelle, Who Owns the Moon. (@kilnfiendpotter) February 18, 2022
Benedict Cumberbatch emerging from a 40 degree wash cycle https://t.co/zCfJUrl7HT
— Sarah.J.Harris (@sarahsky23) February 17, 2022
Typical. You're just taking a quiet bath with your swans and all your clothes on and then the bloody doorbell rings!
— SimpleSimon (@simon1972) February 17, 2022
In the accompanying interview, Cumberbatch, who has recently been nominated for an Oscar for his performance as gritty rancher Phil Burbank in Jane Campion's dark western The Power Of The Dog, reflected upon his latest role.
He also questioned Netflix bosses on why The Power Of The Dog only had a two-week run in cinemas.
The actor told Vanity Fair: "If I'm in the belly of the beast, then surely I can start asking questions of it.
"This is for Scott (Stuber) and Ted (Sarandos) and everyone who runs Netflix: could you not afford to have a longer theatrical release? Maybe not. I don’t know."
The actor stated that he was "positioning this as a question publicly" in the magazine, adding: "I haven’t actually had this conversation with them, but I would and I will."
Stuber is the head of original films at Netflix while Sarandos is the co-chief executive officer and chief content officer for the streaming giant.
The psychological thriller, which also stars Kodi Smit McPhee, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, has stormed the award nomination season.
It earned 12 Oscar nods including best picture, best director, best actor for Cumberbatch, best supporting actress for Dunst and best supporting actor for both Plemons and Smit McPhee.
Idris Elba, Penelope Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Nicole Kidman, Simu Liu, Andrew Garfield and Michaela Jae Rodriguez are also featured in Vanity Fair's awards season special.
The Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue is available from 25 February.
Additional reporting: Press Association
