--- title: Benedict Cumberbatch Begs Fans Not to Record Hamlet Performances, Says It’s ‘Mortifying’ description: "There’s nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor being on stage experiencing that" canonical: https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/ author: Entertainment Weekly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-10T04:27:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T10:01:59.241Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Benedict Cumberbatch Begs Fans Not to Record His Hamlet og:description: "There’s nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor." og:url: https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt180a1eb6402d0be6/69885e6e3c163947c94592e8/rtr4qozn.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Benedict Cumberbatch Begs Fans Not to Record His Hamlet twitter:description: "There’s nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt180a1eb6402d0be6/69885e6e3c163947c94592e8/rtr4qozn.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Benedict Cumberbatch Begs Fans Not to Record Hamlet Performances, Says It's 'Mortifying' ## Video: Benedict Cumberbatch's TIME Cover Shoot [Watch (HLS stream): Benedict Cumberbatch's TIME Cover Shoot](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JJBljwby.m3u8) (1:36)  _Published 2014-11-19. Go behind the scenes of the latest cover shoot with Benedict Cumberbatch for TIME's Genius issue_ by [Nick Romano / Entertainment Weekly](https://time.com/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Nick Romano / Entertainment Weekly Aug 10, 2015 4:27 AM UTC  Benedict Cumberbatch, best actor nominee for his role in "The Imitation Game" arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California Feb. 22, 2015 Benedict Cumberbatch, best actor nominee for his role in "The Imitation Game" arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California Feb. 22, 2015Robert Galbraith—Reuters by [Nick Romano / Entertainment Weekly](https://time.com/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Nick Romano / Entertainment Weekly Aug 10, 2015 4:27 AM UTC Benedict Cumberbatch is Supreme-ly in favor of proper theatre etiquette. The actor, who will play the Sorcerer Supreme/Doctor Strange in [Marvel’s upcoming movie](http://www.ew.com/article/2014/12/05/four-reasons-why-benedict-cumberbatch-is-a-great-choice-for-doctor-strange), is currently performing in a production of [_Hamlet_](http://www.ew.com/article/2014/03/26/benedict-cumberbatch-hamlet-london)in London. After his show on Saturday night, he approached fans waiting outside the Barbican to ask them not to illegally record the performances. “I can see red lights in the auditorium, and it may not be any of you here that did that, but it’s blindingly obvious,” he said. “It’s mortifying, and there’s nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor being on stage experiencing that. And I can’t give you what I want to give you which is a live performance that you’ll remember — hopefully in your minds and brains whether it’s good, bad, or indifferent — rather than on your phones.” He continued, “This isn’t me blaming you, this is just me asking you to just ripple it out there, in the brilliant beautiful way that you do with your funny electronic things.” We’ll all soon get to see Cumberbatch in action as the mad prince of Denmark, anyway. For all of those unable to travel to London, the production [will be broadcast](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/20/benedict-cumberbatchs-hamlet-coming-movie-theater-near-you) to cinemas all over the world starting on Oct. 15\. Until then, watch the actor’s message to the fans in the video below. Under director Lyndsey Turner, Cumberbatch made his debut in_Hamlet_ this past Wednesday, and he’ll continue the 12-week run through Oct. 31\. As he told the crowd, it’s been “one hell of a week.” The _Telegraph_’s Serena Davies wrote Cumberbatch “commands and surprises,” while _The Daily Mail_ remarked, “Hamlet in a hoodie was electrifying.” On the opposite spectrum is _The London Times_’ Katie Maltby, who gave the play two stars and called it a “production aimed squarely at those Cumber-fans.” [_This article first appeared on EW.com_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/09/benedict-cumberbatch-hamlet-recordings) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/"},"headline":"Benedict Cumberbatch Begs Fans Not to Record Hamlet Performances, Says It's 'Mortifying'","datePublished":"2015-08-10T04:27:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T10:01:59.241Z","description":"\"There’s nothing less supportive or enjoyable as an actor being on stage experiencing that\"","url":"https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/","keywords":["celebrities","Benedict Cumberbatch","Theater"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt180a1eb6402d0be6/69885e6e3c163947c94592e8/rtr4qozn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nick Romano / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt180a1eb6402d0be6/69885e6e3c163947c94592e8/rtr4qozn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood","caption":"Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood","creditText":"Robert Galbraith—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/","name":"Benedict Cumberbatch Begs Fans Not to Record Hamlet Performances, Says It's 'Mortifying'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Benedict Cumberbatch's TIME Cover Shoot","description":"Go behind the scenes of the latest cover shoot with Benedict Cumberbatch for TIME's Genius issue","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/JJBljwby/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-11-19T22:28:52.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JJBljwby.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/","duration":"PT1M36S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3990206/benedict-cumberbatch-record-hamlet/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```