Marvel fans were in for a treat Monday morning when Entertainment Weekly revealed the first photo of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. The photo shoot was one of the first times the 39-year-old actor tried on his costume for the upcoming superhero film, which also features Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Cumberbatch told EW that he used the cover photo session to get used to the way his character moves. “I’m still in the infancy of learning all that,” he said. “It was like, okay, I’ve got to keep throwing these poses, these spells, these rune-casting things, everything he does physically. I’m thinking, there’s going to be a huge amount of speculation and intrigue over the positioning of that finger as opposed to it being there, or there. And I’m still working on that. We haven’t played any of those scenes yet. I felt really self-conscious. But, then, by the end, it was great. It’s like anything, you just have to experiment.”
Doctor Strange hits theaters Nov. 4, 2016.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com