Benedict Cumberbatch could have been a lawyer

 
Benedict Cumberbatch has told how his mum and dad didn’t want him to follow in their footsteps and become an actor.
The Sherlock heartthrob said although his parents Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton were in the business themselves, they wanted their son to have a different life and so encouraged him to pursue a career as a lawyer.
Benedict told the Daily Mirror: “[Acting is] a very odd, peripatetic, crazed, out of your control work and social schedule.
“It’s very hard to plan a family life, yet alone know where the next pay cheque is coming from so they worked very, very hard as my parents, and actors, to afford me an education whereby I had the opportunity and the privilege to try and channel myself towards other goals.”
The actor, who is up for an Oscar for his portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, suggested he did dabble with the idea of being a barrister.
“For a while, I wanted to be a barrister because there’s definitely a crossover with criminal law – with trying to persuade an audience and a jury and a judge of the case and your client’s story so I did go down that root for a little bit,” he said. “I think they would have been very happy if I ended up there.”
Benedict, 38, has recently been spotted shooting the new series of Sherlock with co-stars Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington at Gloucester Cathedral.
Little is known about the next instalment of the popular BBC sleuth series, but the photos seem to suggest the characters have gone back in time as they are dressed in period outfits, with Benedict in a deer stalker and full Victorian costume.
The fourth series of Sherlock will return for three episodes in early 2016, following on from the Christmas edition in December.