Benedict Cumberbatch reflects on work of Alan Turing
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E-mail CNTV, January 7, 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch has been shuttling between the U.K. and the U.S. promoting his new movie, "The Imitation Game" about a tragic figure, the math genius Alan Turing. The film is about cracking Germany's Enigma code during World War II, but the award-winning actor says the mathematician's life and work still resonates today.
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Benedict Cumberbatch reflects on work of Alan Turing |
"The Imitation Game", a biopic about British mathematician and code-breaker Alan Turing, also stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Charles Dance. In the film, Turing is the brilliant mathematician at Bletchley Park who deciphers the German Enigma code, helping to bring the conflict to an end.
He took his own life at 41 after he was convicted for being a homosexual. Turing received a posthumous royal pardon in December 2013, but many believe more should be done to remember his part in the war effort.
Cumberbatch, known for his roles in "Star Trek Into Darkness", "12 Years A Slave" and the TV series "Sherlock", said that Turing's work in the 1940s remains relevant and significant.
"You know this is a story about a man who is the forefather of computer science, whose paper on computable numbers talks about a universal machine which denies differentiating between the borders of culture, of language, of any kind of creed or race or religion. This is a machine that is used the same, with the same coding in Japan as it is in Africa, as it is in America, as it is in Russia," he says.
Cumberbatch added that Turing's harsh treatment from the authorities as a result of his sexual orientation can be seen in places like Russia and Greece.
"This is also a man who sadly doesn't represent historical facts but somebody who is an icon for a gay community that is still suffering prejudice and persecution across the world, whether it be in, we've seen it in Russia, we've seen it in parts of Europe, in Greece with the Golden Dawn, we've seen it in the Middle East, and it's something for us to be aware of now and be vigilant of now, as much as it was then. So again I think it's relevant across borders and timelines for that," he says.
With no footage to draw from for Turing's manner and speech, Cumberbatch had to undertake exhaustive biographical research to portray the highly complex character. For many decades, Turing's contributions during the war were kept under lock and key by the British security organisations because it was deemed too important and sensitive.
Despite his relatively short life, Turing - who is often hailed as the father of computer science - advanced the field of artificial intelligence and paved the way for modern technology.
"It's a cracking thriller as well. It's funny, it's moving as well. It's a very tragic story. And this man's effect has been profound on all of our lives, whether you're a member of the gay community, whether you're a computer scientist or somebody who's just a laptop or iPad or whatever user. You know somebody who interacts with technology on a daily basis owes something of that to Alan Turing. The algorithms he wrote for cracking the Enigma code in the Second World War are the same as search engines do now," he says.
"The Imitation Game" rolls out in cinemas across Europe and globally from January.
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