The British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has been using his fame to raise awareness and money for refugees arriving in Europe, and was not ashamed to use the stage in order to reach out to people.
After his performances of Hamlet at the Barbican theatre in London, Cumberbatch urged his audiences to donate money to Save The Children in order to help Syrian refugees. The appeals were very successful, estimated to have raised £150,000 for the charity.
However some people criticized him for his views and his use of the stage in order to discuss what they believed are political matters.
Hypocritical & foul-mouthed left-wing actor abuses stage to harangue audience with his naïve political views https://t.co/ITd7JUxb3H
— Western Defence (@westerndefence) November 4, 2015Benedict Cumberbatch stick to playing Hamlet and Sherlock lad & leave out the whining political messages.
— John. (@JohnG1706) October 13, 2015@SkyNews Cumberbatch should stick to acting and stop talking lefty crap about Muslim mass immigration. Vast majority DONT WANT IT!
— rubium (@rubium) October 11, 2015
However he couldn't care less about what these people think of him.
Cumberbatch received a CBE award at Buckingham Palace this week recognizing his services to the performing arts and charity. Outside the palace he was questioned by a reporter who challenged him on his discussion of the refugee crisis after performances, and Cumberbatch had a great response. See the video below:
Benedict Cumberbatch defends Hamlet tirade on refugees"I'm not interested in what flack I'm taking - I'm interested in trying to raise awareness and funds for people who are in far worse positions than an actor."Benedict Cumberbatch has defended his decision to speak out against politicians' treatment of refugees after a performance of Hamlet.
Posted by ITV News on Tuesday, 10 November 2015
By Kane Hippisley-Gatherum
