My first agent dissuaded me from calling myself 'Cumberbatch.' I had six months of not very productive time with her, so I changed agents. The new one said, 'Why aren't you using your family name? It's a real attention-grabber.' I worried, 'How much is it going to cost to put my name in lights?' But then I decided that's not my problem.

I genuinely don't know Julian Assange well. To authenticate an opinion, I really would have to meet him.

There's still nearly the same amount of slavery, if not more, in the world today, as there was at the height of the slave trade.

Any privacy in public is a hard thing to negotiate.

Because reading is one of the joys of life, and once you begin, you can't stop, and you've got so many stories to look forward to.

Any irrational fears?no, i'm quite a rationalist. i'm not superstitious, i think life is too full of natural wonders and logical complexities to worry about illogical things.

I want to be better at staying connected.