Benedict Cumberbatch’s disquieting self-portraits reveal a raft of inner demons

From an outsider’s perspective, Benedict Cumberbatch seems to have it all: brilliant acting career, good looks, lots of money, awesome Middle-earth name and one of the most intense followings in all of internet fandom (ok, maybe not that last one).

So why, when sketching a self-portrait to raise money for Britain’s New End Primary School, did he draw himself as a deeply suspicious blue-collar worker with rage issues?

As it turns out, this isn’t the first perplexing self-portrait drawn by Cumberbuns for charity; back in 2010, he illustrated an even more depressing likeness of himself for the U.K.’s Willow Foundation, in which he envisioned himself as a glum, unemployed Victorian-era poet with dirty hair and an impoverished soul:

All of which begs the very important question: what horrors lie behind those magical sea-foam eyes? Is Benedict Cumberbatch struggling with inner fame-demons? Does the below gif accurately represent how he feels inside? Are the voices getting louder? Does he need me to come over?

Twitter: @HitFixChris

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