‘Doctor Strange’ Helped ‘Iron Fist’ Star Get His Villainous Role
Marvel superheroes across the TV-movie spectrum may not join forces anytime soon, but that isn’t stopping a few team-ups behind the camera. Case in point. a notable Iron Fist star has Doctor Strange himself to thank for the gig, as Benedict Cumberbatch put in a good word.
You’re warned of minor Iron Fist spoilers from here on out, but those surprised to meet future “Steel Serpent” Davos may have recognized actor Sacha Dhawan, who’d only weeks earlier faced off against Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch in the fourth season premiere. That Marvel-ous parallel was no coincidence, as Dhawan told the UK’s RadioTimes that Cumberbatch vouched for him between Sherlock takes:
When I was on Sherlock, I was in the midst of auditioning for Marvel. We had a huge fight scene that took about three days to shoot [and involved a swimming pool]. And obviously in between takes where they’re setting up, me and Benedict would be sitting in a warm tent in absolutely soaking clothes. We had lots of time so we’d just chat and stuff. And I knew he’d done Doctor Strange, and he was asking ‘Oh, what are you doing next?’
And I said ‘Actually Benedict I’m testing tomorrow for [Netflix series] Iron Fist,” and he went ‘Oh right, ok, great!’ And then pulled out his phone and started typing away on his phone. And I thought ‘that’s a bit rude!’ And he went, ‘By the way, I’m just emailing a contact at Marvel’ … And I went ‘Oh!’ And he went ‘yeah yeah, I’ve put a good word in for you.’ And I said ‘Oh no, no, you don’t have to do that!’ and he went ‘No it’s my pleasure, I love working with you.
Cumberbatch wasn’t the only Marvel connection on the Sherlock set, either, as co-star Martin Freeman appeared in Captain America: Civil War, with a role that continues into next year’s Black Panther. Dhawan’s role, too, is likely to continue into a potential second run of Iron Fist, given his comic namesake’s history as a recurring villain.
It’s doubtful Dhawan and Cumberbatch will ever share a screen in the Marvel universe, but was the Sherlock connection a case of cosmic kismet?