Benedict Cumberbatch is taking his philanthropic duties a step further by housing a Ukrainian family from the war-torn country. The actor was previously open about his intention to bring a family in need into his home and hoped others would do the same.
Cumberbatch revealed that he previously helped some families who managed to flee the country by funding their housing in the UK. He added that he was currently working side by side with the charity Refugee at Home to help refugees with housing and mental health support should they need it.
MEGAThe “Avengers: End Game” actor said that the Ukrainian family was receiving medical treatment in a recent interview. Cumberbatch didn’t disclose much of the situation but revealed that he only wanted to give them “stability” in his home after the turmoil they had undoubtedly experienced.
Benedict Cumberbatch Took In A Ukrainian Family
Cumberbatch is about to welcome a Ukrainian family into his home. The Marvel actor recently spoke in the London photocall for “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” with Sky News and revealed his intentions for a family who successfully “made it out of Ukraine.”
According to the actor, he is “monitoring their progress every day.” Cumberbatch disclosed that the family was undergoing medical treatment but refused to say any more about the matter in order not to invade their privacy.
The “Doctor Strange” actor said, “Sadly, they are undergoing some medical treatment — to say anything more about that would be an invasion of their privacy and too much about when they’re coming and how that’s being managed would invade mine. But I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced, and that’s within my home.”
Cumberbatch Said He Helped Other Ukrainian Families
Further in his speech, the actor revealed that he helped several Ukrainian families pay for housing when they moved out of the war plagued country. He said, “I’ve been trying to help other Ukrainian families— nationals that are UK citizens— to house their extended family en masse, which you know they want to do, but it’s very costly.”
MEGA“So I’ve been trying to help out with that financially in a couple of instances,” Cumberbatch added. The 47-year-old mentioned that he was working with the charity Refugees at Home to aid the provision of the UK government Homes for Ukraine scheme. The charity also offers mental health support for war-torn Ukrainians.
Cumberbatch continued, “However gentle and generous and welcoming we are as hosts, we don’t have the skills of the mental health professionals to necessarily deal with those things.”
Cumberbatch Previously Said He Would House A Ukrainian Family
During his time on the stage of the 75th British Academy Film Awards, which took place in March, Cumberbatch revealed his intention of bringing a Ukrainian family into his home. There the actor emphasized the need to “donate” to the cause.
He said, “We all need to do more than wear a badge.” This is a reference to the Ukrainian pin the 47-year-old wore on his tuxedo that night. “We need to donate; we need to pressure our politicians to continue to create some kind of a refugee safety and a haven here for people who are suffering,” he continued.
The “Power of the Dog” actor added that all hands should be on deck, then revealed that he planned to be a part of the people who took refugees into their homes.
Besides Cumberbatch, Gary Lineker, the BBC presenter and former footballer for England, took the same step. Lineker welcomed a Syrian refugee into his home back in 2020.
Benedict Cumberbatch Said The War Is ‘Something That Hangs Over Us’
Via Sky News, Cumberbatch pointed out the suffering of millions of people in the war-torn country and insisted that they not be ignored. He said, “It is a really shocking time to be a European two and a half hours flight away from Ukraine.”
MEGAThe 47-year-old added that the knowledge was “something that hangs over us,” especially knowing that civilians were being “shelled and shot at, and killed and made homeless without power, without water, without food.”
The actor continued, “And while tonight is a celebration, and this might look like tokenism, we’re celebrating the moving image, we’re celebrating pictures… this is what I’m trying to do to show I’m standing side-by-side with my brothers and sisters who are going through this.”
