Benedict Cumberbatch has been announced to be working on the Buddhist documentary film Walk with Me about Thich Nhat Hanh.
Benedict Cumberbatch, star of the BBC’s hit show Sherlock, has been on the cover of many magazines, and has also been seen in many successful feature films.
New Thich Nhat Hanh Documentary to be Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch[/tweetthis]
But his latest project lands him on the cover of Lion’s Roar, a popular magazine in Buddhist circles, as he will lend his vocal talents to a documentary on prominent Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, reports Sam Littlefair Wallace.
Walk With Me, which is due to come out later this year, will reveal to the world the daily lives of monks and nuns who have dedicated themselves to a life of mindfulness. Cumberbatch will narrate, reading portions of Thich Nhat Hanh’s personal journals.
Cumberbatch was first exposed to the teachings of Buddhism right out of high school when he traveled to a monastery in India to teach English to the monks. He had always been interested in meditation and mindfulness, and to this day considers himself a Buddhist “philosophically.”
Thich Nhat Hanh has many famed followers, including U.N.C.C.C. Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, the recently-deceased comedian and actor Garry Shandling, and Oscar-winning director Alejandro Iñárritu.
In his interview in Lion’s Roar, Cumberbatch states that meditation and mindfulness are extremely helpful to actors as it will make them more aware and more focused. “Stillness is an essential part of acting,” he said. The actor will return to India to film an upcoming movie, Doctor Strange.
Benedict Cumberbatch w/ narrate "Walk With Me", a feature documentary about Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh. https://t.co/PwItMTS7lu
— Robert Carreon (@ahrmi) March 31, 2016
Walk With Me will explore the broad themes of love, belonging, loss, hope and death, especially as they relate to the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, who was once nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The film captures life at Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastery in France, as well as chronicles his and his monk’s and nun’s travels from Vancouver to Mississippi, New York, Washington, San Diego and London.