Benedict Cumberbatch called out the Hollywood film industry for being "grossly wasteful."
The actor made his remarks during an appearance on Ruth Rogers' food-focused podcast, "Ruthie's Table 4," while discussing how he had to bulk up his physique while shooting Marvel's "Doctor Strange." At the time, he would eat five meals and then still snack on boiled eggs, cheese, and almonds.
"Going back to responsibility and resourcefulness and sustainability, it's just like, 'What am I doing? I could feed a family with the amount I'm eating,'" Cumberbatch said, according to The Guardian.
"It's a grossly wasteful industry," he continued. "Think about set builds that aren't recycled, think about transport, think about food, think about housing but also light and energy. The amount of wattage you need to create daylight and consistent light in a studio environment. It's a lot of energy."
Cumberbatch acknowledged that actors are often criticized for seeming hypocritical when they speak out about Hollywood's sustainability issues. However, he stated that he makes an effort to "push the green initiative" on set, both as an actor and a producer.
Single-use plastic was one example.
"You don't have to give the crew plastic bottles. If you're in the middle of a desert and you can't get glass bottles there, fair enough. But we're in the 21st century," he said.
The global entertainment industry contributes millions of metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, according to Time. The carbon footprint of a single film varies widely depending on its scale. Smaller productions typically release around 391 metric tons of CO2, while major blockbusters like "Oppenheimer" or "Barbie" can produce up to 3,370 metric tons. That's comparable to the annual energy use of approximately 656 homes.
The climate effects were concerning enough to prompt the Producers Guild of America to release a statement in 2021 calling for a transition to clean energy.
"Climate change is impacting our productions," they wrote. "Our health and safety, and filming locations are being irreparably damaged by increased pollution, wildfires, floods, storms, and droughts. The sustainability measures currently being taken in our industry are sporadic and wholly inadequate to meet the current level of threat."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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