'Zoolander 2' Star Will Ferrell Addresses Criticism Over Benedict Cumberbatch's Character

Will Ferrell has responded to criticism over Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘Zoolander 2’ character, defending the ‘Sherlock’ star’s on-screen alter-ego All.

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The controversy began when the first trailer - which you can see above - was released in November, but the film’s creators came under fire for a joke Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson make about Benedict’s gender-ambiguous character.

Will Ferrell

Now, Will, who stars as fashion designer Mugatu, has shared his thoughts on the matter.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, he explained: "I think we are making fun of a bunch of different things.

"In terms of reading the script, [as part of] the world that the movie is established."

“I guess there's some controversy,” he admitted. "[But] to me, I don't feel like it was over egregious.

“But I haven't seen the final movie, so can't really comment."

Benedict in the 'Zoolander 2' trailer

In the trailer, Derek Zoolander asks All: “Are you a male or female model?”

The character then replies that “All is all”, to which Owen Wilson, who plays Hans, counters: “I think he’s asking do you have a hotdog or a bun?”

A petition calling for cinema-goers to boycott the film was started online, and its creator Sarah Rose wrote: “Cumberbatch’s character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority.

“By hiring a [cisgender] actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, they film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large.”

At the time of writing, over 20,000 people have signed the online petition.

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