Benedict Cumberbatch has said his decision to intervene when he saw a Deliveroo cyclist being mugged was “foolhardy”.
The ‘Doctor Strange’ actor was hailed a real-life superhero back in June, when it was revealed he had come to the aid of the rider who was being beaten up by a group of four.
But speaking about the incident on ‘Ellen’, he admitted he hadn’t considered his own safety.
“I just stopped the Uber that we were in and got out and tried to calm the kids down, tried to calm him down because he looked like he was about to fight for his life,” Benedict said.
“I didn’t really think twice about knives or acid or any of the other things that can be part of that situation - so it was a bit foolhardy.
“I literally got in the way... I also tried to stop traffic so they could witness it and if anything did happen, there were people there and that might scare any violence out of the situation.”
Admitting he “felt a bit weird” talking about it, he added: “It’s all got a bit exaggerated.”
Benedict was in an Uber vehicle on London’s Marylebone High Street with his wife, Sophie Hunter, when they saw the cyclist being hit over the head with a bottle last November.
The driver of the car, Manuel Dias, previously told The Sun that when Benedict initially pulled the attackers away, “they turned towards him and things looked like getting worse, so I joined in”.
“He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, ‘Leave him alone’,” he continued. “It was only then I recognised Benedict. Then it all got a bit surreal.
“Here was ‘Sherlock Holmes’ fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street.
“I had hold of one lad and Benedict another. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave. He did most of it, to be honest.
Manual added that Benedict was “courageous, brave and selfless”, telling the paper that the cyclist “could have been seriously injured” if he didn’t step in.