Published 11 May, 2018 07:01pm

Benedict Cumberbatch won't take on a role unless his female co-stars are paid the same

Not that we needed it but here's more proof that Benedict Cumberbatch is perfection.

In a recent interview with Radio Times, the Sherlock star revealed that he’ll only sign on for an acting job if his female co-stars are paid the same as him.

“It’s about implementation,” he says. “Equal pay and a place at the table are the central tenets of feminism. Look at your quotas. Ask what women are being paid, and say: ‘If she’s not paid the same as the men, I’m not doing it.’”

The actor added that his new production company is also committed to developing female-led projects: "I’m proud that [friend and business partner] Adam and I are the only men in our production company; our next project is a female story with a female lens about motherhood, in a time of environmental disaster.

“If it’s centred around my name, to get investors, then we can use that attention for a raft of female projects. Half the audience is female. And in terms of diversity, Black Panther is now the third most successful film of all time.

“The audience is there! It’s about facilitating platforms for talent. If you do that, the combination is combustible – world-beating. That’s what we want to do.”

Imagine if other male actors also took the same stand; gendered pay gaps in Hollywood a least might just become a thing of the past.

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