BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH EXPLAINS LACK OF GAY SEX IN NEW MOVIE

British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has backed gay rights – and explained why his new movie about gay World War II genius Alan Turing doesn’t actually have any gay sex in it.

The film, The Imitation Game, has received critical acclaim but has also been slammed for focusing on and expanding Turing’s brief relationship with his female colleague Joan Clarke.

Speaking to NME, Cumberbatch, 38, insisted that Turing’s “sexuality is something contained that is expressed in the film but not shown explicitly.

“There is no heterosexuality expressed in the film. So what we show in his behaviour is sadly true to his story. He had to suppress his sexuality, make it private, make it something secret,” he said.

“When he talks about his sexuality in the film it shows his complete honesty, guilelessness, innocence. He was aware of the risks but at the same time wasn’t willing to cave in to the intolerance and potential permutations of confessing such a thing,” Cumberbatch added.

In another interview with OUT magazine, the actor said that he would be prepared to fight to the death for gay rights.

“People are being beheaded in countries right now because of their beliefs or sexual orientations,” he commented.

“It’s terrifying. It’s medieval — a beheading! I’d take up arms against someone who was telling me I had to believe in what they believed or they would kill me. I would fight them. I would fight them to the death,” Cumberbatch said.

He also spoke about the lack of openly gay leading men in Hollywood, describing it as a “huge obstacle.”

“We all know actors who are [gay] who don’t want to talk about it or bring it up, or who deny it,” he said. “I don’t really know what they do to deal with it. Human rights movements and sexual and gay rights movements have made huge social progress in the last 40 years, without a doubt, but there’s a lot more work to be done.”

The Imitation Game tells the true story of how Turing was recruited to crack the secret Nazi World War II communication code. His success played a key part in ending the war.

Turing has been described as the father of computing and artificial intelligence. He was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexuality and was given the choice of imprisonment or chemical castration. Turing chose the latter but a year later, at the age of 41, he apparently committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple.

The Imitation Game will be released in South Africa in January 2015.