Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch is opening the doors of his own Sanctum Sanctorum for a good cause. The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s most famous sorcerer confirmed to Britain’s Sky News that he and his wife, Sophie Hunter, will be housing a Ukrainian family who has fled their war-torn homeland.
“They’ve made it out of Ukraine, I’m monitoring their progress every day,” Cumberbatch remarked while promoting the upcoming sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. “Sadly, they are undergoing some medical treatment — to say anything more about that would be invasion of their privacy and too much about when they’re coming and how that’s being managed would invade mine — but I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced, and that’s within my home.”
Cumberbatch originally announced his intention to participate in the U.K. government’s “Homes for Ukraine” plan in March, one month after Russia invaded its neighboring nation. In addition to housing one family, the actor says he’s been providing financial assistance to U.K.-based Ukrainian nationals trying to find housing for fleeing relatives.
“I’ve been trying to help other Ukrainian families … to house their extended families en masse, which you know they want to do, but it’s very costly,” Cumberbatch explained, adding that he’s been closely working with the charity, Refugees at Home. “So I’ve been trying to help out with that financially in a couple of instances.”
The actor has regularly encouraged others to get involved in helping Ukrainian refugees. “We need to see what we can do as citizens of the world, citizens of Europe and people who want a better place and a better outcome for this horrendous moment — for these people with children, with families who are struggling to survive as rockets rain down on their cities,” he said while receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last month.
Speaking with Sky News, Cumberbatch indicated he’s seen those awareness-raising efforts pay off, but knows there’s still more work to do. “I would urge people to seek out further help to bolster their efforts, and people are doing an amazing amount — it makes me very proud, very, very proud of our country and very proud of what we can be at our best as a human race,” he said.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres May 6 in theaters
