Interview with the Fanpire Series 4: Sherlock and the case of the Irish Fandom
On Series 4 of Interview with the Fanpire, we at According to Benedict, travel far to a northern region of the UK Isles (if we are doing our geography correctly) to Ireland. In Ireland we find lucky charms, rocky coastal cliffs, emerald diamonds, and potatoes. But the real charm here is creator of Ireland’s first Cumberbatch fan page, Julie Ann Mc Kiernan. A teacher and actress by day, and a savvy social media Cumberqueen by night that has launched Ireland and it’s surroundings into Cumber apperication single-handedly.
Name: Julie Ann Mc Kiernan
Age: 28
Country: Ireland
Group name: Cumberfans Ireland
ABOUT BENEDICT
What acting role convinced you that Benedict Cumberbatch was the best?
I had seen Benedict in a few roles which caught my eye (Atonement, The other Boleyn girl, Hawking) but the acting role that convinced me that Benedict Cumberbatch was the best was “Third Star”. He blew me away with his touching and heartfelt performance. I was in tears after. Couldn’t stop thinking about it for ages. Then Sherlock cemented that idea in my head. He was dazzling as the sleuth detective. He could change character up so easy and with such conviction both vocally and physically. I knew from the moment the credits ran up on “Third Star” [that] here was someone special.
But I think I have to add here, It was actually an interview of Benedict’s on a breakfast morning TV programme a while before “Third Star” which he truly caught my eye. He was so charming, witty, and modest combined with an unusual look and a voice that could melt chocolate. I quickly started googling him after and made it a priority to check out his acting work from thereafter.
My Favorite Benedict role:
I loved Benedict’s portrayal of Christopher Tietjens [Parade’s End] I slightly fell in love with that character for his humanity and morals. Next one is Khan in “Star Trek into Darkness”. Benedict physically transformed himself for that role, bulking up and the results spoke for themselves. It was a new genre for him, the Hollywood action movie and he stepped up to the mark perfectly. He made being bad sexy, with a physical and vocal strength on top of a commanding presence among more well known Hollywood type actors. I was rooting for him the whole time which was maybe not the intended result for the baddie in a film.
My Least Favorite Ben Role:
This one is a toughie, I was going to say Paul Marshall in Atonement because of the character, nothing to do with Benedict’s acting or portrayal, but he was so good in playing that creepy hateful character, I can’t really dislike it. His acting in it is top class.
ABOUT THE FANDOM
Can you describe what you do?
For [my site] Cumberfans Ireland, initially I wanted to let the world know he had an Irish fan base as when I started [searching] didn’t seem to be one [here]. I like to share, events, news and opinions about Benedict. I try to remain quite professional but at times I can share my own ideas about him to my followers. I try to refrain from idle gossip. I like the way Cumberbatchweb (Naomi) runs her site and I think she is great. Very professional and always on the ball. I don’t know how she does it.
My favorite Benedict quote is:
“Live a life less ordinary”
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to do what you wanted to do?
My advice to anyone wanting to run a fan page, go for it! It’s a great way to meet and chat to new people on common likes and interests. It makes you feel part of something special and we get to learn more and more about someone who is so spectacularly talented like Benedict. I don’t regret setting it up for just one second. Even if it requires lots of hard work. I have often sat up, like Oscars night this year, and the Met Gala Ball all night posting live news and pictures and went straight to work the next morning.
Why should people add you on social media? What makes you special?
I’m not really sure that my page is any better or any more special from anyone else who has a Benedict fan page, All I can say is, I try and add up to date concrete events, and stray away from my idle gossip. I also have an interest in acting myself so that’s why I try and keep my page professional. I always try to interact with anyone who tweets to me as I feel that’s important too. To make other fans feel welcome and their ideas and opinions count. To be in a fandom is an escape sometimes from reality, and I would like to try and keep it a positive experience. Benedict seems to bring a ray of sunshine into people’s lives and I just want to be part of that experience.
Anything to say to your followers/fans?
To my followers, I love to you all, and thanks so much for following. I will try my best to keep Cumberfans Ireland a welcoming page about the man we love. You ladies are truly amazing and running this page and interacting with you all has been and is a blessing. Xxx
Why did you choose to write/express in yourselves in the Benedict Cumberbatch fandom?
I can’t explain why I chose Benedict as my source of inspiration; it was just something that I can’t put into words. I think after he first appeared on Sherlock and twitter went nuts, I used to tweet and follow his other fan pages from my personal account but I got the urge that I wanted to start an Irish following. This actor was just unbelievable and I had seen him in a few things as I mentioned above and was hooked. I loved the vibe of his fan sites and I wanted to be part of it. I act myself and I didn’t want to clog my own page with Benedict tweets.
Are there any misconceptions that people have about this fandom or yourself?
The only misconception I think people MIGHT have about me is that I can answer tweets straight away and I know all about him, like where he is, what he’s doing. I teach and act part time, so I don’t always have internet access, or time, and like everyone else, I’m just a fan, I don’t have any contact with the man himself and have to look for information on him, from day to day. The only other misconception people may have about this fandom is, we are all crazy. I may have even felt that about fandoms before I joined this one, but I can say everyone I’ve encountered are all lovely normal people, with normal lives who choose to admire and respect a wonderful man, and show this admiration on social media.
For anyone interested in exploring the Sherlock/Benedict Cumberbatch fandom where would you tell them where to start?
For anyone interested in the Cumberbatch fan base, I think Cumberbatchweb and Cumberbatchforum is a great place to start. There are other great pages like Cumberbuddy, Cumberninjas, Cumberbum, all the Cumberbatch country fan pages. Baker Street Babes are great for all Sherlock information. I also think following the cast and crew of Sherlock is a great way of keeping up to date on Sherlock info. From these few pages you will quickly get to know all the other lovely ladies who tweet daily about Benedict related items. I’d love to mention more names here but there’s far too many.
How do you find the time to interact with fans?
Finding the time is hard. At night is probably the easiest and weekends when I’m off work, but I’ve been lucky lately I haven’t been too busy. When the acting starts up again and the work day is long, I shall be sleep deprived keeping up to date with all the Benedict gossip.. But it’s worth it. Or I should say HES WORTH IT!
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