Benedict Cumberbatch says he’s in the process of welcoming a Ukrainian family into his home in the UK.
The actor, who wore the Ukrainian flag colours while promoting his latest film Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in London, said the family fled Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
“They’ve made it out of Ukraine; I’m monitoring their progress every day,” Cumberbatch told Sky News. “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. I want to give them some stability after the turmoil that they’ve experienced, and that’s within my home.”
He also revealed that he plans to help out other refugees by covering the cost of their housing in the UK.
"I've been trying to help other Ukrainian families — nationals that are UK citizens — to house their extended families en masse, which you know they want to do, but it's very costly," he said. "So, I've been trying to help out with that financially in a couple of instances."
Cumberbatch also praised the practical help being offered by people in the UK, but said there is still more to be done.
"I'm working through a wonderful charity called Refugees at Home, which is a great gateway to the government scheme, but also to offering further wider support that's needed for the psychological trauma that these people are suffering from," he said.
"However gentle and generous and welcoming we are as hosts, we don't have the skills of the mental health professions to necessarily deal with those things.
"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."
