‘Patrick Melrose’: How Benedict Cumberbatch Became an Expert in Addiction to Deliver His Career Best

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August 18, 2018 -Not only is Showtime’s five-part mini-series “Patrick Melrose” a superb cinematic adaptation of Edward St Aubyn’s five searing novels, it marks Benedict Cumberbatch’s best performance ever. While some may prefer his Oscar-nominated “The Imitation Game,” star-making Emmy-winner “Sherlock,” or little-seen Emmy-nominated role in “Parade’s End,” it’s “Patrick Melrose” that feels like a role he was born to play.

The 42-year-old British star, who moves easily from comic-book roles like Marvel’s Doctor Strange to the BBC’s urbane “Sherlock” and the high drama of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” scored his sixth Emmy nomination (one of five for the series) for his tour-de-force portrayal of a not-so-functioning drug addict with icky family secrets. The series, written by David Nicholls (“One Day”) and directed by Edward Berger (“Deutchland 83”), is entertaining and moving in equal measure, thanks to Cumberbatch’s careening yet precise performance.