Benedict Cumberbatch's Hilarious Role in The Book of Clarence

The Unexpected Cameo

Benedict Cumberbatch had a surprising, hilarious, and somewhat confusing cameo in The Book of Clarence, which ultimately impacted the film's twist ending. The actor had been a confirmed member of the cast for months leading up to the movie's release, but the details were kept on the down low. Then, for the majority of The Book of Clarence, Cumberbatch seemed to be nowhere in sight—until the big reveal of precisely who his character was and how he perfectly fits in with the over-the-top themes of Jeymes Samuel's ambitious film.

LaKeith Stanfield and RJ Cyler in The Book of Clarence

The Book of Clarence is set in Biblical Jerusalem and tells the story of a down-and-out weed dealer (LaKeith Stanfield) who wants to prove to the world that he could be somebody. Using the example of Jesus of Nazareth (Nicholas Pinnock), Clarence decides to pretend to be a Messiah, earning himself followers, wealth, and, above all, status. In tandem with Clarence's rise to glory, The Book of Clarence explores the oppression of the BIPOC community, with the few white cast members (like James McAvoy) playing the Roman soldiers and leaders. Cumberbatch is the exception, though his role still cleverly relates to the impactful themes of Clarence's story.

Nichloas Pinnock as Jesus in The Book of Clarence

The Clever Twist

Clarence's tale in The Book of Clarence opens with a closeup of a filthy beggar on the streets of Jerusalem, who comically begs the camera for money before being run off the road by a chariot. This same beggar is seen at various times throughout the film, and he seems to have no significance to the plot until the third act when Jesus of Nazareth performs a miracle that gives the grungy man the ability to create coins out of his bare hand. The beggar uses his new ability to pay some women to clean him up, and it's only then that it becomes clear that the beggar had been Benedict Cumberbatch all along.

The cleaned-up beggar bore a striking resemblance to the stereotypical image of the white Jesus that dominates modern Christianity today. Though the real Jesus of The Book of Clarence was a Black man, the second that Cumberbatch's Benjamin took to the streets of Jerusalem, the people there began to mistake him for the Messiah. Unfortunately for him, the Romans also mistook Cumberbatch's character for Jesus Christ, so they had him crucified. The real Messiah, the Black Jesus played by Pinnock in The Book of Clarence, is, therefore, never captured by the Romans.

Impact on the Biblical Narrative

Cumberbatch's character in The Book of Clarence is meant to explain why 'White Jesus' has become the standard in modern Christianity, comically contributing to the movie's themes of Black oppression. Since the beggar is crucified in Jesus' place, the Messiah goes on living after that first Good Friday, and Judas Iscariot's betrayal is fruitless since the wrong man was captured and crucified. Still, this isn't to say Jesus of Nazareth didn't perform any miracles. Since Clarence was crucified, the Messiah came to his tomb on Easter Sunday and brought him back from the dead.

Of course, this is a drastically different version of events than what is told in the four Gospels of the Bible, but that's the entire point. The Book of Clarence aims to tell the story from another man's perspective (rather than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), thus demonstrating how these stories can be misunderstood and misrepresented over the years. Ultimately, Cumberbatch's character in The Book of Clarence is a comical way of driving this point home.