By Erika Hanson
| Published
Benedict Cumberbatch has made a name for himself thanks to his portrayal of Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but long before he was a superhero, and before he played a famous dragon or the world’s greatest detective, he nearly got his Hollywood start as a popular vampire. In 2008, True Blood rocked the world with its raunchy take on the vampire genre, and Cumberbatch nearly played the broody vampire Bill.
Benedict Cumberbatch Was Nearly True Blood’s Bill
This revelation comes to us thanks to True Blood’s series creator, Alan Ball. Ball admitted that Benedict Cumberbatch auditioned for the part in 2007. While we still don’t know whether or not the Marvel star turned the role down, we do know that the part of Bill eventually landed with Stephen Moyer.
For those unfamiliar with the show, True Blood is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. The HBO show follows Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a bartender living in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana in a world where vampires have publicly outed themselves.
The first season follows Sookie and Bill’s relationship, and we have to admit, it’s easy to picture Benedict Cumberbatch as the southern vampire even if we enjoyed Stephen Moyer’s version of the character come to life.
For starters, Benedict Cumberbatch having to work an English accent into a Southern drawl sounds very familiar to what Stephen Moyer went through prepping for True Blood (both actors are native to England). And, a side-by-side comparison of the two actors reveals more than enough physical similarities. But still, given what went down behind the scenes between Moyer and Paquin, things could have turned out a lot differently had Cumberbatch taken the role.
Could’ve Changed Things On And Off Screen
True Blood’s Sookie and Bill actors met on the set of the show and as it turns out, the actors didn’t have to pretend to fall for each other. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer began dating within months of filming. To this day, they remain happily married.
Had Benedict Cumberbatch taken the True Blood role, would the sparks have flown so easily between the two Marvel stars (Anna Paquin played Rogue in the original X-Men movies)? Our guess is no, and even worse, it would have never given us one of Hollywood’s greatest lasting couples.
Other Celebs Who Auditioned
Benedict Cumberbatch nearly playing Bill in True Blood isn’t the only interesting bit of trivia about the popular vampire show’s casting process. Another Marvel alumnus, Jennifer Lawrence, auditioned for a role as a werepanther in Season 3. Likewise, Jessica Chastain was almost cast as Sookie.
It’s been a decade since True Blood came to an end, and the show continues to find new fans on streaming. The vampire show was so popular that just years after being canceled, HBO announced plans for a reboot. Those plans fell through in 2023, but who knows: maybe we will someday get a reboot or revival, and maybe Benedict Cumberbatch will even hop on board this time to play a different vampire.