Benedict Cumberbatch Extends Support to New York’s Climate Week, Joins Green Rider Movement
Sherlock fame Benedict Cumberbatch has joined the Green Rider Movement, extending his support to the Climate Week Festival in New York. The Green Rider Movement refers to a clause that actors can add to their contracts to prioritize and ensure appropriate climate action is taken on film sets.
The Climate Week Festival, held in association with the United Nations General Assembly, hosts a bevy of events, screenings, discussions, and more towards climate conservation. This year it has garnered multiple celebrity endorsements, including Matt Demon and sustainability stakeholders from Netflix, Paramount Global, and NBC Universal.
Cumberbatch, a well-loved and hugely popular British stage and screen actor, known for playing Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Strange, and other memorable characters on the silver screen also attended the Climate Film Festival. The Climate Film Festival debuted this year where noted wildlife filmmaker James Honeyborne delivered the keynote address. Nearly 60 films, including Ecocide, Farming While Black, Hot & Toxic, and The Wild Robot were shown at the festival.
According to René Jones, chief of social impact at UTA, “Climate Week is the nexus of so many things. It’s always a place to learn what’s going on.” “We’ve just noticed such an uptick in involvement,” she added, referring to the entertainment industry.
Because of the serious concerns it addresses, Climate Week in New York benefits from celebrity endorsements. In fact, the involvement of the entertainment industry helps the confab event gain media attention and wider social recognition that it needs.
While Cumberbatch’s support of the event marks a milestone, this is not the first time that the British actor has supported a greater cause.
He advocates for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and Syrian refugees. He has signed a Sherlock Holmes-themed Paddington Bear statue in order to raise funds for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the past. Besides, he has also been vocal about other causes, like the problem of mass homelessness and children’s welfare.
The actor was last seen starring as the titular character in the short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar in 2023 and playing a father’s role in a Netflix limited series titled Eric.
