Benedict Cumberbatch wants to play a dumb character.

The Sherlock actor, who has just completed The Imitation Game, a biopic of British cryptographer, Alan Turing, insists he's ready for a less intellectual role. "I always seem to be cast as slightly wan, ethereal, troubled intellectuals or physically ambivalent bad lovers... I am so ready to play a really dumb character," the 37-year-old star told T magazine.

Benedict, who has also won awards for his role as Victor Frankenstein and his monster in the West End production, became a huge star after taking on the part of the titular detective in BBC1's Sherlock but admits he's not the nicest character to play: "I always make it clear that people who become obsessed with him or the idea of him - he'd destroy you... He is an absolute b*****d."

The actor is uncomfortable in the spotlight but has quickly realized the best way to stay undetected is not to draw attention to himself. "There is a way of just shadowing through. The higher the walls, the more dark the windows, the bigger the sunglasses - the more people are going to look. The greatest disguise is learning how to be invisible in plain sight," he explained.