Doctor Strange: Benedict Wong IS Wong - An Interview

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Photo: Dusty Pendleton

Sometimes two Wongs DO make a right. No there aren’t two characters named Wong in Doctor Strange, but actor Benedict Wong does PLAY the character Wong in the movie and the combination of the two is definitely right! Wong is one of my favorite characters in the film and after having a chance to sit and talk with Benedict Wong, I’m a new fan of his too! He is a funny and charming guy.

Long-Time Comic Book Fan

Benedict said, “I used to collect a lot of Marvel Comics. I was always a big sort of Spider Man fan.” (He has a #1 copy that he’s thrilled about.) As a child, when reading he comics he would get a point where there would be “a little subheading of you know, go see Fantastic Four copy blah blah blah but I could never afford them. So I would always be at a Comic Book Store which is no longer there out in Manchester, Odyssey Seven, and just be mining through these stories ’til you get sort of chucked out.

Photo: Dusty Pendleton

Discovering Doctor Strange

“I never really knew much about Dr. Strange if I’m honest.” said Benedict. Then “I saw Chiwetel (Ejioforfor) for lunch one time and I asked what he was up to.” Chiwetel told him he was doing Doctor Strange and that’s when Benedict started to look further. “There was a Wong Character. I was like ‘what?!?’ I was always so crestfallen that there were no Asian Superheroes – like where are the Super Asians? It’s like I have to simply get this by birthright – like ancestors will not let me live this down. …Bit by bit, the stars aligned and they kindly moved the dates and it went straight into filming.

About His Character, Wong

The updating of certain roles in the movie being updated for a modern audience thrilled Benedict. When he first picked up a Doctor Strange comic there were “certain aspects that fit a man servant to a tee – a kind of sidekick…. as an actor I’m always looking for what can we do to promote a positive role mode. The fact that I feel this kind of stoic strength of Wong andt he is serious about the severity of what is about to happen and these forces that we do not know.”

About Wong’s Relationship with Doctor Strange

Benedict described his character as a kind of drill sergeant standing alongside Doctor Strange. “They’ve kind of got a very interesting relationship. They’re a little bit chalk and cheese – the odd couple. As much as he’s got these incredible mystical powers, I think he’s also there to put him in check and help guide him through this crazy multiverse that we’re about to encounter.”