Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch recently revealed that he did not even want the part upon first glance.

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Cumberbatch discussed Sherlock at a BAFTA event called In Conversation this week, admitting that he wasn't interested in taking on the titular role of Sherlock Holmes initially.

"It is the most dramatized character of all time," he explained. "I heard about it and thought that sounds like an idea to reinfranchise something to make money. It could be a bit cheap and cheesy."

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His initial doubts about the BBC project were wiped away after hearing that acclaimed producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were involved.

"Then I found out who was involved and realized it wouldn't be cheap and cheesy," Cumberbatch said.

He also noted that despite reading the script and loving it, he was hesitant to take on such an iconic role. He said that assuming the role would be "really exposing," with a lot of focus on him.

"So I took a deep breath, cos there were other things hovering around, and this was a big step but it is good material. So we did the pilot and the BBC loved it," he said.

Cumberbatch's comments come in the weeks after Sherlock's season 3 finale aired in the U.S. and the U.K. Season 4 will not be produced for a while, according to Moffat's comments in a recent interview, with a potential air date projected for 2016.

Sherlock season 4 does not yet have an officially set premiere date.

Tags: Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch BBC television