Allan Leech On ‘The Imitation Game’ And Benedict Cumberbatch [Exclusive Video]

Allan Leech revealed what it was like to work opposite Benedict Cumberbatch when he spoke to uInterview about the Oscar-nominated film The Imitation Game.

Leech, who fans will recognize as Tom Branson from Downton Abbey, starred as John Cairncross in the film, which has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, including a Best Picture nod and a Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination for Cumberbatch, who plays Alan Turing in the biopic.

“It was wonderful. All the scenes that we had with Benedict and being part of that team was a great privilege and honor. He’s a wonderful actor and a fantastic professional. A very warm actor as well; when you act opposite of him he’s very generous with his performance,” Leech told uInterview about working with Cumberbatch.

Leech added that he would love to work with Cumberbatch again, saying, “It’d be amazing.”

Leech admitted to uInterview that he didn’t know much about Alan Turing prior to filming, nor did the rest of the star-studded cast, which includes Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode. The cast, said Leech, “all went into making this movie with the same idea, which was that we wanted more people to know about [Turing’s] life.”

Turing’s legacy is what, for Leech, made the success of the film truly exciting. “The fact that this movie now is having the life it is means that people are talking about Alan Turing and that’s amazing for us,” Leech added.

The Imitation Game is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Original Score. The 87th Academy Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air live Sunday, Feb. 22 on ABC.