By Jila Hamrang
Spotted: Dakota Johnson of the anticipated adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey and Benedict Cumberbatch were seen having lunch together. Apparently, when a star goes to lunch with an unexpected friend, like the 24-year old Johnson, it is breaking news and creates the suspicion that they are dating.
Naturally, most of the articles rope fans in by using images of the two of them, and barely mentioning, if at all, that there was a third person with them. Of course, since she is not famous, she is irrelevant, and only a nuisance to the reporters’ angle of the lunch outing being a date rather than just a lunch.
To spice up their lunch, Cumberbatch put napkins on his face which caused his lunch buddies to laugh. For example, this article from Daily Mail stated: “He provided ample lunchtime entertainment for 24-year-old Dakota and another female friend as he smothered his face with the white napkin” (Link). It is as if the paparazzi and the celebrity news articles are oblivious to the possibility that Cumberbatch’s joke was a way to cover his face from the imposing photographers, with the added bonus that it entertained his friends. This is especially suggested by when a napkin has fallen off and he looks to the side, towards the paparazzi.
His look indicates that he knows they are watching.
The paparazzi taking a photograph of a star while he is enjoying brunch with his friends is not the most heinous thing they have ever done, but Cumberbatch’s reaction, although small and humorous, says a lot. It says:”You want a picture? Here, here is my face covered with napkins. Is this not hilarious? Is this what you wanted? Is this better than what you wanted?” He gives them something nonsensical because that is what they are: nonsensical.
Just leave the stars alone and let them eat their lunches, with napkins or without. Also, it would be great if the paparazzi stopped being that hyper girl from 3rd grade who thought every time a boy and a girl spoke it meant they were in love with each other.
Nice post, Jila.
Cumberbatch is giving a nod to the paps, with that napkin over the thing they like to photograph and the thing that identifies him: his quite bizarre, remarkable face.
Like many celebrities, Cumberbatch is now involved a kind of live performance commentary on his own status. You’re trapped because you need the attention and it’s part of the business, but you also hate it. I think the Other Woman is not as used to the paps and so she was commenting on them, and that’s when Cumberbatch did his little schtick.
Oh, by the way, speaking for the other, older woman: Why is it assumed that the actor is dating Johnson, a woman thirteen years his junior who’s wearing silly shoes, rather than the quite nice looking, very well put together, somewhat older woman, who laughs and is charmed by him and who is much closer to his age? She, indeed, may be the “mystery woman,” since we don’t know who she is. I mean, who’s walking next to him down the NYC sidewalk? Imagine that photo with Dakota cropped out…!
Although as I said in an earlier comment, I imagine she is Johnson’s manager.