Re: Benedict Cumberbatch's Rising Sign
Scorpio rising? Eh, I'm not sure. He doesn't really give off an intense vibe like that. Most Scorpio risings seem to have a laser-like look to them, as if they're squinting to get a good look at something. Benedict actually has a somewhat calm, almost ethereal look to his face. It could be due to the fact that his eyes are far apart (which contributes to the alien quality) but he just never seems to look particularly piercing or even all that focused in photographs.
I'm still thinking Leo rising, which would put Venus, Merc, and Saturn on the AC. I feel like the Saturn influence on his ascendant is what gives him that great, prominent bone structure. Mercury would contribute to the bright eyes, I think. But I guess the problem is that I have a hard time separating him from his character of Sherlock, who seems very much to be a Cancer-Aquarius-Aries mix of some sort--maybe an Aquarius Sun, Cancer Moon, and Aries Rising or Aries Sun, Cancer Moon, and Aquarius Rising.