<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Now here's something straight out of the future: A British actor used his iPhone to land a role in the J.J. Abrams-directed sequel to Star Trek.\nBenedict Cumberbatch is a 35-year-old actor who has appeared in a number of films including War Horse, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy  and Atonement . \nCumberbatch got word last December that Abrams wanted him to audition via videotape for a role in the much-anticipated Star Trek sequel, The New York Times reports. Only problem? Cumberbatch was vacationing in England at the time, and couldn't locate anyone to properly film his tryout. \nSo, the story goes, an \"agitated and weary\" Cumberbatch simply recorded his audition using an iPhone. \n\"I was pretty strung out,\" Cumberbatch tells the Times, \"so that went into the performance.\" \nCumberbatch sent the clip to Abrams, only to be hit with a cruel bit of irony \u2014 Abrams, too, was on vacation and couldn't immediately check out the recording. But he eventually got a look at it and told the Times that Cumberbatch's iPhone-recorded performance was \u201Cone of the most compelling audition readings I\u2019d ever seen.\u201D\nSEE ALSO: How George Takei Went From Star Trek to Social Media Superstar\n\nCumberbatch got the part, although his role has not yet been officially announced. The film blogosphere, however, appears fairly certain Cumberbatch will play the villain Khan.  \nNumerous stars including Justin Bieber have gone from unknown to discovered via YouTube and other tech platforms, but an established actor using a consumer gadget to land a major role appears to be a first.\nCould well-known actors using iPhones to land major roles become a trend in the future? Let us know in the comments.\nThumbnail image courtesy iStockphoto, clearviewstock\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/05/01/actor-uses-iphone-star-trek/>