Benedict Cumberbatch cuts a sharp figure in a smart black suit as he attends The Power Of The Dog premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival

Benedict Cumberbatch cut a sharp figure as he attended The Power Of The Dog premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday.

The actor, 45, looked smart in a smart black suit as he posed for pictures and chatted to press on the red carpet.

Benedict teamed his two-piece suit with a crisp white shirt and black tie, finishing off his look with shiny black shoes. 

The Sherlock star appeared in good spirits as he struck a pose in front of the camera while promoting his latest movie. 

Benedict was joined on the red carpet by co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee, 25, who got the memo and also donned a black suit for the occasion.   

In The Power of the Dog, Benedict plays 'sadistic rancher' Phil Burbank who strikes up a relationship with Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). 

While Cumberbatch isn't gay, he revealed in an interview with IndieWire that they did speak about him playing a gay character often, adding, 'It wasn’t done without thought.' 

'I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion,' he said at the Telluride Film Festival. 

'One of the appeals of the job was the idea that in this world, with this specific character, there was a lot that was private, hidden from view,' he added.

While it's never specifically stated what his character's sexual preference is, the actor has played a gay man before, portraying Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. 

'It wasn’t done without thought. I also feel slightly like, is this a thing where our dance card has to be public? Do we have to explain all our private moments in our sexual history? I don’t think so,' he added.

He also mentioned that director Jane Campion, 'chose us as actors to play those roles. That’s her question to answer.'

Kodi, 25, who plays Peter is also a straight man, but he said there was a lot about his character that he relates to.

He explained that he felt 'in touch with my feminine side', explaining that he was raised by his mother and sister.

Kodi added that playing the role was 'experimental' and 'beautiful'.

The Power of the Dog will debut in cinemas November 17 before arriving on Netflix December 1.