Benedict Cumberbatch is surprised at how "fragile" he continues to be.

The 49-year-old actor has been in the spotlight for over a decade but explained how he chooses to avoid the intense glare of social media because of the insecurities he has.

In an interview with Sky News, Benedict said: "I am shocked at how fragile I am still.

"I don't go anywhere near it (social media) because of that.

"It's like walking into a place where people want to marry you or kill you. Those extremes.

"I think we will get to a stage, a corporate culture that's now manifested around it when people are obliged to do that in order to sell their lives, and therefore their brand and what they do for a living."

Benedict stars in the new black comedy movie The Roses alongside Olivia Colman, who shares the same approach to social media as the Sherlock actor.

The Oscar-winning actress said: "I'm afraid I am very thin-skinned.

"I don't look at any of it. My husband will look at a review and if it's nice he'll show me - but if it's anything mean he knows to just go 'don't look - don't look.'

"You just have to learn to be thicker-skinned.

"But actually, I think we need people who are sensitive and kind."

Olivia admits that no amount of experience or praise can protect her from criticism and urged aspiring performers to stay well away from social media.

The 51-year-old star said: "My advice to a young'un - sort of dipping their toe into the world of social media for the first time is absolutely don't do it.

"Delete it all. If you want a happy life, don't have any of it. I've never had it."

The Roses is a new take on the 1989 movie The War of the Roses - which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in the lead roles - but both Cumberbatch and Colman, who serve as producers on the flick, insist that they weren't daunted by trying to live up to the original.

Benedict said: "We wanted to find a project to do together, and we have utter respect for the iconic status of the film and book.

"Hopefully this will have its own place in the culture - it's very different, it's not a remake - it's a reimagined jumping-on point."

Olivia added: "But beyond that, it's very different."