Benjamin Dennis Scott Sutherland was born in Victoria, British Columbia and raised in the town of Sidney, British Columbia. Growing up, he played competitive sports such as soccer, volleyball, baseball. He attended Lambrick Park Secondary School's Diamond for Excellence Baseball Academy for the duration of his secondary education. His baseball career was cut short, however, when he was injured in a game. His brother encouraged him to take a drama course during his senior year.
After graduation in 2008, Sutherland chose to start a carpentry apprenticeship instead of going to university. He began building custom residential homes on Vancouver Island, in many cases, working alongside his father. During the day he would work construction, and in the evenings he would go to theatres, such as The Belfry and Langham Court, for rehearsals. He trained in Vancouver with two world-renowned acting coaches, Andrew McIlroy and Larry Moss. He ended his carpentry apprenticeship in 2013, with six weeks remaining before his journeyman certification, in order to pursue acting full-time.
Sutherland trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, England, focusing on contemporary theatre, and later began the three-year conservatory program at The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS). He graduated from The National Theatre School in May, 2016.
