The main cast of BBC’s Sherlock won the hearts of the audience, but it could have had a very different John Watson. Created by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet, and it was so popular he continued solving all types of cases in various series of short stories. Since then, the Great Detective has been adapted to all types of media, the most recent ones being Guy Ritchie’s films (Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), CBS’ Elementary, and the BBC’s Sherlock.
Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, Sherlock is a modern version of the famous detective, his cases, and all those around him. The series stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as John Watson, who come across with some notable characters from Conan Doyle’s stories, such as Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) and Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), with modern-day London as main setting. The first episodes were very well received, making way for three more seasons and one special episode, and one of the most praised elements were the performances of Cumberbatch and Freeman.
Cumberbatch and Freeman’s versions of Sherlock and Watson were very popular among fans of the source material, but Sherlock could have had a very different John Watson, one that ended up playing another iconic character, also produced by Moffat.
In 2010, Moffat revealed that the first time he met Matt Smith was when he auditioned for the role of John Watson in Sherlock. Moffat explained that he “didn’t have a chance in hell of getting” the role because he was “clearly more of a Sherlock Holmes than a Dr. Watson” and there was something “a bit barmy about him”. Smith couldn’t be considered for the role of Sherlock Holmes either as Cumberbatch was already cast, so he was out. At the time, Smith had only starred in TV films and a couple of TV shows, as well as two films, and was mostly known for his stage work.
That failed Sherlock audition wasn’t a waste of time at all, as it helped Smith get the role of the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who shortly after. Since then, Smith has appeared in various projects, most notably Terminator Genisys, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Patient Zero, The Crown, and the upcoming films Morbius and Last Night in Soho. Martin Freeman got the role because Moffat found his chemistry with Cumberbatch to be the best, and he wasn’t wrong. Freeman’s career also boomed after Sherlock, appearing in big projects like The Hobbit trilogy and is now part of the MCU, where he plays Everett Ross. John Watson wasn’t a role made for Matt Smith, but that experience ended up opening more doors for him.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/32dMHUl
0 Comments