SAN DIEGO -- Robert Downey Jr. has three words for Sherlock Holmes fans who worry that his portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth departs too radically from traditional iconography: Do your homework. Describing his approach to the character at a Comic-Con International press conference Friday, Downey said: "My take is what the 'puritans' would expect, if the puritans know what they're talking about, that is."
Most notably, the detective's wardrobe got a makeover as Downey, director Guy Ritchie and screenwriter Lionel Wigram revisited the source material. "Right off the bat, many of the props associated with Holmes never appeared in the novels and short stories," said Downey, "except the deer-hunter hat, maybe once, for a minute, and even then it was described differently."
As for the pipe, actor William Gillette, who portrayed Holmes 1,300 times on stage, popularized that prop, not Doyle, Downey said: "These things aren't really quite accurate. We went back as much as we could, without wanting to be reverent beyond repair, to how Doyle explained the characters."
Downey hinted that he'd be happy to make more Holmes movies should this first installment, co-starring Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, becomes a hit when it opens in December. "If the material is still good and you love working with the people, then, why not?" he said. "After researching Doyle and getting to make something big together with Joel Silver and Rachel and Jude, Sherlock Holmes has been such a life-changing experience that I'm down for the cause."
Central to the movie's dramatic dynamic is the relationship between Holmes and Watson, portrayed by Law. When Downey jokingly described the intense relationship between the two characters as "circumstantial homosexuality," the actor's wife, Susan, a producer on the film, grimaced. Downey said: "This is me after lunch, honey — what do you want from me?"
Then, more seriously, Downey mentioned Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as a point of reference. "We kept talking about getting into the spirit of 'What does it mean when two people are so close they almost can't stand each other, but they can't stand on their own without each other?' We felt Doyle was giving us a first look at what was essentially a two-hander."
*Sherlock Holmes *opens Dec. 26.
*Photo of Sherlock Holmes featuring, left to right, Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams courtesy Warner Bros. *
See also:
- Ritchie’s *Sherlock Holmes *Won’t Skimp on Action, Humor
- Ritchie Throws Action, Homeless Man Into Sherlock Holmes
- Ferrell, Cohen Re-Team in Sherlock Holmes Movie
- Sherlock Holmes Takes on Lupin in New Adventure Game
- Downey, Ritchie Make It Official With Holmes Presser
- Doctor Who’s Moffat Prepping 21st-Century Sherlock
