Mark Strong Talks Sherlock Holmes Villains (Plural)

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 3, 2008

Mark Strong

Much was made about Guy Ritchie’s coy demeanor when he was asked whether or not his Sherlock Holmes movie, the one where Robert Downey Jr. will play a swashbuckling Holmes, will include Sherlock’s most famous nemesis Professor James Moriarty. And up until now, his potential appearance in the film has been unknown, at least until the film’s known bad guy started talking to the press.

IGN UK caught up with Mark Strong, who plays Holmes’ adversary Lord Blackwood in the film, to chat about his role, a chat which inevitably led to some talk about Moriarty. And in potentially spoilerish fashion, Strong admitted that Moriarty is in the film, “but you don’t really see him. I think he’s there because if the franchise carries on, there’s a possibility that he will appear in a larger guise.

“But for the purposes of this one and the detective narrative, I’m the guy that Sherlock’s after, Lord Blackwood. And he’s a cultist/Satanist lord who is the ultimate cad.”

So if you are okay holding Moriarty off for another film, then you’ll probably be in tune with Ritchie’s flick. If not, then I suppose you are just going to have to deal with it. It is of no consequence to me, because if the movie is solid I don’t care who the villain is. Then again, I’m no purist. That, and Mark Strong is a damn fine actor. He should do well carrying the villainous weight of the film.

Do you require a Moriarty appearance in order to be satisfied with Sherlock Holmes?

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daviedave_47

I've read a plethera of Sherlock Homes adventures over the years (to the extent that I even own that maroon, hard-bound "complete works" edition from B&N), and more often than not, Moriarty wasn't in the stories. Sure, he's one of Holmes's most well known adversaries, but in the canon that was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he was in less than half of them (either directly, or through his not-so-secret manipulations). I am still going to see this movie, whether he makes an appearance or not. As per IMDB, the inclusion of Irene Adler (played by Rachel McAdams) will add some of that Hollywood "spice" (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on how far Ritchie goes, and how true to the story he remains). Mary Morstan is the future Mrs. Watson, so that plays nicely into canon, although they should leave "love" out of the relationship between Holmes and Adler. As per the story "The Scandal in Bohemia," Watson describes in his narrative, "It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind."

Mark Strong Talks Sherlock Holmes Villains (Plural)

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