One of the most scandalous adaptations of the legendary "Sherlock Holmes" showed us the characters in a completely different light. The plot is built around the confrontation of two geniuses of our time - Sherlock and Moriarty. A brilliant sociopath and a crazy villain who had too much inquisitive mind to join our usual society, blew the audience’s brain with exquisite puzzles and mysterious crimes. What is hidden behind this rivalry of great minds and what is the secret to the success of the project?
Moriarty's Role: Actor's Choice
According to the director of the series, Moriarty was originally planned as a secondary character, however, the team approached the choice of an actor for his role very seriously. The scenario that the applicants were supposed to play was extremely ridiculous, and many obviously could not grasp the perception of the image of Moriarty. However, Andrew Scott appeared on the scene, and he was great! The team at the same moment approved him for the role, which simply doomed the success of both this character and the entire project. Andrew’s choice for this role was one of the most successful decisions, because in the end the character gained almost the same popularity with the audience as Sherlock himself performed by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Andrew Scott Character
The actor deliberately did not begin to revise the other adaptations of "Sherlock" in order to understand himself what image of the villain he wants to present to the viewer. Sherlock and Moriarty are both extraordinary personalities, and this was to be demonstrated to the public in the most favorable light. In his interview, Andrew tells how exactly he came to the image of Moriarty: "I did not want to copy anyone, at some point I just imagined how evil I was personally ... and the image itself surfaced in my mind." Andrew tried out a rather eccentric manner of speech (a sharp transition from normal to high tone) before filming, and the director immediately approved it, as she especially emphasized the character’s slight madness and lack of balance. The actor’s funny Irish accent was also decided to be left, because the surname Moriarty is of Irish descent. By the way, it was for this series that some categories of British viewers disliked.
Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty Relations
Being outstanding individuals, both characters inevitably suffer from boredom in our everyday world, full of mediocre people. When a serious enemy appears on the horizon, Sherlock is immediately enthusiastically involved in the game. Like Moriarty, he does not care about the struggle between good and evil, only the confrontation of minds, charging for the brain. At first, he really does not see much difference between himself and Moriarty, because for each other they are the best cure for boredom. However, over time, Sherlock learns true friendship, people begin to surround him, ready to take care of him and even sacrifice himself. This greatly changes Sherlock and his perception of life. In the end, he has to choose the side of good or evil, self-sacrifice for dear people or a selfish continuation of the game.
The riddle of the brilliant villain
Moriarty is also unbearably suffering from boredom, and his only fun are mind games with Sherlock Holmes. He looks like a cruel child without brakes, who fell into euphoria from a piece of cake eaten. Moriarty has fun, but behind this joy lurks a deep longing and loneliness. Andrew Scott perfectly conveyed this character’s inconsistency. Sherlock and Moriarty are like two sides of the same coin, no matter how corny it sounds. Sometimes they look just terrifying, and sometimes they appear before the audience with charm itself ...
What will happen next?
It is known that the release of season 5 of the project is planned for January 1, 2019, however, according to Benedict, the continuation of the series remains open to question. There are several reasons for this: on the one hand, there is a heavy workload of actors, both of Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, on the other hand, rather tense relations between the actors. It is curious that for 6 years of filming, Sherlock’s best friend in the plot in real life, ironically, became friends with Andrew Scott - Moriarty. In any case, the audience eagerly awaits the return of Moriarty and Sherlock to the screens, because the plot line of season 4 leaves a lot of puzzles, the resolution of which promises the next season.