In 2009, the movie “Sherlock Holmes” was released. The next film adaptation of the adventures of the British detective really liked everyone and proved that the plot of Conan Doyle is still able to captivate the minds of viewers of the twenty-first century. In the wake of popularity in the United Kingdom, the series Sherlock was launched, in which the detective’s adventures adapt to modern times. This project also succeeded.
A few years later, US television offered viewers its own version of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the twenty-first century, but moved the scene to New York and entitled the television series Elementary.
What is the series “Elementary” about?
As in all adaptations of the stories about Sherlock Holmes, in the series "Elementary" the main character was this brilliant British detective. However, the creator of the project decided to transform his image, as was said in the slogan of the series "New Holmes, new Watson, New York".
In addition to an outstanding mind and observation, the new Holmes has serious drug addiction, with which he has to constantly fight. It was because of her that Holmes moved to America, leaving his native London and Scotland Yard.
At the time of meeting Sherlock, Watson (in “Elementary” is a woman named Joan) is a curator for former drug addicts, helping them to adapt to a normal life without drugs. Once upon a time, she was a successful surgeon, but due to the death of the patient she left medicine. Having become the curator of Sherlock, she does not allow him to break loose with all her might and at the same time helps him in investigations, and eventually becomes a private detective herself. In addition to investigations, the main characters have to solve a number of ethical problems. It is worth noting that the problem of drug addiction and the fight against it is one of the central themes of the television series, which distinguishes it from other adaptations.
Johnny Lee Miller - The New Sherlock Holmes
The role of the legendary British detective was assigned to the true Englishman Johnny Lee Miller. Popularity for the actor came long before this project. A native of the theater family, from childhood he planned to connect his future with the profession of an actor. At first, his career was not very successful, he was often invited to secondary roles, until in 1995 he got the main role in the movie “Hackers”. This tape glorified the young actor throughout the world. The next successful film with Miller's participation was the cult film "On the Needle" about drug addicts, where he played a drug addict nicknamed Crazy. After Johnny had a period of costume films, where he played either the robber MacLane or the gullible Edmund in the film adaptation of the Mansfield Park novel by Jane Austen.
At the beginning of the two thousandth, he tries his hand at action films and horror films, but he is already less invited to the cinema. Therefore, he gradually switches to television. In 2008, with his participation, the series “Eli Stone” was released, which lasted on the air for two whole seasons. This is followed by a series of episodic roles, until in 2012 he gets a role in the TV series “Elementary”. Of course, in many ways the series is inferior to the British Sherlock, and the actors of Elementary are not so well known to the general public, however, Johnny manages to embody his own incomparable image of Sherlock Holmes on the screen.
It is worth noting that Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch (performer of Holmes in the series "Sherlock") together participated in the theatrical production of Frankenstein and together won the Lawrence Olivier Prize for this work.
Lucy Lew: Watson of the new generation
Before Elementary, an attempt to turn Watson into a woman was made in two films. This idea got accustomed so much that the producers of the new series decided to use it in the new project. The role of the resourceful and fearless workmate of Sherlock Holmes Joan Watson was taken by the American actress Lucy Liu, known to many for the cult film "Kill Bill."
The parents of the future actress come from Taiwan, but Lucy's childhood passed in New York. It is noteworthy that from childhood she spoke Chinese and only before school began to learn English. After leaving school, she began to seriously study Asian languages ​​at the University of Michigan.
Lew began acting in the very beginning of the nineties, at first playing episodic roles in popular American television series. In parallel, Lucy tried to act in films. However, a real breakthrough for her was her participation in the film Shanghai Noon, where she played the role of Princess Pei Pei. In the same year, she played one of Charlie's “angels” in the film of the same name, and a few years later returned to this role in its continuation. Lucy managed to attract attention, and she began to be invited to serious projects. So, she starred in a colorful film adaptation of the musical "Chicago", and in 2003 she received one of the main roles in the Tarantino film "Kill Bill." Her heroine is a former assassin, and after the head of the yakuza O-Ren Ishii. She is ruthless and meanwhile beautiful. The actress managed to create an incredibly memorable and one of the most striking images of the film.
After this role, Lew became a very sought-after actress, but unfortunately, she was rarely given the main roles due to the specific character. Without despair, she began to try herself as a dubbing actress. So, the Viper spoke in her voice in Kung Fu Panda and Jade in the TV series Jackie Chan's Adventures.
In the series “Elementary”, she got used to Joan's image so beautifully that the creators of the project began to devote more screen time to her from the second season, so that many viewers began to get the impression that she, and not Sherlock, was the main character.
It is worth noting that the actress plans to try herself as a director, and it was recently announced that the twenty-second episode of the fourth season of the series “Elementary” will be filmed under the direction of Lucy, who will become the director of this episode.
Aidan Quinn - Inspector Gregson
The performer of the role of captain Gregson - Aidan (Aidan) Quinn is an American, but his parents are from Ireland, so you can say about him that he is also almost Irish. Unlike the book, in the series, Thomas Gregson is a purebred American who met Holmes during his work in London.
The actor, acting as a captain, despite his American origin, is better known to lovers of British and Irish cinema. He began his career in the mid-eighties. At first, he got roles in the episodes, but in 1989 the actor got the main role in the movie "Crusoe". Despite Aidan’s excellent acting, the film did not become very famous. But the actor himself was often invited to act in films, though these were mainly low-budget projects. The next notable breakthrough is the role in the film Legends of Autumn. After that, the actor is assigned the glory of the performer of secondary roles. Over the years, he has acted in films and television. Unfortunately, most of his films have not been translated into Russian.
New character by John Michael Hill
If all of the above “Elementary” actors play the roles of heroes who were in the original work, then Detective Marcus Bell, who often has to deal with Sherlock and Joan, is a new character. It was specially created for the series. John Michael Hill - the performer of this role is the youngest of all the permanent staff of the project. Prior to that, he also starred in detective series. Although while other Elementary actors stormed the film industry, John was more interested in theater. During his career, he participated in two Shakespearean productions of King Lear and Midsummer Night's Dream.
It is worth noting that Hill was nominated for various prestigious American theater awards. And although his achievements against the background of the project partners are rather modest, I want to believe that his talent will still allow him to break into serious projects.
The series “Elementary” is a pretty good attempt to recreate the history of Sherlock Holmes on the screen if he lived in our time.
For many years, the actors of "Elementary" continue to delight their viewers with a great game. The project also attracts with unobtrusive elegant decorations and incredibly interesting crimes using the latest achievements of science and technology. I would like to hope that for many more years the audience will be able to meet with the favorite characters of the series “Elementary”.