To say that Henry Cavill is one of the finest judges of character wouldn’t be an understatement if talking about all the roles he has to choose to embody for the screen.
His thoroughly successful career with little to no failed roles further backs up this claim, as almost every single one of his roles has received critical acclaim. Yet, there was one role offered to him, which resulted in doubts related to whether he should accept.
This role, which had previously been taken over by Robert Downey Jr. besides multiple others, was that of none other than the mastermind detective, Sherlock Holmes. Cavill did play the character as immaculately as was realistically possible.
His epic performance garnered acclaim from both fans and critics alike. However, it’s almost unbelievable to know that he didn’t always consider himself perfect for the role!
Henry Cavill Didn’t See Himself As Befitting To Play Sherlock Holmes
For those who don’t know, Henry Cavill played the older brother of Millie Bobby Brown‘s Enola Holmes, i.e. Sherlock Holmes, in the Enola Holmes film series. The franchise was centered around the titular character with Sherlock acting as a supporting character.
But even as a supporting character, the Man of Steel star made sure to give one of the finest performances of his entire career. This was despite the fact that he never expected himself to play the character even after he got offered the same.
When the script for the film landed on his desk, he had a peculiar reaction. “Okay, cool, I’ll give it a read. […] I’m not too sure if I fit into this,” he had said, something he shared during his appearance on the Empire Magazine podcast. After reading the script:
“I spoke to my agent and I said, ‘Okay, so who am I reading – like, why have you sent this to me?’ And they went, ‘Well, it’s for Sherlock. They want you to play Sherlock.’ And I was like, ‘No! You’re kidding me, right?'”
Continuing, he expressed how much he was “in love with the story,” and how “absolutely great” and “special” he found it all to be, especially referring to the emotional character between his and Brown’s character. Just like that, he initially deemed himself unfit to embody the very character that multiple other A-listers before him like Robert Downey Jr. played. However, Henry Cavill ended up bagging the role and gave one of his finest performances thus far.
At The Same Time, Henry Cavill Had A Terrific Experience Of Playing Sherlock Holmes
During the same interview, Henry Cavill also talked about how different yet equally significant his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes was. Although his version was a more modern one, it didn’t cease to include some of the character’s traditional aspects that define him.
Cavill revealed how “wonderful” it was to be given an opportunity “to play something which is a bit different” than what has been depicted before in multiple “bloody well” iterations of the character, since this time, he wasn’t the main but rather a supporting character. Cavill then shared his entire experience of being a part of it, saying:
“By nature, I’m a loyalist, and I can be a bit of a psychopath when it comes to law, and when it comes to doing things just as it says in the book. But, this time around, because it has been done by so many people and has been done fantastically well, I got to have a bit of freedom.”
Further elaborating on his comment about getting a bit of freedom to “play with the character”, the Immortals star said:
“I got to play the character with more of a deep connection and hook into who I am as a human being, and how I would have treated a young Enola if I were Sherlock Holmes. And so, it was a lot of fun to play, as you say, and I enjoyed these experiences enormously.”
All in all, Henry Cavill may have been unsure about his own capabilities, but that didn’t stop him from playing one of the best Sherlock Holmes on the screen, ever!
