The media seems to be desperate to pit Jonny Lee Miller against Benedict Cumberbatch – both are successful actors, and are playing the same characters, albeit on two very different shows. Elementary is a reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes legend, with Miller’s Sherlock sidekick Watson played by Lucy Liu instead of a male. On the other hand, BBC’s Sherlock is more traditional, but also excellent. Now, Miller is speaking up and explaining how Benedict is nothing but supportive of the whole endeavor.
He told the mirror, “I would call Benedict up like a groupie after every episode came out and want to talk to him about it. And we had a discussion about this project as well. Benedict has been very, very supportive, and, you know, I wanted to reassure him about how different this script was and project was.
He adds, “We get to show a whole new side to him. At the end of the day, these are just television shows. Is there room on planet earth for another Sherlock Holmes? Yes, I think there probably is. It has been being made for close to 100 years.”
Lucy Liu, who plays Watson, also said, “I know I’m going in and turning this character on it’s head. There is definitely a gender change from what is historically known as Doctor John Watson and a different chemistry that is involved. I think Joan is going to be a wonderful partner to him. She isn’t the perfect person and the flaws are going to make her just as interesting a character as Sherlock.”
