From all indications, director Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes is not going to feature the contemplative detective that we have come to know through countless films and TV shows, but rather a more visceral version of the character. Actor Robert Downey Jr., who will portray Holmes to Jude Law's Dr. Watson, said that portraying the character was very demanding.
I am kicking ass for two-and-a-half hours, and all this stuff I've been learning for five years [is applied]. Suddenly, I'm co-choreographing with these veteran stunt guys and bad-asses. And I'm in there, having this meat-eating, man-slaughtering competition with these guys, and then, at the same time, playing a very reserved Brit. And that, to me, was a massive education and just a process.
While Downey Jr. said that his role in Holmes was "technically really difficult," it was his Oscar-nominated role as black-faced Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder that really took its toll on him.
Whatever it was, it was just this massive catharsis for some reason. And then, after that, I was like, "Oh well, now that space is empty." All this kind of venom, rage, discomfort, and hiding behind things stuff kind of went away.