From Superman to Sherlock, Henry Cavill just loves playing iconic characters

Henry Cavill says he is more than happy to play a secondary character in 'Enola Holmes'. Photo: Relaxnews

Having already taken on iconic roles before – Clark Kent aka Superman in the film Man Of Steel, and Geralt Of Rivia, the monster hunter, in the series The Witcher – actor Henry Cavill says he didn’t feel any pressure stepping into another iconic character.

The 37-year-old Englishman assumes the identity of Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film Enola Holmes, which is based on a series of novels by Nancy Springer.

In a virtual roundtable interview with Asian journalists that StarLifestyle participated in, Cavill said: “I’m quite an old hand now, at (playing) some of these big characters with lots of pressure. I’ve never really felt the pressure when it comes to taking on these roles. It’s more a sense of excitement.

“It has been the case for Superman and it has been the case for the Witcher. And it is the case also for Sherlock.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to play these roles. I love it, and I hope to play them all for many years to come. We will see how things go.”

Millie Bobby Brown, left, and Henry Cavill in a scene from 'Enola Holmes'.. Photo: Netflix

But unlike Man Of Steel and The Witcher, Enola Holmes doesn’t centre on Cavill's character.

As the title indicates, it focuses on his younger sister Enola (played by Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown), who seems to have Sherlock’s power of observation and deduction.

Only problem is, unlike Sherlock, Enola has to put up with a 19th century society that doesn’t tolerate women stepping out of their traditional role.

But, like a true rebellious teenager, Enola tries to change the norm just by being herself. Luckily, her older brother seems to be siding her viewpoint as well.

Cavill said it was an enjoyable experience to play a supporting role in Enola Holmes and a supporting actor to Millie. “I loved every second of it. It was wonderful to speak with director Harry Bradbeer and Millie about moulding my character.”

According to the star, his approach to a role has always been to focus on doing the job at hand, and to work with the director as well as his co-stars to tell the best story that they possibly can.

“If you have an understanding of the characters, and how different they are, then it’s just about playing that character. It’s not just because these characters may be iconic or legendary or sort of an epic type hero – which certainly applies in the case of Superman and the Witcher – it doesn’t mean that they are the same in any way, shape, or form.

“So, for me, it’s always about delving into different parts of my personality and applying it to these characters. For Sherlock, Harry and I worked together very closely throughout the rehearsals to find something in Sherlock, which was strongly connected to me. And that was the emotional side of him.”

That’s right. Enola Holmes’ Sherlock has a strong connection to his emotions and respects women... which is a bit out of character from how Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock in his books.

So much so, it was reported back in June that the Conan Doyle Estate had filed a lawsuit against Netflix, claiming the film’s depiction of Sherlock having emotions violates Doyle’s copyright.

Cavill, however, argued: “In this story, it’s important that Sherlock has that open emotionality because without it, Enola doesn’t have the same support that she needs in that society to allow her to become this incredible woman that she is becoming.

“Having that emotional connection between Enola and Sherlock deepens the relationship, and just makes it that much more applicable and it strengthens the connective tissue for us and as a viewer and the message of the movie.”