Elementary cast: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn and John Michael Hill

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In 2009, the film "Sherlock Holmes" was released. Everyone liked the next adaptation of the adventures of the British detective and proved that the plot of Conan Doyle is still able to captivate the minds of the audience of the twenty-first century. On the wave of popularity in the United Kingdom, the series Sherlock was launched, in which the detective's adventures are adapted to the present. 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 setting to New York and titled the television series "Elementary".

What is Elementary about?

As in all adaptations of the stories about Sherlock Holmes, this brilliant British detective became the main character in the series "Elementary". However, the creator of the project decided to transform his image, as was stated in the slogan of the series "New Holmes, new Watson, New York".

Exceptoutstanding mind and observation, the new Holmes has a 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" this is a woman named Joan) is a handler for former drug addicts, helping them adapt to a normal drug-free life. Once upon a time, she was a successful surgeon, but due to the death of a patient, she left medicine. Having become Sherlock's curator, she does not let him 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 is the new Sherlock Holmes

The role of the legendary British detective was entrusted to the true Englishman Johnny Lee Miller. The popularity of the actor came long before this project. Being from a theatrical family, he planned from childhood to link his future with the profession of an actor. At first, his career was not very successful, he was often invited to minor roles, until in 1995 he got the main role in the movie "Hackers". This tape glorified the young actor all over the world. The next successful picture with the participation of Miller was the cult film about drug addicts Trainspotting, where he played a drug addict named Crazy. After Johnny had a period of costume films, where he playedrobber McLain, then gullible Edmund in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.

At the beginning of the 2000s, he tries his hand at action and horror films, but he is less invited to the cinema. Therefore, he gradually moves 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 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, but Johnny manages to embody his own incomparable image of Sherlock Holmes on the screen.

It's worth noting that Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Holmes in the TV series Sherlock) took part in the theater production of Frankenstein together and were jointly awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for this work.

Lucy Liu: New Generation Watson

Before Elementary, the attempt to turn Watson into a woman was made in two films. This idea took root so much that the producers of the new series decided to use it in the new project. The role of the resourceful and fearless partner of Sherlock Holmes, Joan Watson, was given to American actress Lucy Liu, known to many from the cult film Kill Bill.

The parents of the future actress are from Taiwan, but Lucy spent her childhood in New York. It is noteworthy that from childhood she spoke Chinese and only before school began to studyEnglish. After leaving school, she began to study Asian languages seriously at the University of Michigan.

Lu started acting in the early nineties, at first playing episodic roles in popular American television series. In parallel, Lucy tried to act in films. However, the real breakthrough for her was the 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 she returned to this role in its sequel. Lucy managed to attract attention, and she was invited to serious projects. So, she starred in a colorful adaptation of the musical "Chicago", and in 2003 she received one of the main roles in the Tarantino film "Kill Bill". Her character is a former assassin, and after the head of the yakuza, O-Ren Ishii. She is ruthless and beautiful at the same time. The actress managed to create an incredibly memorable and one of the most striking images of the film.

After this role, Liu became a very sought-after actress, but unfortunately, she was rarely given the main roles because of her specific type. Not despairing, she began to try herself as a dubbing actress. So, Viper spoke in her voice in Kung Fu Panda and Jade in the TV series Jackie Chan Adventures.

In the series "Elementary" she got used to the image of Joan so well that the creators of the project began to devote more screen time to her from the second season, so many viewers began to get the impression that she, and not Sherlock, is the main character.

It's worth noting that the actress is planning to try her hand at directing, and it was recently announced that the twenty-second episode of the fourth season of Elementary will be directed by Lucy, who will direct this episode.

Aidan Quinn - Inspector Gregson

Captain Gregson's 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 full-blooded American who met Holmes while working in London.

The actor who plays the captain, despite his American origin, is better known to fans of British and Irish cinema. He began his career in the mid-eighties. At first, he got roles in episodes, but in 1989 the actor received the main role in the film Crusoe. Despite Aidan's excellent acting work, the film did not become very famous. But the actor himself was often invited to appear, although these were mostly low-budget projects. The next notable breakthrough is the role in the film "Legends of Autumn". After that, the glory of the performer of secondary roles is assigned to the actor. For many years he has acted in films and on television. Unfortunately, most of his films have not been translated into Russian.

New character by John Michael Hill

If all of the above actors of "Elementary" play the roles of heroes who were inoriginal work, then detective Marcus Bell, with whom Sherlock and Joan often have to deal, is a new character. It was specially created for the series. John Michael Hill - the performer of this role is the youngest of the entire permanent cast of the project. Prior to that, he also starred in detective series. Although while the rest of the Elementary cast was taking the film industry by storm, John was more into the theatre. During his career, he has appeared in two Shakespeare productions of King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It is worth noting that Hill was nominated for various prestigious American theater awards. And although his achievements against the backdrop of project partners are rather modest, I would like to believe that his talent will still allow him to break into serious projects.

Elementary is a pretty good attempt to recreate on screen the story of Sherlock Holmes if he lived in our time.

For many years, the actors of "Elementary" continue to please their audience with a great game. The project also attracts with unobtrusive elegant scenery and incredibly interesting crimes using the latest achievements of science and technology. I would like to hope that for many more years viewers will be able to meet their favorite characters from the TV series Elementary.