Exclusive | Hero Fiennes Tiffin on Becoming 'Young Sherlock' In Guy Ritchie's Series

There are few fictional characters whose afterlife has been as prolific as Sherlock Holmes. Since Arthur Conan Doyle first introduced the detective in the late 19th century, the character has migrated across continents, languages and media with remarkable durability. In India, Holmes has long enjoyed a particularly devoted readership and viewership, his razor-sharp deductions echoing through everything from paperback translations and school library shelves to television adaptations and film screenings.

With that history comes a certain weight of expectation. Each new Holmes inevitably enters into conversation with the ones before him — whether it’s the definitive television portrayal of Jeremy Brett, the modernised brilliance of Benedict Cumberbatch, or the swaggering Victorian adventurer played by Robert Downey Jr. in Guy Ritchie’s films.

Now comes another reinterpretation: Young Sherlock, a coming-of-age take on the legendary detective that traces his early years at Oxford and imagines the formative relationships that shaped him. At its centre is Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who takes on the daunting task of playing a younger version of literature’s most famous detective — long before the deerstalker, the violin and the Baker Street address have fully taken shape.

In an exclusive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Fiennes Tiffin speaks about stepping into the long shadow of Sherlock Holmes, collaborating again with Ritchie after The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and why the show’s most radical twist might prove its most compelling idea yet.

Prime Video’s 'Young Sherlock'Courtesy of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.

Edited excerpts

THR India: What was your first reaction when you were approached to play Sherlock — especially because this is an origin story of such an iconic character.

Hero Fiennes Tiffin: Yeah, I’ve always been a huge fan of Sherlock, and also a huge fan of Guy Ritchie. I was lucky enough to work with Guy on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. So when they said they wanted to approach me to play Sherlock in Young Sherlock, I said, “I’m in.” And then they said Guy Ritchie was involved, and I said, “I’m already in.” It’s hard to find the words. It’s just such an iconic role that I’ve always been a fan of, and I’m a fan of Guy’s too. So yeah, I mean, it’s hard to think of anything more exciting. I was over the moon.

THR India: Since you’ve been such a fan — and Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed by legends from Jeremy Brett to Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. — what did your conversation with yourself look like when you were stepping into that legacy? Or what did your conversation with Guy Ritchie look like? It can be intimidating, right?

HFT: A hundred percent, yeah. I feel like it’s kind of a double-edged sword. Because so many people have played him before, and being a fan myself, if I weren’t involved and I saw another iteration of Sherlock, I’d be ready to criticise or I’d have opinions about whether the character was done right.

So I did feel the pressure in that sense. But also, so many people have done it so many times — and they’ll do it again. I feel like it’s a character that will keep going forever. So in a way, you’re in good company.

I don’t think feeling that pressure too much is ever that helpful. And when you’re in the hands of Guy Ritchie — especially because he knows the character of Sherlock Holmes so well and has done it before with Robert Downey Jr. — you feel reassured. He’s just incredibly intelligent and capable when it comes to telling these stories. So that pressure quickly went away because I knew I was in good hands.

THR India: Speaking of Guy Ritchie, he’s known for his very kinetic visual style. Can you tell us about a moment when his direction shaped your performance — or when his decisiveness pushed you to take a risk you otherwise wouldn’t have?

HFT: That’s a great question. His style is very unique and spontaneous. He likes to change things last minute — even down to giving you three pages of dialogue when you were supposed to have one line in the scene, and giving you very little time to learn it.

But at the same time, in terms of the way he shoots, he knows exactly where he’s going to cut. So he can help you deliver those lines in the best way possible, even if you haven’t had as much time with them as you’d like. As much as he likes to throw oddballs at you and keep you on your toes, he’s also very considerate and helpful in making sure that it translates well on screen. You don’t feel hung out to dry.

It’s definitely challenging, but he’s very supportive. There are moments where you’re nervous to deliver lines well because you’ve only just been given them, but he’s going to help you get there.

THR India: Was there a particular moment on set — or a scene — where you really felt like you and Sherlock clicked?

HFT: Good question. I think it might actually have been after filming, when I saw the first few episodes and thought, “OK, I think we’ve done a good job here.” During filming you always have doubts. You don’t want to get complacent — you want to stay vigilant and stay on top of it. So I don’t think I ever let myself feel like I’d completely nailed the character.

I often joke that you only really understand your character on the last day of filming. And maybe that’s what keeps you good — as soon as you get complacent, you probably won’t perform your best.

THR India: Many origin stories reset what we think we know about familiar characters. What’s the one thing about Sherlock’s early life that you think this series reveals that no other adaptation has really explored?

HFT: I think it’s the friendship with Moriarty. A lot of people are going to say, “Wait — they were never friends.” But our showrunner, Matthew Parkhill, is very well researched and has all the answers in terms of why we’re exploring the things we’re exploring. Sherlock always needs a counterpart — often that’s Watson. But in our version, in Young Sherlock, it’s Moriarty.

Once people get over the initial shock, I think they’ll realise how fun that is to explore. You’re watching two characters who are friends — but as fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s work, we know they can’t stay friends forever. Watching that plane slowly heading towards a crash is going to be really fun.

And beyond that, like any good origin story, we’re mapping Sherlock’s growth — his fighting ability, his deductive skills, his friendship with Moriarty, his relationship with his family. Seeing all of that develop is going to be exciting for audiences.

THR India: That’s interesting, because that was one of the first things that surprised me too. Tell me a little more about Sherlock’s dynamic with Moriarty. As someone who grew up admiring the character, did it challenge how you think about Sherlock’s moral compass?

HFT: Yeah, that’s a great question. At first I was like, “Oh no — I’m excited to hate Moriarty!” So it took a bit of recalibrating in my brain to set aside what I know as a fan. Because a young Sherlock wouldn’t know that he’s ultimately not going to stay friends with Moriarty. Once I got over that, it became a really fun dynamic to explore.

We meet them both at Oxford, surrounded by some of the most intelligent minds in the world, but they still somehow rise to the top. They’re both brilliant, but in very different ways. They complement each other — they both excel intellectually but bring different strengths. So they make a really great team. I think audiences are going to love watching that — even though, as fans, we know where it eventually leads.

THR India: I want to know a bit about your process. You mentioned you don’t use music — so what is your way into a character? And Sherlock Holmes always has certain quirks. Every actor brings their own little detail. What’s something about your Sherlock that you hope audiences notice?

HFT: First of all, I’ve been loving all your questions. For me, the main thing is always the script. I try to really get to know it inside out and start from there. But this was different because I was already such a fan of Sherlock. I had to compartmentalise what I already knew and focus only on the version in our script.

It was important to be careful about where we start when we first meet him, because this is an origin story. You don’t want to play the fully formed Sherlock Holmes that everyone already knows, otherwise there’s no growth. But you also can’t start too far away from that, or people will think, “That’s not Sherlock.” And of course, you hope you get more seasons so you can continue mapping that journey and showing how he evolves. Fingers crossed we do.

In terms of quirks, for me a lot of it comes down to body language. When you get into costume, that’s often the moment where it clicks and you start to feel how the character moves and stands. With Sherlock, I thought a lot about curiosity and awareness. His chin might be slightly raised because he’s always scanning the room, always observing. He’s acutely aware of posture and his surroundings. It’s almost like an animal when its senses are heightened — Sherlock’s senses are almost always heightened. So he stands a bit straighter, his eyes are always searching. That physicality became one of my ways into the character, and hopefully audiences will notice that.