Robert Downey Jr. on Conan Doyle and Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes 2
Robert Downey Jr.: Well, I believe that, like a good Sherlock Holmes tale, you kind of are wondering where it's all going to wind up. And you're pleasantly surprised when you find out... Again, you know, I think a lot of reading a great story happens in your head. And you're developing the imagery. Obviously, we take care of that somewhat. But I think it's really got a good sense of fun. It's got a good heart to it. It's really kind of emotionally weighty. And I think it's probably the closest thing to a real Conan Doyle, Holmes versus Moriarty story, that's been depicted yet. So that makes me particularly proud.
He's just kind of been doing a lot of research and snoopage. Of course his dear fellow Watson has moved on with a real life of sorts. With Mary and all that. And I think Holmes has just done what he said he was going to do. That he reopened the case on Moriarty and he's probably wondering if and how Adler, how Irene is going to be cut up in that web of deception. So I think he's really quite concerned. He takes it seriously.
I'd hand it to Arthur Conan Doyle in that he's referred to so often in this kind of... It's almost like he's given authority by the way others describe him and the after effects you see him have on people. So it's very dramatically kind of fun, you know. You see people dropping like flies as a result of the fact that this force of nature has been in their midst. It's kind of the first super-villain in modern literature. And also it must just be an incredibly fun role to play. Because by the time you show up, everyone is kind of mortified. It's like, what's it gonna be like, you know.
Robert Downey Jr. also talks about Moriarty and the rest of the story of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
