Drew Williams
Kristen Anzelc
Courtsey of Prime Video
and Amazon MGM Studios
When asked what went through his mind the first time he read the script for Young Sherlock, Hero Fiennes Tiffin doesn’t romanticize it. “Maybe, what the hell is going on?” he says, smiling. “I thought, ‘I don’t know which professor’s which, and this is a complex, layered story, as you expect any Sherlock story to be.’”
It’s a disarmingly honest answer — the world of Sherlock Holmes has always been meticulous and multi-layered, demanding attention to every clue. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1927, Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant London consulting detective known for his powers of deduction, forensic insight, and mastery of disguise, famously chronicled by his loyal companion Dr. Watson. In this new origin series, directed and executive produced by Guy Ritchie, the mythology begins earlier in Sherlock’s life; before the polish, before the certainty, before the legend.
For Fiennes Tiffin, that initial confusion quickly turned into excitement. “Once I started to really understand the script and the story, it was pure excitement,” he says.
“I’ve always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Guy Ritchie, so telling the story with him at the wheel was a treat.”
He was on holiday in Thailand when the opportunity arrived. “I said to my team, let’s maybe take a break from work. But then when they say Guy Ritchie wants you to play a young Sherlock Holmes, you put everything on hold happily,” he recalls. “I’d worked with Guy before on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, so I knew his style. He’s very different from any other director I’ve worked with, and he’s exceptional. That experience gave me a good sense of how he operates for a bigger challenge like this.”
Following the success of the After film series, Young Sherlock
offers Fiennes Tiffin a chance to explore new territory. “I’m so grateful for all the
support I
got from the After fanbase. It will always be the first lead role I had, and I learned
so
much
from that experience,” he says. Now he’s expanding his range, and working with Guy
Ritchie
allows him to take on challenges that feel fresh. “I’ve always had an ethos of wanting
to do
something different from the last role,” he says.
“I wanted to explore something that aligned with the thriller genre, which is the kind of story I like to watch, and Guy Ritchie has a strong foothold there.”
Working with Ritchie means embracing spontaneity—dialogue is often rewritten on set, with lines and rhythms adjusted in real time. “One of the first things I tell anyone who’s about to work with Guy is to get some sleep and be ready for anything,” Fiennes Tiffin says. “Even if you think your acting might take a hit because you don’t know the updated material as well, you’re in good hands with him — he’s never going to make you look bad.”
Playing a younger Sherlock Holmes requires balancing intelligence with volatility, observation with impulsivity. “The most fun but also most challenging part was mapping out all these traits. We weren’t playing the fully polished character, because then what’s the point of an origin story? But we also had to be similar enough for audiences to believe he will become the detective we all know and love,” he explains.
For Fiennes Tiffin, preparation is practical rather than theatrical. “My prep was more script-specific, reading the scripts multiple times and making sure I knew how I wanted to document the journey,” he says. No curated playlists or rituals, though costume fittings offered a crucial turning point.
For Young Sherlock, it was the costume boots that made the difference for Fiennes Tiffin. “I wear trainers most of the time, so when I put on the period-appropriate boots, they really informed me of how my posture should be to embody this character.” The costuming team blended contemporary tailoring with Victorian sensibility, to match Ritchie’s aesthetic. “To the untrained eye, you’d fully believe they’re from the time period,” he says. “But there’s just something you can’t quite put your finger on that makes it feel heightened and stylized.”
That stylization never eclipses the emotional core, especially in the scenes opposite Joseph Fiennes, who plays Sherlock’s father, and is, in real life, Fiennes Tiffin’s uncle. “At the start of any project, I felt self-doubt and imposter syndrome,” he admits. “You build up confidence, and then when Joe came in, all that confidence went out the window again. Because this is not just Uncle Joe — this is Joseph Fiennes, a sensational actor who I would just want to impress.”
Those nerves didn’t last long. “Very quickly, with his support and after doing just a few scenes together, I got my confidence back. I really enjoyed going toe to toe with him. What plays on screen as generational tension carries an undercurrent of mutual respect.”
Sherlock Holmes, at his core, is defined by observation and the ability to extract narrative from detail. “I think I’ve noticed myself become more observant from just watching and being a fan,” he says. When asked what Sherlock might be obsessed with in 2026, Fiennes Tiffin considers the question carefully. “AI would be something I’d like to hear his thoughts on,” he says. Then he pauses. “But the more I think about it, Sherlock in today’s day and age would be intrigued by all the same things. It all boils down to a very timeless human curiosity.”
“Sherlock in today’s day and age would be intrigued by all the same things. It all boils down to a very timeless human curiosity.”
That same curiosity defines this moment in Fiennes Tiffin’s career. “I love a good thriller,” he says simply. “Sherlock for me is just one of my favourite characters and stories. And with Guy Ritchie being one of my favourite directors, I feel like I’ve peaked very early in my career. I don’t know how I’m going to top this.”
He laughs when he says it, but excitement and ambition are unmistakable.
All episodes of Young Sherlock are now available to stream only on Prime
Video.
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