behindtintedglass:

M: Casting John Watson was a longer process because we needed to find a fit to Benedict. You think, there’s two alpha males there. That’s not gonna work. Or somebody would come in whose energy was a bit too submissive and it wouldn’t be a match of equals. They needed to be a sort of commanding officer and a slightly junior officer but they’re still officers. And they respect and love each other, really. But Martin came in and it was just instant.

S: It wasn’t just what he did. It was the effect he had on Benedict. Benedict suddenly became even more like Sherlock Holmes if Martin was in the room. It was slam dunk! We couldn’t contemplate anybody else for Watson the moment we saw Martin and Benedict together.

And in line with my previous post, it also warms my heart to know that the reason why Martin Freeman was chosen to play the ever-loyal Dr. John Watson was similar and entirely parallel to the reason why Dr. Watson had carved a permanent place in Sherlock Holmes’ life, as his partner, his friend.  Because even though Benedict was already brilliant in himself, it was Martin who brought out the best in him and made his character truly come to life.

And I love — really, truly, especially love — the way their dynamic on-screen is a true reflection of the nature of Sherlock Holmes’ and John Watson’s relationship: you can see that Martin, like Watson, watches Benedict’s every acting nuance and movement and takes his cues from there, knowing how to act by reacting to everything Benedict was doing.  And Benedict, like Holmes, is constantly spurred on by the steady but not overpowering presence of Martin, and his theatrics and dramatics are necessarily reigned in by the subtlety and restrained humor of Martin’s acting.

This is what makes a perfect on-screen partnership: when the actors are truly the characters which they play.