Elementary School
ENOLA HOLMES I Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill star in the curious case of Sherlock’s sister.
Sherlock Holmes is a Guinness World Record holder as the most portrayed literary character on film and TV, but it seems the possibilities for that supersleuth – and his extended family – are far from exhausted. The latest movie reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation shifts the focus to Sherlock’s kid sister, Enola, here played by Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown.
Adapted from the six-book series by Penny Springer, Netflix movie Enola Holmes has franchise potential. Sherlock has attracted considerable star names over the years (most recently Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch); current Superman Henry Cavill plays the world’s most famous detective here, with Sam Claflin as older brother Mycroft. But it’s very much Enola who’s front and centre, with her own mystery to solve.
“It struck me as a fresh approach in a number of ways,” says director Harry Bradbeer, who is best known for his impressive TV work on the likes of Killing Eve and Fleabag. “There was the fact that there was a sister that people probably hadn’t considered existed, and that automatically brings the whole feminist stance and a feminist angle on the Holmes story, which was particularly interesting to me, as Holmes was thought of as being someone who was a little bit of a misogynist.”
The younger-sister angle also offers fresh insight into a well-worn character. “I was always interested in what that would do to Sherlock, having a sister,” adds Bradbeer. “Because it’s often difficult to avoid an emotional relationship with a family member, as opposed to just someone you meet as a stranger.”
Brown, who’s also making her producing debut with Enola Holmes, sees parallels between herself and the character. “I think that Enola and I share a lot of similarities in our wildness, in our craziness, and in our irrationality,” she laughs. “And, you know, she’s got lots of sass about her. So I immediately dove into the character knowing that I was going to try to be myself.”
Further complicating the family dynamic is the Holmes family matriarch, played by Helena Bonham Carter. It’s her mysterious disappearance that sets the plot in motion, and sees Sherlock and Mycroft called back to the family estate to deal with Enola, who they swiftly try to ship off to finishing school. “It’s a rite-of-passage story,” reckons Bradbeer. “It’s the story of a young girl’s growth into a woman. The Holmes [family] is unlike any other, but in other ways they’re just like all the rest of us.” MM
‘I THINK ENOLA AND I SHARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES IN OUR WILDNESS’
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN