February 27th, 2010 Interviewee: Richard Brook Auditioning for Role: Jim Moriarty Function: Nemesis
Profile: Richard Brook is a well-known actor and a prominent old-school Sherlockian, active in the Baker Street Irregulars. He auditioned in 2008 for the part that was eventually given to Holly Cooper. Since then, he has had dramatic commercial and critical success with his one-man stage show, The Moriarty Monologues, wherein he reimagines the character of Professor Moriarty as a demented yet charismatic criminal mastermind.
Points of Interest: Casting him opposite S would be a significant ratings draw; his publicist has been in touch with acceptable terms.
Transcript Excerpt:
MH: How would you see your version of Moriarty fitting into Sherlock’s life right now?
RB: Well, I think he needs someone who can kind of push him to ever greater heights, you know? That’s the beauty of an arch-enemy. They push you. There’s a kind of…I guess…almost an obsessive thing that goes on.
MH: Do you think there is an obsessive aspect to Moriarty’s character?
RB: Oh, for sure. I mean, I have you seen my show? I think everything Moriarty does, even if it doesn’t involve Sherlock directly, he’s conscious of how he will react, how it will affect the shape of their relationship, however amorphous that may be. It’s fun to think about that, I think, about what this relationship looks like between two people who don’t even meet, in person, until quite late in the game.
MH: And you’d be all right with that? With having your character work mostly off-screen?
RB: Well, I can’t deny it would be less work! (Laughs) But seriously, yeah, I love that. Just a spider, you know, pulling the strings. And when he finally appears—what a shock! What a delight! That would be fun for me. And I think it would be fun for Sherlock, too…I think he’d like that kind of thing. It would hold his interest, for sure.
Fill Part 4
Interviewee: Richard Brook
Auditioning for Role: Jim Moriarty
Function: Nemesis
Profile: Richard Brook is a well-known actor and a prominent old-school Sherlockian, active in the Baker Street Irregulars. He auditioned in 2008 for the part that was eventually given to Holly Cooper. Since then, he has had dramatic commercial and critical success with his one-man stage show, The Moriarty Monologues, wherein he reimagines the character of Professor Moriarty as a demented yet charismatic criminal mastermind.
Points of Interest: Casting him opposite S would be a significant ratings draw; his publicist has been in touch with acceptable terms.
Transcript Excerpt:
MH: How would you see your version of Moriarty fitting into Sherlock’s life right now?
RB: Well, I think he needs someone who can kind of push him to ever greater heights, you know? That’s the beauty of an arch-enemy. They push you. There’s a kind of…I guess…almost an obsessive thing that goes on.
MH: Do you think there is an obsessive aspect to Moriarty’s character?
RB: Oh, for sure. I mean, I have you seen my show? I think everything Moriarty does, even if it doesn’t involve Sherlock directly, he’s conscious of how he will react, how it will affect the shape of their relationship, however amorphous that may be. It’s fun to think about that, I think, about what this relationship looks like between two people who don’t even meet, in person, until quite late in the game.
MH: And you’d be all right with that? With having your character work mostly off-screen?
RB: Well, I can’t deny it would be less work! (Laughs) But seriously, yeah, I love that. Just a spider, you know, pulling the strings. And when he finally appears—what a shock! What a delight! That would be fun for me. And I think it would be fun for Sherlock, too…I think he’d like that kind of thing. It would hold his interest, for sure.