Robert Downey Jr. has already worked with Dr. Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But beyond their Marvel films, Downey couldn’t help feel a bit of jealousy towards the actor when watching him on another project.
Robert Downey Jr. had screen envy with Benedict Cumberbatch
Downey and Cumberbatch had more than the MCU in common. The two actors also portrayed different versions of iconic literary figure Sherlock Holmes. Downey played the character in 2009’s titular movie Sherlock Holmes and its sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Cumberbatch would play the character in the BBC mini-series Sherlock for four seasons.
In a 2014 interview with Collider, Cumberbatch explained that he was able to share notes about Sherlock with Downey.
“I sat down on the sofa with Robert Downey, Jr. last night, and we had our first conversation and shared notes on playing Sherlock Holmes. This is the most dramatized fictional character of all time, so there’s a lot to talk about,” Cumberbatch said.
Downey was also supportive of his Infinity War co-star. But the actor admitted he couldn’t help feel a little jealous when watching Cumberbatch’s own Sherlock Holmes performance.
“Very impressed with Benedict,” Downey once wrote on a Reddit AMA (via Vanity Fair). “Such smart writing on that show. I have screen envy.”
Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch almost shared a Sherlock Holmes joke in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
Cumberbatch and Downey would later collaborate with each other in the 2018 blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War. It was a meeting that was long overdue for their respective characters Dr. Strange and Iron Man. Although their Avengers characters might have had their differences, Cumberbatch confided to Entertainment Weekly that he and Downey had no trouble getting along.
“I got on very well with Robert Downey Jr. He’s the most inclusive leading man, and generous to a fault, and just a pleasure to be around. It’s a very happy set when RDJ’s on it, and that goes for everyone, not just the actors,” Cumberbatch said. “He’s funny, he’s quick, he’s so light on his feet, such a smart-thinking actor. It’s quite something to watch people like RDJ, who have been doing it so brilliantly for so long, in their prime.”
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When Downey and Cumberbatch came together, the irony of the two both playing Sherlock Holmes wasn’t lost on the Russo Brothers. The directors toyed around with the idea of making an onscreen joke on their Sherlock connection in Infinity War.
“I should’ve said, ‘No s***, Sherlock,’” one of the Russo brothers told The Hollywood Reporter. “Everybody really wanted that joke.”
The Russo Brothers figured the joke would be an obvious one. But they conceded that they weren’t one to shy away from obvious jokes in the MCU.
How Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch feel about reprising their Sherlock Holmes characters
It would seem that both Downey and Cumberbatch have put their Sherlock Holmes characters behind them. Still, Cumberbatch hasn’t ruled out the possibility of revisiting the genius detective.
“Oh look, I still say never say never. You know, I really like that character… it’s just, the circumstances need to be right and I think maybe it’s too soon now to see it have another life. I think, wonderful as it is, it’s had its moment for now. But that’s not to say it wouldn’t have another iteration in the future,” Cumberbatch once told Esquire.
Meanwhile, Downey’s wife Susan Downey explained on the UnWrapped podcast that her husband has maintained interest in a third Sherlock Holmes movie. Susan Downey, who’s also her husband’s producer, sat with her husband and another producer to discuss the project not too long ago.
“Prior to this, we had lunch together with Robert, the three of us. And it was a very specific topic of conversation,” Susan Downey said. “So yes, it is in the hopper. We’re going to do it when it’s right, with the right people, but it is a priority for the company and a priority for Robert.”
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