Sam Claflin plays Mycroft Holmes in Netflix’s Enola Holmes. Diverging from canon, this film portrays the adventures of Mycroft and Sherlock’s (Henry Cavill) younger sister, Enola (Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things).
Traditionally considered to be even more intelligent than his brother Sherlock, in this film both brothers are given the slip by Enola as she sets out to look for their mother after her mysterious disappearance.
The film allows a different look at the Holmes brothers as the responsible (and in Mycroft’s case overbearing and narrow-minded) older brothers to a young teenage girl.
It was this never-before-seen take on Sherlock Holmes that caught Claflin’s attention and the character of Mycroft drew him because it was so different from anything he had played before.
Mycroft is quite unpleasant to his sister and insists that she be sent to a finishing school so she can learn to be a lady. This unattractive and “darker” side to his character made the role appealing.
Regarding the role, Claflin said “He’s more the villain of the piece, almost. He’s a traditionalist. I quite liked playing the hysterical nature of seeing the world progressively moving forward, and this man is so stuck in the olden days.”
Regarding Brown, Claflin’s praise was effusive. “She doesn’t feel young at all. She handles the pressure better than anyone I know, really. She’s just a powerhouse.”
He further noted “She’s so charismatic, so funny, so charming, so intelligent, so wonderfully energetic and vibrant.
She brings a lot to a film set. It was genuinely a pleasure working with her. I think she brought out my inner child as well. It allowed me to be a bit more stupid.”
He also enjoyed playing the role of an older person as opposed to a romantic lead. Saying that he wasn’t a young man anymore, Claflin enthused about the opportunity to play a more mature role, “the man who’s always tired and grumpy”.
Millie Bobby Brown not only plays the lead role but also helped produce the film. The events of the film are the first of a six-book series so there is hope that there may be more films coming out in the future. Sam Claflin is very open to reprising his role as Mycroft again.
Enola Holmes is available on Netflix.
