Guy Ritchie’s new series, Young Sherlock, is making serious waves on Amazon Prime Video, swiftly climbing to the top of the streaming charts. This fresh take on the iconic detective’s formative years, starring a talented ensemble cast, has captivated audiences with its action-packed style and unexpected twists. For those who’ve been glued to the eight-episode season, the final episodes delivered a significant revelation: the unassuming secretary to Sir Bucephalus Hodge (Colin Firth), named Edie, was none other than Sherlock Holmes’s long-lost sister, Beatrice. This discovery unveiled a complex, and rather nefarious, family plot involving their father, Silas (Joseph Fiennes).
For Holly Cattle, the rising star portraying Beatrice, stepping into such a pivotal role presented a considerable gamble. She recently shared her experience, recounting how the opportunity nearly cost her current job.
“I was actually working in a pub at the time,” Cattle explained. “I was on my way to a shift, reading the script on the train, and I just thought, ‘I absolutely cannot go to work today. I have to do this.’ The deadline for the audition was the very next day.”
She continued, “I ended up calling my manager. It was a nightmare at the pub that day – all the tills were down, and everything was chaos. I had to tell them, ‘I’m so sorry, but I haven’t read a character or a script this incredible in a really long time.'”
Driven by the script’s impact, Cattle returned home to memorise her lines. After a series of auditions, she secured the part. “Thank goodness,” she added, “I was able to call my manager back and let them know it was worth the risk. I very nearly jeopardised my job for it.”
While Cattle has previously appeared in shows like COBRA and Mr Loverman, Young Sherlock marks her most significant role to date, following in the footsteps of other notable portrayals of Sherlock’s family, such as Eurus in the BBC’s Sherlock and Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola Holmes.
The decision to introduce a mysterious sister for Sherlock and Mycroft was a creative choice made specifically for the screen. Cattle mentioned that she deliberately avoided delving too deeply into other interpretations of the Holmes family to ensure her portrayal remained fresh.
“She’s always intrinsically linked to further familial mysteries for the character of Sherlock,” Cattle mused on the enduring fascination with Beatrice. “She serves as a device for any creator adapting the story to explore his inner world in a way that might be difficult through other characters. Perhaps that’s where the intrigue lies.”
Regarding her own interpretation of Beatrice, who dramatically reveals her identity as the presumed-dead sibling in a tense confrontation, Cattle was particularly drawn to the character’s ability to “totally flip gender norms on their head.”
“She commands any space she enters,” Cattle observed. “What’s quite terrifying about her is her ability to manipulate any social scenario she finds herself in.” She also praised Beatrice’s “artistry of mimicry,” which she found instrumental in embodying the character’s multifaceted nature.
This character depth aligns perfectly with the series’ overarching themes, which Cattle described as “dark, stormy, scary, funny, and will flip everything you previously thought about all the characters.”
Beyond her significant role as the late-season twist, the part also offered Cattle the invaluable experience of working alongside seasoned industry professionals like Colin Firth and Joseph Fiennes. This collaboration proved to be a highlight of the production.
“From day one, we bonded over loving all the same chocolates and the same books,” she said fondly of her time working with Firth, whom she affectionately described as a “laugh-a-minute” talent, referencing his acclaimed role in The King’s Speech.
Working with Joseph Fiennes, however, was an experience Cattle described as “unlike anything I’ve encountered before.”
“There’s a scene on a cliff that takes place in episode eight,” she recalled. “I had technically been wrapped for the day, but I found myself saying, ‘No, I am not leaving. I am watching this.’ He is truly phenomenal at what he does. You learn so much just from observing him work and the way he dissects and interrogates the script.”
All of this unfolded on Guy Ritchie’s set, which, as is his trademark, was known for being “high pressure.”
“You’d get fresh lines right before a scene,” Cattle admitted. “At the beginning, that’s incredibly daunting, but by the end, you truly appreciate the magic in his working method. He encourages all the actors to discard their previous ideas at the last minute, and that’s often where the really, really brilliant stuff and the most truthful moments emerge.”
Future Prospects and Aspirations
While Beatrice wields a firearm in several of her later scenes, Cattle admits she didn’t get to engage in extensive action sequences. However, she expressed a strong desire for this to change in potential future seasons.
“I’d love to see her get into more trouble. I’d like to see some fighting from her,” she stated enthusiastically.
Cattle is currently on an impressive career trajectory, having also joined the cast of Rivals season two, slated for release in May. While she remained tight-lipped about the specifics of her role, she shared that the returning cast welcomed her “completely with open arms.”
“It genuinely felt like I was joining a family from day one,” she said. “We have incredibly long days together, but it never feels like going to work. We’re often found in the green room, playing board games and chatting away with each other until the sun sets.”
Looking ahead, Cattle has a clear vision for the types of roles she hopes to pursue. “I feel very fortunate to have played characters who are quite outspoken and operate on the fringes of their groups – formidable women for their time,” she reflected. “I think I just want to take that as far as I can, really.”
Young Sherlock is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
