The actor looks back on the mixed reaction to series four, and addresses 'Johnlock' head on: "Me and Ben, we have literally never, never played a moment like lovers. We ain’t f***ing lovers"
Bad news, anyone still shipping Johnlock: Martin Freeman has said categorically that his John Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes are meant to be partners in crime-solving only.
“There was a chunk of people who just knew it was going to end with us getting together,” the actor told The Telegraph, referring to some fans’ desire for Watson and Holmes to become a couple at the end of Sherlock series four. “Me and Ben, we have literally never, never played a moment like lovers. We ain’t f***ing lovers.”
So, Sherlock and Watson will forever be the closest of detecting friends – and just friends. But will they reunite on our screens in future? Have there been discussions about a fifth series of Sherlock?
“Not massively,” answered Freeman. “I think after series four [it] felt like a pause. I think we felt we’d done it for a bit now. And part of it, speaking for myself, is [due to] the reception of it.”
Freeman admitted that he struggled with the expectations that he was put under during the show. “Being in that show, it is a mini-Beatles thing,” he explained. “People’s expectations, some of it’s not fun any more. It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of: ‘You better f***ing do this, otherwise you’re a c***.’ That’s not fun any more.”
Freeman also addressed some of the negative reviews that followed series four: “To be absolutely honest, it [was] kind of impossible. Sherlock became the animal that it became immediately.
“Whereas even with The Office [where Freeman played Tim] it was a slow burn. But Sherlock was frankly notably high quality from the outset. And when you start [that high] it’s pretty hard to maintain that.”
Yet although Sherlock’s future remains uncertain, perhaps we could see Freeman and Cumberbatch on screen together in the Marvel Universe. While Freeman didn’t hint that his character Everett Ross would meet Doctor Strange in Infinity War, there’s always a chance the two could share a scene in later Avenger films.
noholdingbackaccount on March 17th, 2018 at 16:59 UTC »
I'm a gay guy and I HATE HATE HATE this kind of thing.
Like with Finn and Poe.
One of the big insecurities in gay life is interacting with straight dudes. You want to just be friends. Male bonding is important. But if straight guys think you're always on the lookout to turn every friendship sexual, then it weirds them out. A lot of the homophobia I've encountered in my life centers around the recruitment fallacy that gays want to switch straight guys over.
It ruins it for gay guys who want to be friends with straights and for straight guys being friends with each other because there is that hesitancy about being misinterpreted.
Think of how arab men hold hands in public. Think of how those two teen boys were hugging each other in the famous bollywood scene gif that was posted recently where one boy is excited a girl is flirting with him.
All through elementary school I had that with my guy friends. We really would hug each other like that randomly. It all ended with puberty because of wariness on all sides about looking gay etc.
That kind of physical closeness and emotional closeness is something men in general need. And while I would like to see more purpose built gay couples in media, turning what is a clear friendship into a romance is freaking insulting to the concept of friendship.
Let bromance be bromance.
reddv06 on March 17th, 2018 at 16:16 UTC »
I don't have a problem with shipping characters, I have a problem when people start harassing the writers and cast to make their ship(s) cannon. I think they did it with Supergirl or Teen Wolf. One of those two.
stupidshitwebsite on March 17th, 2018 at 16:09 UTC »
Yeah, and every actor in every show ever with two male leads.