When we say Sherlock Holmes, a vision of the character must instantly pop into your head. Ditto if we say Watson. And, of course, there must be one actor you strongly associate with Sherlock Holmes’ greatest villain and opponent, Moriarty. For me, it’s hands-down Andrew Scott, who played opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC’s version of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock. But now a new actor has arisen to take on the mantle of Sherlock evil. The newest Sherlock Holmes adaptation, CBS’ Watson, had a surprising casting of Moriarty—one that the series did not reveal until after its premiere. But who plays Moriarty in Watson, joining a prolific line-up? Why Moriarty’s actor is none other than one Randall Park.
In the final minutes of Watson‘s first episode, Randall Park is revealed to be the actor who plays Moriarty. Park’s Moriarty appears to retrieve a set of DNA samples from another known Holmes and Watson associate, Shinwell Johnson. Randall Park as Moriarty? Park seems like too friendly of an actor to play Moriarty, you might say. Well, you’d be right. Watson creator Craig Sweeny revealed of the surprise Moriarty casting:
I was getting a lot of interest in the role of Moriarty from great actors, but people who are more traditional villains. And I was just interested in the idea of really inverting his persona, the idea of what if Randall Parks’ affability and smile and his famous and completely genuine niceness were a mask for something much more sinister.
I thought that was a really interesting writing challenge and a really interesting way to present the character of Moriarty and that performer as well. I sent him a text and said, would you want to do that? Obviously, there are negotiations that needed to happen but there was interest right from the get-go, we’re very fortunate. He comes back quite a bit over the course of the season.
As to why Sweeny kept Randall Park’s Moriarty casting a surprise, Sweeny shares about hiding the actor, “I’m always thinking about what’s the most fun for the audience. I think that we have a strong enough concept to draw crowds to the show anyway and that the idea of seeing Moriarty — but really Randall Park playing Moriarty, which I find to be a really surprising, interesting choice — the idea of that being a surprise and shock was appealing to me.”
And judging by audience reaction, it was a fun shock indeed.
Although Randall Park’s Moriarty is not a series regular, yet, we can expect to see the actor play a big role this season on Watson. As for his relationship with Watson, Sweeny shares, “I wouldn’t say he has a beef with Watson. I would say that he has an interest in the work that Watson is doing, and that the DNA that they’re collecting at the clinic is something that Moriarty believes he can put to a very particular use. This version of Moriarty I don’t think has a big picture viewpoint, I don’t know that you would see it as a beef with anybody, but he has a keen interest in the work that’s going on at that clinic.”
But don’t expect Randall Park’s Moriarty to tangle with Sherlock Holmes himself. Sherlock is gone for the moment, although Sweeny hesitates to say he’s fully and forever dead. (You never know!) We can’t wait to see how Park’s casting pays off and what happens with Moriarty, Watson and the rest.