Family adventure Sherlock Gnomes hits cinemas this week, showcasing a star-studded voice cast from the world of film and television. Several big names return from 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet, as well as some exciting fresh faces…
Sherlock Gnomes – Johnny Depp
From pirate to detective – title character Sherlock Gnomes is played by a very familiar face Johnny Depp. No stranger to family films, Depp has starred as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise since 2003, as well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Rango. Outside of children’s films, Depp’s broad filmography includes classics such as What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Juliet – Emily Blunt
She’s the heroine in one of the most famous love stories of all time…in gnome form. Returning to her role from Gnomeo & Juliet, Emily Blunt stars as Juliet in Sherlock Gnomes. Emily shot to fame in fashion comedy The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, earning critical praise for her performance as stressed and ambitious PA Emily. Since then, she has played a Queen in The Young Victoria and FBI agent in Sicario and is set to take on the iconic role of Mary Poppins next year. Most recently, Emily starred in smash-hit horror A Quiet Place.
Gnomeo – James McAvoy
The Gnomeo to Emily Blunt’s Juliet is voiced by James McAvoy. Sherlock Gnomes is not the Scottish actor’s first foray into animation, as well as reprising his role from Gnomeo & Juliet, McAvoy also voiced Arthur in 2011 festive comedy Arthur Christmas. You might also recognise James from the X-Men franchise, in which he has starred as Professor Charles Xavier since 2011. Other projects of McAvoy’s include war drama Atonement, British crime drama Filth and M Night Shyamalan’s 2016 thriller Split.
Irene – Mary J Blige
While she may be better known as a Grammy award-winning musician, the voice of Irene, Mary J Blige, has made impressive waves in the acting world. Having had several smaller acting roles over the years, she blew critics away with her performance in Mudbound, earning best supporting actress nominations at the 2018 Oscars, SAGs and Golden Globes. In Sherlock Gnomes, Blige stars as Irene, a former girlfriend of Sherlock and a version of a character first introduced in one of the earliest Sherlock Holmes stories in 1891.
Paris – Stephen Merchant
Stephen Merchant reprises his role of clever-clogs gnome and part of the gang Paris in Sherlock Gnomes. Many know Merchant as the co-creator of The Office and Extras, his projects with longtime friend Ricky Gervais. He’s also had several film roles with appearances in Hot Fuzz, I Give It a Year, Hall Pass and Logan.
Gnome Watson – Chiwetel Ejiofor
You can’t get Holmes without Watson – playing Sherlock’s iconic right-hand man in Sherlock Gnomes is Chiwetel Ejiofor. Ejiofor became a familiar face after starring as Peter in British rom-com Love Actually –since then, he’s starred in the likes of Kinky Boots, Salt, The Martian and Doctor Strange. In 2013, Ejiofor starred in powerful drama 12 Years a Slave, earning the BAFTA for Best Actor and nominations at the Oscars, SAG Awards and the Golden Globes.
Benny – Matt Lucas
Gnomeo’s best friend Benny is voiced by British comedian Matt Lucas. After playing a plethora of different characters with pal David Walliams in their own show Little Britain, Matt has starred in Bridesmaids, Paddington and appeared alongside his Sherlock Gnomes co-star Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland and sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Nanette – Ashley Jensen
Gnomeo & Juliet’s hilarious frog Nanette returns for Sherlock Gnomes and is voiced by Scottish actress Ashley Jensen. You might recognise her distinctive voice from other family animations such as How to Train Your Dragon and Arthur Christmas. As well as her extensive back-catalogue of TV roles including Ugly Betty, Extras and Catastrophe , she has appeared in films such as Nativity!, The Lobster and The Legend of Barney Thompson.
And that’s not all…
Also in this star-studded cast is Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Ozzy Osbourne, Dexter Fletcher and Jamie Demetriou.
Sherlock Gnomes hits UK cinemas on May 11th.
