Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes: The Cocaine Connection

It's about time Robert Downey, Jr. started getting some challenging roles again outside of being pigeonholed in the "Iron Man" franchise so he can up his chances of getting back on the Oscar pedestal again. However, playing Sherlock Holmes might, at knee-jerk first reaction, seem to garner a lot of befuddled attitudes about why he's taking on a role that's already had several final words applied in film and TV. When you're about to take on the role of Sherlock Holmes, the immediate thought is massive box office disappointment, particular when Guy Ritchie (who lost his directorial touch quite a while ago) is directing it. But when you study the detailed fictional history of Sherlock Holmes himself, you can start to see why Robert Downey, Jr. might give a more complex and astute reading than many might think.

And it all has to do with that illegal substance both Downey Jr. and Holmes abused: Cocaine.

Really, Holmes was one of the first classic literary figures to showcase what cocaine could do to the human mind and body. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't know that his books would, among many things, become a primer for the future Hollywood of the 20^th century in reminding many that the most intelligent people can end up addicted to cocaine and other hard drugs. There isn't any question that Downey Jr. is one of the sharper tools in the shed down in Tinseltown, despite not having the foresight to avoid drugs as a form of surviving the pressures of showbiz. Even the most cerebral of people, though, can lack judgment and have some serious vices as evidenced by Holmes himself.

Based on the psychological understanding of Holmes, the master of deduction made the mistake of getting on cocaine (and lest you've never read any of the Holmes mysteries, also morphine) due to not having enough mental stimulation in-between his famous cases. It seems Doyle had a profound understanding of the human psyche in those who crave intellectual stimulation and how they go about satiating their lack of, in metaphorical terms, cerebral food.