British actor Alex Crockford sat down and chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about starring in the vertical drama “Shanghai Sherlock.”
“Shanghai Sherlock” was directed by Shane Gentles, Alex Kiehl, and Daniel D. Newman, from a screenplay by Gareth Arnold and Daniel D. Newman. It is now streaming on DramaDash and ReelShort.
Being a part of the ‘Shanghai Sherlock’
On being a part of the vertical “Shanghai Sherlock,” he exclaimed, “It was great! I had a lot of fun. It was my first vertical series, and playing Dr. Watson was a fantastic experience as well.”
“Having seen so many portrayals of Dr. Watson in previous films and TV shows, I was excited because this story felt fresh and original. It gave me the opportunity to show a different side of Dr. Watson and bring something new to the character, which I really enjoyed,” he explained.
“It felt really cool because so much of what I’ve done so far— including ‘Shanghai Sherlock’ — has involved promoting my work to my own audience. Knowing that the series performed well on platforms like ReelShort and DramaDash and reached millions of viewers is amazing,” he elaborated.
“Hopefully, that leads to other people to consider me for other projects or encourages them to follow my work elsewhere. That’s really exciting,” he added.
Playing Doctor Watson
On his portrayal of Doctor Watson he remarked, “I was trying to bring something different while still staying true to the character itself. Watson is intelligent and clever, but the story was written in a way that Sherlock was asking Dr. Watson and the other characters to solve the mystery alongside him.”
“That meant I couldn’t play Watson as someone who had all the answers all the time,” he said. “My character had to figure things out as the audience did. I was trying to find the balance between making him likable while also letting him be a little bit goofy at times, so viewers could watch him piece everything together in real time,” he elaborated.
Lessons learned from the screenplay
On the lessons learned from the screenplay of this vertical, he stated, “I loved it. I liked watching everything come together… that was really satisfying! The cliffhanger at the end was a lot of fun too. That’s one of the great things about vertical series — they really make you want to jump straight into the next episode.”
“Hopefully, with this cliffhanger, we will get the chance to film a second season… a sequel would be great,” he added.
“It’s exciting to know that the series is available on those platforms and that people are not only enjoying it but also discovering me as an actor for the first time,” he noted.
Message for his fans
For his fans and followers, Crockford said, “First of all, it’s really cool to even think that I might have fans because, as you know, I’ve spent so much of my career in the health and fitness industry.”
“The idea that people might now know me not just for fitness but also for acting is still a new concept for me, and I find that incredibly exciting,” he noted. “To everyone who has been supporting me, thank you so much.”
“I really hope you’re enjoying the work and that I’m entertaining you. I also want you to know that this is just the beginning. I feel incredibly inspired and ambitious about my career as a whole, but especially about my acting journey. So, watch this space,” he concluded.
To learn more about actor Alex Crockford, follow him on Instagram.
Read More: Rave review of “Shanghai Sherlock.”
