Hero Fiennes Tiffin Says He Was Told to Stop Going to the Gym While Preparing to Play Young Sherlock Holmes (Exclusive)
Hero Fiennes Tiffin Says He Was Told to Stop Going to the Gym While Preparing to Play Young Sherlock Holmes (Exclusive)
Katie HillMon, March 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM UTC
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Credit: Marion Curtis / StarPix for prime video -
Hero Fiennes Tiffin was told to "stop going to the gym" leading up to his role as Sherlock Holmes in Guy Richie's Young Sherlock
Fiennes Tiffin stayed in shape by playing football and golf, and performed many of his own stunts on set
All eight episodes of Young Sherlock are available to stream on Prime Video
Preparing to play Sherlock Holmes was fairly low-lift for Hero Fiennes Tiffin — pun intended.
The 28-year-old actor, best known for his role as Hardin Scott in the After movie series, took on the iconic role of Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie's new adaptation of the franchise (streaming now on Prime Video).
PEOPLE caught up with Fiennes Tiffin at a special screening of Young Sherlock in New York City, where he opened up about his preparation for the job.
"There's a lot of physical activity that I was excited to get into, but in terms of like frame physically, it wasn't like a massive transformation," says Fiennes Tiffin. "If anything, they said stop going to the gym. And it's really easy to stop going to the gym when your employer tells you to, surprisingly easy."
Playing a 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes, Fiennes Tiffin explained they didn't want him to be "too big, or too buff." Instead, he simply stayed in shape by playing his two favorite sports: soccer and golf.
In both 2023 and 2025, Fiennes Tiffin played for his all-time favorite soccer team West Ham in The Soccer Tournament (TST). In September 2025, he competed in the celebrity golf event at the BMW Pro-Am at Wentworth.
Although not much physical training occurred before stepping onto set, Fiennes Tiffin did enjoy the more physical parts of playing the ever-restless Sherlock. In fact, he tried to do as many of his own stunts as possible. "We're really lucky to have a great stunt team, and I kind of did as much of it as I was allowed to, but every now and then when you get to the big boy stuff, you got to let the stunties take over," he says.
"As much as I love to do it, there comes a point where Guy said, 'Listen, these guys are the trained professionals. They're going to make you look better. You got to let him do it.' So I did as much as I was allowed," Fiennes Tiffin adds.
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Hero Fiennes Tiffin in Young SherlockCredit: Daniel Smith/Prime
Young Sherlock is Fiennes Tiffin's first lead role in a TV series, and his first time working with his uncle and fellow actor Joseph Fiennes. Best known for his roles in The Handmaid's Tale and Shakespeare in Love, Joseph plays Silas Holmes in Young Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes' dad.
In a previous conversation with PEOPLE, Hero said that he was nervous for his uncle to play his father, but in a good way. "There's a parallel with the characters where it's kind of okay, for me [to be nervous around Joseph]. Even if it seeps into the performance a bit, it kind of works — Sherlock may be feeling the pressure in some of those scenes with his dad."
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Joseph FiennesCredit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
Growing up in London, Hero has always been a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes franchise. Watching the legendary crime-solver on his screen as a young boy, he never imagined he would one day get to play one of his country's most iconic fictional characters. "It's just surreal," he says. "Like I want to drag this interview out and not leave this carpet because I just want to soak it up."
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He admits, "I won't lie, I felt the pressure."
"As a fan, I'd be ready to criticize anyone who brings the role to life and, you know, have expectations and stuff," he adds. "So yeah, a little bit of nerves, but [it's] just excitement and honor and a privilege."
Young Sherlock is streaming now on Prime Video.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
