Jyuddah Jaymes Talks Sherlock Holmes, Black Victorian Identity and Finding Honour in Performance

Jyuddah Jaymes is a stage and screen actor whose work spans theatre, television and film.

Known for productions including Hijack, The Boys in the Boat and Amadeus, alongside performances at the Almeida Theatre, Young Vic and Old Vic, Jaymes now takes on the role of ‘Dr Watson‘ in a new adaptation of Sherlock Holmes at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Written by Joel Horwood and directed by Sean Holmes, the production reimagines the iconic detective story through the perspective of a Black Victorian Watson.

Jaymes reflects on reshaping one of literature’s most enduring partnerships, the importance of honouring Black identity through performance, and the projects continuing to shape his career.

Please introduce yourself …
Jyuddah, Virgo, Ugandan.

Describe your life in one word or a sentence …
Seemingly unpredictable, an ever evolving entity.

Why are we here?
Sherlock Holmes at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, aka this latest reincarnation.

Watson is one of the most well-known characters in literature and screen history. When the role came your way, what was it about this version of Sherlock Holmes that appealed to you?
Joel Horwood has written our version of Dr John Watson with honour, from a unique and new perspective. I knew that whoever was lucky enough to play him would get to embody not only a character from a piece of British literary history, but a Victorian Black Brit with a heritage so infrequently talked about. I knew I wanted to be the person to do it.

How did you approach finding your own version of Watson, without feeling weighed down by all those previous interpretations?
It’s an ever evolving challenge to find my ‘version’ of Watson. I lead with some of the qualities that I felt only I can give him. I owe a lot of the development of this depiction of him to the findings in the rehearsal room and bouncing off of the other actors. The weight truly is rarely felt as a result.

This production moves through 1890s London and even along the River Thames as the investigation unfolds, rather than staying in one fixed setting. How does the staging at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre help you and the team create those shifting locations and keep the sense of chase and momentum alive on stage?
It’s such a giving space, it’s huge and has so much potential for theatre world making. Grace Smart, our show designer, has done an impeccable job of using every part of the space to re-imagine our late-Victorian world, keeping the story alive with various settings and places within London through what feels effortless.

⁠You’re working with Joel Horwood and Sean Holmes on this. What was that collaboration like, and what do they bring to the story?
Joel is a wonderful, generous and caring writer, so beautifully meticulous and willing to have many a conversation about the story he’s created. Sean Holmes comes with such dedication and drive to creating our Sherlockian world that you find yourself geared and ready every day to dive into all of the many great ideas and possibilities of this story. He’s a force of nature and working with him is an honour.

⁠⁠Looking at your journey so far, from theatre like Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night to screen projects like Hijack, Amadeus and Django, what do you look for in a role when you’re deciding whether to take it on?
Honour is a key factor for me. My skin is dark and so my likeness, whether it be Black or African or whatever it is identified as must be honoured as such, with each character. That isn’t to say that I must play all the heroes and never go through any hardships in my character’s stories, it simply means that, as often as I possibly can, I am able to depict Black bodies with honour, with intelligence and respect, so that I, and anyone who may see the roles I play, can look at my appearance and always draw on the fact that Blackness is refinement, is intelligence, is timelessness (me playing period dramas for instance, characters all throughout history). My Mum raised me to know who I truly am, that should always be the difference with my work.

Where do you feel most comfortable as an actor?
Honestly it always changes. I love screen so much and it’s the main reason I became an actor. But there is something so freeing about the stage that surprises me every time. I truly think any chance to do what I love in whatever format is a blessing. As a self-proclaimed film buff however, my heart belongs to the movies.

You’ve trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and worked across major stage productions early on in your career. How much of that training still shows up in your work today?
It is always the backbone of the work I do, particularly in theatre. The training there is marvellous and I was very lucky to study there when I did. All of it is important, especially keeping my voice from shattering during a very demanding outdoor performance.

⁠Is there a project or role that felt like it shifted something for you, either in how you see yourself as an actor or what you thought you were capable of?
Working on Choir Boy at the Bristol Old Vic was a huge gear shift for me. It was a piece of work made with a lot of love. I didn’t know working could also feel like, just being. I owe Nancy Medina everything for the experience I had working on that play, and meeting so many friends for life.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU …

If not this, then what? A nomad in the forest probably.

What’s made you sad, mad, & glad this week? My friends and family keep showing up for me.

What are you watching? Just finished The Chair Company on HBO. Would love to make a show like that some day.

What are you reading? Silence: The Classic Mindfulness Guide to Quiet the Mind, Reduce Stress and Find Inner Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh.

The last film you watched? The Fifth Element (Classic).

The last play you saw? All My Sons at the Wyndham

The last live music event? Sofar Sounds for my birthday, new music. Was great!

What’s currently on your playlist? James Blake’s new album Trying Times. Favourite song –
Death Of Love.

Which podcast are you listening to? Always tapping into On Being by Krista Tippett.

What’s on your bucket list? Buy some land (classic African).

Where’s your happy place? Anywhere with trees and loads of green, and very little noise.

Celebrate someone else … Shout out Alistair Nwachukwu, my brother is on fire right now.

Celebrate yourself … I’m great, come see the show, you’ll love my suit.

What’s next? The End of It will be premiering at Cannes Film Festival this year, a wonderful project that I was extremely lucky to be a part of. Maria Martinez Bayona is the next big thing.

Where can we find you? @jyuddah on everything

Where can we watch you at work? Come and watch Sherlock Holmes at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, otherwise catch me on Amadeus on Sky and NowTV.