Sherlock Holmes, a beloved character in British pop culture, has been portrayed by actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. in films and series. The series Young Sherlock gave a new insight into the Sherlock universe with actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin taking on the titular role. The show saw the return of beloved characters like Mycroft Holmes and James Moriarty, as well as the entrance of a new strong female character, Princess Shou'an, played by Zine Tseng.
Zine Tseng, of Taiwanese descent, acknowledges how her work is a major step in Asian representation in the West. She didn't start work on the Prime Video series with that mindset, but felt empowered by her character's strong presence in the story. She also credits the rest of the cast of Young Sherlock for giving her a place amongst themselves.
“I felt pretty empowered,” Zine says. “I'm going there by myself and I felt pretty empowered. So I had to find a way to ground myself.” She also admits that while Sherlock, Mycroft and Moriarty have been portrayed on screen many times before, Shou'an being a new entry in the Sherlock universe gave her a clean slate to begin with.
Zine credits the rest of the cast, including Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Donal Finn, Joseph Fiennes and Colin Firth, for giving her a place amongst themselves. “I feel extremely grateful that I could work with this cast because I do feel it's a very powerful and top cast in my heart,” she says.
Parting on a sweet note for the fans of Sherlock Holmes in India, Zine says, “I want all my 1.2 billion Indian friends to be prepared that their attention is to be stolen.”
