I went to the premiere for Sherlock Holmes last week here in New York City. Since I don’t live in Hollywood, going to premieres in New York is one of my only opportunities to schmooze with people in the business, since my New York friends aren’t in the business, for the most part. Whenever there’s a premiere in New York, all the people from L.A. schlep to New York, which is great for me because in one night I get to see everyone and have an L.A. experience without having to get on a plane to L.A. It was good to see all the executives from Warner Bros., and I also got to chat with Simon Kinberg, one of Sherlock’s screenwriters, and Blake Lively and Penn Badgley, who I directed in an Obama for President commercial last year.

I was also very excited to meet and hang out with Robert Downey Jr. and his wife. I’ve always been a huge fan of his work on-screen, but after meeting him in person I’m now even more of a fan of his. He’s not only unbelievably charming, but in the brief conversation we had I got the strong sense that he shares the same passion for quality, in a studio system that doesn’t always agree with us. We exchanged stories of fighting for more time and/or money to make films of quality. I’ve talked about the balance of art and commerce a lot when it comes to blockbusters, and I know firsthand how very hard it can be to stand up to a studio and say any of these things: “It’s not good enough — we need to stop shooting,” “We need to reshoot it,” or “I won’t shoot it.” A movie is like a train that once it’s going, it’s on a track towards a release date and everything in the process — shooting, editing, etc — wants you to get it done and release it. It’s not a system that has any room for “Let’s stop and rethink what we’re doing.” In the short time I talked with Robert, he conveyed that he clearly has the courage of those convictions to stand up to a system and say, “I’m not going to shoot that.” Robert’s movies are excellent, and I really enjoyed Sherlock Holmes. I think it’s now my favorite Guy Ritchie film. More on my thoughts on the movie in my next post.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Doug Liman Blog: What I Learn From Sherlock Holmes, My Dear Ninjas
• Sherlock Holmes Review: Bare-Chested Robert Downey Brawls, Explosions and, Oh Yeah, a Mystery Too
• Robert Downey Jr., No!
• Sherlock Holmes Midnight Screenings Canceled
• Exclusive Interview: Sherlock Holmes Writer on Robert Downey’s Kung Fu and the Delicate Issue of Holmes’ Coke Addiction (Part 3)
• Doug Liman Blog: Scouting Niagra the Night Before Covert Affairs Premiere