Archived fic rec - Performance in a Leading Role

[sakura_no_miko]

Title: Performance in a Leading Role

Author: Madlori

Fandom: Sherlock (BBC drama, 2009, tv)

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: John/Sherlock

Warnings: sex, homophobia and closeting, RPF elements

Other notes: Alternate universe, film/movie-making/acting, excellent characterization, focus on the relationship

Summary: Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?

Length: 156k

 

I was trying to think of something really amazing to start with, and this fic immediately came to mind.

I was fortunate enough to read this fix at exactly the right time. One of the key events in this acting AU is the 2012 Oscars. I read this before they’d aired–possibly even before the nominations–and part of me was massively disappointed that there were not, in fact, two actors named Sherlock Holmes and John Watson being nominated. The stunning amount of detail and integration of real life actors creates a version of Hollywood that seems eerily realistic, aside from the Sherlock characters. Beyond that, the relationship is exquisitely written: not only the highs and lows of moving from a passionate crush to love, but the struggles of balancing love with a career that necessitates a long distance relationship and dodging paparazzi and the pain of being in a closeted/concealed relationship and coming out in a very public way. Having dealt with a few of these challenges myself, I had an emotional connection to these characters that kept me reading long into the night.

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Originally posted on tumblr on 06/14/12