Enola Holmes and the Internet’s Obsession with “Soft Boys”

Enola Holmes, directed by Henry Bradbeer, and produced by Millie Bobby Brown and Mary Parent, is Netflix’s new premier adventure film. The movie features the aforementioned Millie Bobby Brown in the titular role of Enola Holmes, Sherlock Holmes’ teenage sister, Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes, Helena Bohman Carter as Eudoria Holmes, and finally Louis Partridge as Lord Tewksbury. The adaptation based on Nancy Springer’s young adult book series is no less than star-studded, perhaps besides Partridge and his role, Lord Tewksbury.

The seventeen-year-old actor is no stranger to film and possesses a strong career for such a young actor (Medici, Paddington 2). However, Enola Holmes is one of the first times Partridge has been in the front and center of a movie or TV Show; and the internet loves him.

He follows other actors like Timothée Chalamet and Ross Lynch as the “White Boy of the Month” in certain pockets of social media, like Tiktok. These artists are heavily praised for their looks and performance, usually in a breakout role. Although, every time the internet finds a new curly brown-haired boy to crush on, people ultimately have their own conflicting opinions. The conversations about them begin to focus less on the work each actor has produced, and more on tabloid-like drama. But it is what is in these artists’ works and personalities that young people on the internet find most admirable: their authenticity and their disregard for gender roles.

In Enola Holmes, Tewksbury contrasts Enola when he is the one who knows much more about nature and plants and helps them survive through the night; meanwhile, in the scene, Enola acts frustrated and sardonic. When the younger female Holmes is running from her brothers and engaging in brawls all throughout London, Tewksbury stays hidden in flower markets and stays out of sight of any detective. The film is bleak and gray-toned when it follows Enola throughout different passages of London, but as soon as the audience finds Tewksbury in the frame, the colors are warm and flowery. It is this subtle distinction that catches the eye of youth and attracts teenage boys and girls towards these individuals and their personalities. 

The contrast can also undoubtedly be found in Partridge, too, a London-native who says he relates to Tewksbury’s character of being “sort of confident, but not really” (I-D Magazine). It is almost hard to believe, though, as Partridge has spent so much of his teenage years in front of a camera—” While other kids his age went off to play rugby on the weekends, Louis was on set” (1883 Magazine). He’s also a natural model, fashion sessions and photographs are all over his Instagram feed. In his interview with I-D Magazine, Partridge also states that it would be a dream to work with director Luca Guadagino, director of Academy Award-winning, Call Me By Your Name. It’s no coincidence that the summer romance film stars Timothée Chalamet.

Louis Partridge could be placed into the box of a social media “soft boy” (defined as “A less masculine boy who is described as "cute" based on their soft or gentle characteristics” by Urban Dictionary), but we could also see him and other burgeoning artists alike as people more comfortable in their skin. Painting your nails, putting on makeup, or to just be a person that loves a summer romance film between two men; these are gender roles being breached much more comfortably and commonly than before. 

Netflix’s Enola Holmes is a story about woman empowerment and the dramatic, jumping-off-trains-type of adventure of a teenage girl. However, when you bring in characters like Viscount Lord Tewksbury and give way for more young actors like Louis Partridge, Enola Holmes becomes more than just that. It becomes a story about finding and accepting yourself as a young person in an era marked by evolution, transformation, and breaking any boundary that stands in your way.

Meiser, Britnee. “Timothée Chalamet Stans, Meet Louis Partridge.” i-D, Vice, 22 Sept. 2020, from i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/bv8e7a/louis-partridge-on-netflix-movie-enola-holmes.
“Louis Partridge.” Edited by 1883, 1883 Magazine, 22 Sept. 2020, from 1883magazine.com/louis-partridge/.