Andrew Scott at 50: Hot Priest, Elsinore and his other greatest roles so far
Andrew Scott was born on October 21, 1976. His eclectic mix of screen parts has included Fleabag and Elsinore.
Korea (1995)
The fresh-faced Scott made a strong early impression in this Irish film from Cathal Black, based on a short story by John McGahern. Though still in his teens, the Dubliner gave an assured performance in the father-son drama, at a time when Irish cinema was beginning to gather momentum.
The story of their family relationship is set in 1950s Ireland and America — where young emigrants are enlisted to fight in the Korean War. Regular stage and screen work followed for Scott, but the actor would make a major breakthrough with his own take on an iconic villain.
Scott has enjoyed an impressive stage career, winning prestigious Olivier Awards for his work in A in 2005. In 2020, he was again honoured for his work on Noel Coward’s comedy . Recent roles have included a solo stage adaption of in London. “It's just like injecting the atmosphere straight into your veins,” he told this writer of live performance in 2024. “You don't wait around — you're the chief artist, if I'm honest, as an actor.”
Scott made for a fine Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman’s Dr John Watson in the BBC series. It achieved the rare feat of being both critically acclaimed and hugely popular with audiences. The contemporary take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories portrays Watson, recently returned from Afghanistan, joining forces with Holmes as they face a series of mysterious crimes. The series was nominated for numerous Emmys and Baftas, raising Scott’s screen profile considerably.
Scott joins a spirited cast that includes Bill Nighy and Paddy Considine in this funny, touching and joyful drama. Based on a true story, the film tells of a group of lesbian and gay activists who joined a movement to raise funding for striking British miners in the 1980s. Their history is troubled — but realising they have a common enemy in Margaret Thatcher, the gay community heads to Wales to lend their support to the striking miners. Scott shines as Gethin Roberts, a real-life character who has lived experience of growing up gay.
Blockbusters don’t get much bigger than the James Bond movies, and Scott’s profile increased further when he was cast opposite Daniel Craig in Sam Mendes’ Bond movie. Though reviews weren’t as universally strong as other Bond films in the Craig era, Scott again shone in support. He’s having a blast as Max Denbigh, a senior security services leader with a dark secret.
Scott has always been a standout in supporting roles, rarely more so than here in John Butler’s touching and funny coming-of-age movie. The story centres on a growing friendship between Ned (Fionn O’Shea) and Conor (Nicolas Galitzine) at a rugby-obsessed Dublin school. As their passionate, tired, seen-it-all-before teacher, the Irishman is exceptional — most notably in the scenes where he calls out his students for not living their biggest and truest lives.
“I love you,” Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character tells Scott’s Hot Priest in , only for him to take her hand in sadness as he replies: “It’ll pass.” Along with That Confession-Box Scene, it’s one of the most iconic moments in Waller-Bridge’s series, frequently referenced as one of the all-time greats. Scott, joining the show in series two, is a bit of a mess for a man of the cloth, and brings texture, wit, humour and pathos to a great screenplay, very much contributing to a cultural TV touchstone.
The Dubliner brings an edge to Charlie Booker’s cleverly written series, an anthology which has built a wide audience. Here, he plays a driver for hire who takes hostage a young member of a social media company. Though reviews of were mixed, there was widespread praise for Scott’s performance, which saw him nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
The Dubliner is simply sublime in Andrew Haigh’s drama, one of the finest films of recent years. It sees him play a gay man who is drawn back to his family home, where his parents appear to be living as they were before they died years before, as he embarks on an important new relationship in his own life. Based on the novel by Taichi Yamada, the movie defies genre yet feels moving and universal. Scott — aided and abetted by fellow Irishman Paul Mescal — has rarely been better.
Scott plays one of literature’s most-iconic antiheroes as created by Patricia Highsmith in Tom Ripley. Though the shrewd criminal and con-artist has come to our screens before, the Dubliner manages to give him a new edge in the excellent Netflix series. Written and directed by Steven Zaillian, whose previous screenwriting credits include and , the series, shot in black and white, stars Scott as the chancer with the format bringing a noir-ish element to the story. Scott also worked as producer on the series, showing his knack for bringing projects to the screen as his career goes stellar.
It could well benefit Scott’s awards-season prospects that he features in two strong performances this year. Set in a few crucial days before the Second World War's D-Day landings, centres on the real-life story of meteorologist James Stagg as he engages with political and military powers. Under pressure to work with planners of the Normandy landings, Stagg — paying attention to a forecast by Ireland’s Maureen Flavin Sweeney — makes his call. It’s a tense drama that benefits hugely from Scott’s performance.
Weeks before it first premiered at Telluride Film Festival in early September, buzz in the movie industry was building for Scott’s work in — and he’s now regarded as a leading contender for this year’s Oscars. We will learn in January if the Dubliner is nominated for his portrayal of Ian Charleson, an actor facing his own mortality, determined to realise his dream of playing Hamlet on stage.
