Andrew Scott Shares Insights on His Career in Streaming, Early Acting Experiences, and the Future of ‘Ripley’ Season 2 at SXSW

“I’m sort of a relentless optimist,” says Irish actor Andrew Scott, reflecting on his journey in the entertainment industry.

That optimism has underpinned Scott’s rise to prominence, earning him three Emmy nominations and a BAFTA award.

“I always find it terrifying when people say things like, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ For me, it’s very much about moving from whatever you’ve just done. I can only speak about maybe where I am at the moment,” he explains.

Scott first gained recognition in the U.S. through his roles in the critically acclaimed series Fleabag and Sherlock, where he starred as James Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch. However, his theatrical journey began long before that.

“I was very shy as a kid, and it just brought something out of me,” Scott recalls. “My dad used to drop me in and I was playing leading parts in the National Theater in Ireland. That was really unusual when I think about it now. They were like, ‘Who the hell is this little tiny, tiny child?’
[It’s there that] I got really addicted to the writing. You can’t be a good, good, good actor if you don’t have really, really strong writing, and the theater is where writing is. The writer is the king or queen.”

Here are some highlights from Scott’s recent conversation:

Saving Private Ryan

Scott reflected on his role in the iconic beach scene of the film: “Steven Spielberg came and he shot it in the south of Ireland, in Kirkland Beach, and it was the D-Day landings. It was incredible. He covered up the entire sky. I always remember that it was a beautiful day, unusually for Wexford and it was June. And I remember going, ‘Why is it suddenly so overcast?’ And I remember he had just covered up the sky with gray smoke to create this, this really, really eerie atmosphere.”

Ripley

Discussing his recent project, Ripley, Scott noted, “I’ve never really done any kind of long-form television and that was very challenging, actually. I learned a lot. It was a difficult thing to do. We shot during the pandemic in Italy. The whole world was shutting down. I was playing a very isolated character. And it’s quite unusual for a television program to have one character. He was in like 97% of the scenes … it was a character who was very unlike myself. I found it quite difficult to access.”

When asked about the future of Ripley, which garnered him two Emmy nominations (for Best Limited Series and Best Actor in a Limited Series), Scott replied, “No, that’s not going to happen now.”

The priest in Season 2 of Fleabag

Scott described his character as “a good guy. Yeah, he was a troubled. He was a complex sort of guy, you know? I don’t think people want to see good guys necessarily, all the time. We want to see ourselves … People are messy.”

He added, “I think comedy is so special. To laugh at something is involuntary. It’s very difficult to make people laugh because it’s not our sort of natural state. So, it comes as a surprise to us when we laugh. It’s a very difficult thing to do. I think more difficult than the drama in that sense … [creator and star] Phoebe [Waller-Bridge] says that if you can open up people’s laughing ducts, you can open up their tear ducts because you can. If you feel affection and warmth toward somebody, then your heart is already open for them.”

All of Us Strangers

Scott described All of Us Strangers as “incredibly special and so beautiful. What a beautiful idea. The idea for those of you who haven’t seen it is what would you say to your parents if you could speak to them as adults? The central characters’ parents were killed when he was 12, and he sort of revisits them, and he speaks to them and gets to know them again. It’s a very beautiful cinematic idea and a very simple one. And we had beautiful actors. It was Paul Mescal and Claire Foy and Jamie Bell.”

Looking ahead, Scott shared insights on several of his upcoming projects, including Elsinore, Justine Triet’s Fonda, and the Emily Blunt romance film Walk the Blue Fields.

At SXSW, Scott has taken on the role of curator for five final shorts in the Redbreast Unhidden series, a showcase aimed at discovering new filmmaking talent. He will also serve as executive producer for the winning film.