Ahead of the European premiere of his new film “Pressure,” Andrew Scott took to social media to answer fan questions in a wide-ranging Ask Me Anything (AMA) session.
The award-winning actor covered topics ranging from complex weather scripts to his favorite comfort treats to how he passes the time between takes.
Scott also opened up about playing an out gay theater actor in the upcoming biopic Elsinore, saying the role pretty much summarized everything in his own life as a gay actor.
Andrew Scott got close to fans on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to take questions about anything they’d love to know before the European premiere of his new film, “Pressure.”
In the D-Day historical drama, Scott plays meteorologist Captain James Stagg, whose accurate weather forecast and advice to General Dwight D. Eisenhower allowed the historic Normandy invasion to succeed rather than face catastrophic failure.
When asked by a fan whether he had to undergo much practice to familiarize himself with the profession’s register, the 49-year-old Irish actor explained that they tried to strike a balance so as not to overwhelm the audience.
“We just learned the actual meteorological jargon, some of which is pretty complex,” he said. “We didn’t want to dumb it down too much, but we also didn’t want to make it too confounding for the audience either. Hopefully we struck the right balance.”
Scott Reveals The Biggest Lesson From Pressure
The Q&A session also saw fans ask questions about his performances in other projects like his rendition of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and even props like the uniform and mustache he was made to use for Pressure.
When one fan asked what his “biggest lesson” both personally and professionally was from the movie, Scott highlighted how important it is for humility to remain an integral part of every leader.
“I’d say that the biggest lesson learned would be that humility and leadership have to work together, and that there’s a difference between power and expertise and that it’s very important,” he explained.
“Even if we are culturally and ideologically different from people, we’ve got to work alongside each other for the greater good,” the actor noted.
Netflix acquired the Ripley series Scott featured in, while Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge was lined up to create a follow-up series for Prime Video.
Andrew Scott Teases Emotional Elsinore Script: ‘Bring Some Tissues’
For his upcoming biographical drama film “Elsinore,” the Olivier Award-winning actor teased that the script is so emotional and will likely move the audience to tears.
A fan shared their excitement about seeing it after several teasers and photos were released.
They then asked him how much they were likely to sob when compared to his 2023 film “All of Us Strangers,” in which he played Adam.
“I think you probably are going to be wise to bring some tissues, but it’s also very, very funny. Tears and joy is my favorite combination,” he said.
The Acclaimed Actor Opened Up On What Playing The Role Means To Him
Scott plays the Scottish actor Ian Charleson in the film, alongside costar Olivia Colman, who plays his doctor. It follows Charleson’s life and the challenges he faced for his final performance as Hamlet at the National Theatre while dying of AIDS.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he reflected on what playing the role meant for him, especially when considered against his condition, to which he eventually succumbed a couple of months after the final play.
“When you’re talking about ‘to be or not to be,’ ‘do I live or do I die’ — Ian is not talking about that as an almost. It was an inevitability at that stage, that he was going to die,” Scott said. “The idea that Ian was doing this when he was so sick is still, to my mind, just completely mind-blowing. And his decision to do it was just incredibly courageous.”
Scott Draws Comparisons On Being Gay With Charleson’s Life
Elsewhere in the chat with the news outlet, Scott drew comparisons between his life as an out gay actor and that of Charleson, when it was very unpopular to be.
“This film is so much about everything in my life — I’ve spent my life in the theater,” Scott explained. “And being a gay actor, it’s still so moving to me that I get the opportunity to play a part that Ian and his contemporaries would not have gotten while they were working actors.”
“I wanted people to be able to understand that he was trying to live — it’s not about fetishizing his death,” he added. “He was so full of life and fun, and he did this extraordinary thing.”
Scott first came out publicly as gay in a 2013 interview with The Independent, revealing that people within the film industry had told him to remain quiet about his sexuality.
He then revealed in a chat with British GQ that he was glad he ignored the advice and went public with it.
“I was encouraged, by people in the industry who I really admired and who had my best interests at heart, to keep that (to myself),” he said. “I understand why they gave that advice, but I’m also glad that I eventually ignored it.”
