Folks, I've done it again. I've fallen down a rabbit hole. Remember when I found myself immersed in the GDR? Were you there when I spent a morning looking at fully clothed but hugely erotic moments on film? Well, we've got another one. For the past few months I've become borderline obsessed with the actor, Andrew Scott.
Now, let me be clear. I continue to behave legally and appropriately at all times. But over the course of my rabbit hole fall, a few things have become apparent. Firstly, should myself and Andrew (Andy? Scotty? AS?) ever meet, we'd get on well. We're a similar age and we've both got great eyes. What else is needed? The fact he always comes across well on promotional stuff (as do I - have you SEEN my TikToks?) only cements this. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Andrew Scott's body of work is perfect. Either him or his agent have an eye for a truly special project. When I look down the list of my favourite movies or stories committed to film, Andrew Scott is often involved. Quite by accident, I've watched, or rewatched, loads of them recently. Let me share the wealth.
This still feels like refreshingly modern storytelling all these years later, but Scott's Moriarty was TERRIFYING. He burst onto the screen, looked demonic, and genuinely scared the shit out of me. 'Who is this guy? This amazingly talented guy?' I probably said.
Fleabag (2019)
If you've watched it, you know. You know what an absolutely electric presence Scott was in his role as the Hot Priest. Portraying a priest as someone human, funny, normal, sexy, kind, and troubled, is quite a feat, and the Catholic church couldn't have had better PR. I don't think anything has made my insides ache more than this series.
Pride (2014)
Ten years since its release and Pride has become one of my top twenty all times greats. Scott plays Gethin, a welshman in 1980s London. Playing the owner of the gay bookshop where the film's activists meet, he's gets to give a more subtle performance, with vulnerability and nuance. When he returns to Wales after a long absence and confronts his past, he depicts the 'I'm finally back home' emotion with facial expressions alone. I don't think anything has made my insides ache more than... Oh. I sense a theme.
Ripley (2024)
Only out a couple of months ago, this performance was mesmeric. Taking the book and eking out every lingering look and movement into an eight-part series was a ballsy move. The casting of the titular character would have to be worthy of all that screen time. Never fear because Andrew Scott can do anything! Despite being a despicable character, you can't help root for him. To want that for someone that cheats, scams, and ultimately kills, is madness, but that's where we are. He has a conflicted, awful, beautiful face that (possibly) just wants love. Yep, you guessed it, it made my insides ache.
Talking of insides aching. OMG. I urge every person in the whole wide world to watch this film. Out in January, it catapulted itself into my 'favourite film of all time' slot, kicking Before Sunrise into second place. This is a film about death. Except it's not. It's more than that. And it's sad. Except it's not. It's hopeful, with a huge focus on healing; healing after trauma and dealing positively with loss instead of being enveloped by it. It's also a film I found myself identifying with on levels I didn't really understand. But look, this isn't about me. It's about the greatest actor of my generation, Andrew Scott. His face, in this film, deserves ALL the awards. He conveys so many emotions in one look. His eyes, constantly on the brink of tears - whether they be happy or sad - are bottomless pools of feeling. Plotwise, it's a tricky one. His character manages to reconnect with his parents, who died when he was twelve. In five seconds, his expression can go from the twelve year old boy that's got Mum and Dad back, to the forty-something man that's lived with that loss for decades. It's a powerhouse of a performance.
Ay, here's the rub. During a late-night YouTube search for Andrew Scott vids - I did explain that this was a rabbit hole, right? - I was reminded of my actual favourite role of his. Hamlet. Look, I'll level with you. I studied Hamlet for my English A Level. I've seen it performed multiple times, on stage and screen. There have been plenty of great Hamlets that I'd really enjoyed at the time but I'd got to the point where I didn't need to watch it again. I know what's going to happen and it's so very long. So, back to the story. I was late-night YouTubing and I found Andrew Scott's Hamlet, filmed at the Almeida in 2018. And right there in that moment, I knew I wasn't getting to bed any time soon. Scott brings more than a breath of fresh air to the role. He is a hurricane. He's speaking four-hundred year old words, that I've read and heard before, yet they trip off his tongue as if he just thought of them. I watched the whole of Hamlet that night. It was mesmeric. That particular production made sense of many debated aspects of the text (shout out to director Robert Icke ) and Scott's tormented, grieving, desperate Hamlet, is spectacular.
Sometimes when I'm thinking about what to write for this blog, I consciously choose something that might be entertaining or informative for others to read. And then there are times, like now, when I think screw that and write purely for myself. Reliving some of these performances and films has been such a lovely way to spend this morning. Thanks for indulging me. I do apologise for my fan-girling. But hey, you can look at this blog as a list of film recs the next time you're mindlessly searching. It's my gift to you.
Have a lovely week, folks.
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