Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Andrew Scott took Fleabag role to stop being typecast as a villain

Scott was best known for playing Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Sherlock’

Isobel Lewis
Friday 08 May 2020 15:58 BST
Comments
Fleabag series 2 trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Actor Andrew Scott has revealed that his desire to play the Hot Priest in Fleabag was partly influenced by wanting to shake off his bad guy image.

Prior to his Golden Globe-nominated turn in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s series, Scott was best known for playing Jim Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock.

Having also played a villain in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, the Irish actor admitted that the role came along at a time when he was already looking to branch out into something different.

“One of the reasons Fleabag came about was that I was searching for something that wasn’t villainous,” he told GQ.

“After Sherlock, there were a lot of ‘sub-Moriarty’ roles that were offered to me. I played a villain in one of the Bond films – I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to be in the Bond film!’ – and that was a really good experience. But I think after a while you have to go, ‘No, I don’t want to do that any more.’”

Scott continued: “I think ‘romantic comedy’ is very underrated; I was always looking for something that explored romantic love in a really intelligent and human way and I felt, when I first started talking to Phoebe about it, that this was ideal.’

The Hot Priest was the unexpected heartthrob of Fleabag’s second series, with Scott previously saying that he would be working with Waller-Bridge on another project in the future.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in