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denimbex1986 · 3 months

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Known in France for having played the “hot priest” in the series “Fleabag” and Moriarty in “Sherlock”, Irish actor Andrew Scott is heartbreaking as a bereaved solitary screenwriter in “Without Ever Knowing Us” by Andrew Haigh, in which his chemistry with Paul Mescal sparks. With him, we talked about “growing up gay” in the eighties, the importance of loving yourself to love others and the “appearance” of Paul Mescal.

The English title of the film All of Us Strangers (“strangers all as much as we are”, in French) is very beautiful: it carries the idea of solitude, of encounters, of ghosts. How do you interpret it?

I love it. I actually like the fact that it allows a multitude of interpretations. There is something about it that moves me: the fact that there is the word “we” in it, this inclusive side. For me, this title says that we can only meet, know each other, if we have the courage to love each other. If you don't make this effort, everyone can seem foreign to you, your children, your parents, the people closest to you. You can miss people if you don't let them in.

Concerning the character of Adam, you paint a very sensitive portrait of a gay man who grew up as a child in the 1980s. You, who are roughly of the same generation as Andrew Haigh, did you discuss together how what did you grow up with?

Oh yes, a lot. You know, it was a very different, difficult time to grow up. My journey isn't my character's journey, but there are so many things I could relate to... Part of my work was going back to that place in childhood where I felt vulnerable , ashamed, confused, fearful. The other half was more about embracing my adult side, which is what you experience when you fall in love.

Your character grew up grieving and was never able to come out to his parents. How do you think this affected him?

I think it has slowed down his development, he is in a kind of purgatory. Almost thirty years after their deaths, there is a part of him that he has never been able to access, because he has not been able to be seen fully by the people he misses most in the world. I think that's why he summons them, to tell them who he is. Even though it is painful, full of resentment, for me, this act is courageous. This allows him to let someone else into his life, to nourish a form of hope. Once you accept yourself, you can love others.

Like Adam, are there any memories you can't let go of?

Of course. Adam says it doesn't take much to go back to childhood, back to how you felt. As an actor, I have to keep this part of my childhood alive, be as playful as possible. I keep these memories, these sensations close at hand because I never had formal training as an actor. I learned a lot by doing theater and by keeping the memory of the child that I was.

Have you seen the feature film Weekend (2012) , one of Andrew Haigh's first very intimate films about the dazzling encounter between two men? In your opinion, can we compare the two films on the idea of romantic intensity?

Yes. Andrew has a real talent for understanding what goes into this connection between two beings, the sometimes bizarre way in which love manifests itself. The reason people love these two films, to me, is that they are relatable. They're like, "Oh my god, I've felt that way before." » Andrew manages to create this feeling with the sex scenes, the romantic scenes. He is very aware of what people are like. And he's good at casting: he knows which performers will have the energy to bring his vision to life.

In a sketch for a charity, you played a priest to whom the character played by Paul Mescal in Normal People came to confess. Without ever knowing us, was it a way of prolonging this very intimate dialogue between you?

Paul played in Normal People, me in Fleabag , and we did this sort of little sketch to bring our two characters together. We hadn't really worked together before that, but we knew each other a little. It really played a role in creating this electricity between us on screen.

In quite a few interviews, Paul Mescal refers to you as a mentor, an inspiration. How do you feel about this?

Oh, well, I'm not sure I can be a mentor. He himself inspired me so much... He is an actor with an extraordinary soul, who works hard. He is one of the most important professional relationships I have had. On the set, we were sensitive to what the other needed. I think our on-screen chemistry has to do with this listening between us. It's like we're hyper-aware of each other, not just focused on ourselves like robots. You know, it's chemical. I think that’s what makes good acting.

In the various productions Fleabag , Jimmy's Hall or Angels in America , you play characters with a spiritual connection. Why do filmmakers see that in you?

Yes, it's strange, I've played a lot of characters who struggle with faith. I was raised in a very Catholic Ireland, so that interests me a lot. I'm not really into religion anymore, but it still obsesses me. I like the idea that the only thing that accompanies you throughout life until you die is your breath, your breathing.'

#Andrew Scott #Paul Mescal #Fleabag #Jimmy's Hall #Angels in America #All of Us Strangers #Hot Priest #Moriarty #Sherlock #Weekend #Andrew Haigh

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