Ahead of his upcoming Netflix show, Golden Globe nominee Andrew Scott discusses how the first job of an actor is to “be playful”. 

Known for his work on Sherlock, Fleabag, and All of Us Strangers, Scott will now take on the iconic role of Tom Ripley in the new series Ripley. 

From his first successes as the villainous James Moriarity to winning hearts as the Hot Priest, Scott has taken on his fair share of demanding roles. 

He told The Anton Savage Show, however, that the most important thing about acting is remaining playful. 

“You play a part,” he said. “You're required not to work apart, but to play a part and your work is playing. 

“To be able to be instinctive and to be able to listen means you have to be really, really present-minded and what you don't know what someone's going to say until they say it. 

“It’s the art of pretending that you don't know what you're going to say next when you absolutely do know because you've read the script.” 

Scott the non-academic

Scott studied in drama in Trinity College Dublin for six months before dropping out to join Dublin's Abbey Theatre. 

He said he was never particularly interested in the academic side of acting. 

“Sometimes the academics or the research, even though it's very beneficial for people, it's not the first priority for acting,” he said. 

“Your first priority, for me, as an actor is to be playful. 

“That for me is about being completely alive in the same way that a child is – when you say to a child, ‘Right, you’re going to play a doctor’ and they say ‘Okay’. 

“We're encouraged as children to use our imagination and we have playgrounds for children, and as we as we move into adulthood, it's all about being sophisticated.” 

The role of the con-artist Tom Ripley certainly has opportunities to get playful, something Scott has sunk his teeth into. 

“So much of the stuff is not actually about what he's feeling necessarily, but I think the pleasure for the audience is what he's thinking,” he said. 

“I think to see any talented person exhibit their talents with expertise is always really wonderful for an audience to watch. 

“We don't start the story thinking this person is bloodthirsty... a lot of the stuff that he does is out of necessity, and I think that's why he's such an endearing character. 

“This version of the story really takes us through his thought process and his geographical journey and his psychological journey and his transformation.” 

Ripley airs on Netflix on April 4th.  

Listen back here: