Andrew Scott on the pressure of playing one of literature’s great villains

Having already played Sherlock Holmes' nemesis Moriarty, Scott is taking on the part of another legendary baddie.

Fleabag and Sherlock actor Andrew Scott recently opened up to JOE about the pressure of playing one of literature's great villains in an upcoming TV show. Scott will star in the upcoming Netflix series Ripley, playing Tom Ripley - the sociopathic con artist who appeared in five novels by legendary American writer Patricia Highsmith. The character has previously been portrayed on film by numerous acting heavyweights including Alain Delon, Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich and perhaps most famously Matt Damon in the 1999 movie The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Andrew Scott will be taking on the role of Tom Ripley after Matt Damon and Dennis Hopper

Created by Oscar-winning writer Steven Zailian (Schindler's List, The Night Of), who also directed the show's entire eight-episode first season, Ripley will adapt the same novel of Highsmith's that the Damon film did. The premise for the series is as follows:

"In 1960s New York, Tom Ripley is hired by a wealthy man to convince his wayward son to return home from Italy. But Tom's introduction to Dickie Greenleaf's leisurely life abroad is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder."

Speaking to JOE at the IFTAs on Sunday night, at which Scott was nominated in Best Supporting Actor in a Film category for the medieval comedy Catherine Called Birdy, we asked the actor about how work on Ripley was going. In response, he told us: "Ripley is over. So, we finished that. That will be out at the end of the year. It's going to be on Netflix now. "Yeah, I'm very excited," he added, before joking: "I hope I haven't messed it up. We'll see. We'll see."

@joedotie "I hope I haven't messed it up!" ? Andrew Scott tells us about Ripley, his upcoming Netflix show focusing on one of literature's greatest villains... #fyp #irish #ireland #andrewscott #sherlock #fleabag #ripley #movie #redcarpet #dublin #hotpriest #redcarpet ♬ original sound - JOE.ie

Alongside Scott, Ripley will co-star Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire) and Johnny Flynn (The Outfit). Shot partly in Italy, the Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood) worked on the series' entire first season. Netflix has not revealed an exact release date for Ripley as of yet but people can expect the show to premiere sometime in late 2023. Related articles:

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