Andrew Scott Won't Have You Comparing His New Character to Moriarty
He's not the villain this time.
Summary:
- Andrew Scott is ready to shine in his Netflix drama Ripley
- Despite having portrayed many villains, Scott refuses to label his new character as such
- Moreover, he believes his Tom Ripley is a protagonist
One may love Andrew Scott as hot priest from Fleabag, while others still worship his portrayal of BBC Sherlock 's Moriarty; but when it comes to his new character, the actor is pretty adamant in how we should refer to him.
Yes, the trailer for Netflix's Ripley did channel Moriarty energy; but Scott is fairly certain that his Tom Ripley is an anti-hero; a protagonist of the story even!
Speaking to BBC's Today program, the actor made it clear where he stands on his character description.
“It does feel different [to playing Moriarty],” he told the Today program. “As Moriarty I felt like I was playing a villain and for some reason I retreat against calling Ripley a villain. He’s an anti-hero and it’s up to me to make the audience know what it’s like to be Ripley, not to be a victim of Tom Ripley. We should empathize with him. He is the protagonist in this.”
The upcoming Netflix drama is based on crime novels by Patricia Highsmith — and Scott believes it was the author's intention to make readers root for Ripley, not hate him. In the books, Ripley is indeed a con artist and a career criminal who always gets away even with the most unhinged things — and yet, he is likeable.
It's not like the same can't be said about Scott's iteration of Jim Moriarty — while undoubtedly a villain in both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and in the BBC show, the consulting criminal has managed to garner a huge fanbase around him.
Looks like Netflix's Ripley will see the same effect, even though he is not the first person to bring Tom Ripley to screens. In fact, Scott has huge shoes to fill if you think about it.
Can Scott Beat Alain Delon's Tom Ripley?
In 1960, The Talented Mr. Ripley was first adapted for screens under the title Purple Noon. The main role went to none other than Alain Delon — talk about likability!
The movie was highly praised by critics and launched Delon into stardom. It's safe to say Purple Noon has a cult following; moreover, even the movie industry titan Martin Scorsese is among its fans!
Purple Noon enjoys a rare 95% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.
Outshining Matt Damon Can Also Be a Challenge
In 1999, The Talented Mr. Ripley hit the screens once again, this time with Matt Damon as Ripley and under the original title.
Having grossed $128 million worldwide, Damon's iteration of the iconic con artist also proved to be successful. However, the newer movie has a lower Rotten Tomatoes rating: only 85% on Tomatometer, even though critics still loved the film.
Andrew Scott's Tom Ripley is yet to receive his verdict from both critics and fans, with the premiere of the limited series happening in two days.
Ripley will launch on Netflix on April 4.