Andrew Scott’s Ripley is now on Netflix. While critics are divided over the show, it still gets an astounding 86% Rotten Tomatoes score. But aside from his latest performance in the show, the Irish actor once performed eight different characters in a play— quite insane, really. But Scott pulled it off.
Andrew Scott Played 8 Different Characters in A Play
Andrew Scott has an astounding career to his name with movies and television titles including 1917, Catherine Called Birdy, Saving Private Ryan, and Spectre. Of course, Scott shined even more in television roles, primarily, his villainous role in Sherlock and as The priest in Fleabag.
But beyond that, the actor has also kept himself busy honing his skills doing theater. The actor was in buzz after the news of him doing eight different characters in a play came out. He finally revealed the details of it. Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel in his show, Scott Revealed that it was insane.
“It sends you completely insane, um, I played eight characters yeah and it was a play in the West and I just finished at the end of last year. And yeah, you’re on the tube the subway in London and you just spent months muttering away and you’re doing like playing eight different characters in one scene.”
But how did the audience distinguish the different characters in a one-man show in one scene? They certainly don’t hint anything for the audience, “then it allows the audience to do a little bit of detective work you know themselves,” Scott said.
Scott further reflected on acting in regards to the audience’s perception.
“Just slight little changes in the way you might use your voice or just little small things and at the beginning,” Scott said of the play. “We use like the little symbols and bit by bit the audience amazing what an audience audiences love to do a little bit of work you know the worst kind of acting I think is when people are sort of spoonfed everything I think audience is like a bit of it.”
Sort of like reading a book to children, Scott agreed to Kimmel’s understanding of the conversation.
Andrew Scott Said Playing Ripley Was Intimidating, Explained Why It Was Black and White
Scott recently played the title role in Netflix’s Ripley. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, the show was completely made in black and white. Highsmith’s book was already adapted in 1999 in Anthony Minghella’s movie of the same name as the book starring Matt Damon as the title character. “For me, it was intimidating because you know, it’s a film that people love and I’m certainly included that I absolutely adore that film,” Scott told Jimmy Kimmel.
“That was one of my big questions is like what why are we doing this? But Steven Zaillian our writer-director had just this very strong image when he read the book many many years ago that he wanted it to be very film Noir it’s all set in black and white,” Scott said.
Explaining the reason behind the creative decision to make it black and white, Scott said, “It’s very Hitchcockian you know? It’s like a sort of, it’s very crime based, and you know? He wanted it to feel of the period.” Considering the tone of the narrative, the creative decision did fit well, at least, several critics hailed the aesthetics of it.
Irish Actor, Italian and American Accent
In Ripley, Scott who is an Irish star had to speak both Italian and American accents. “Well, I too speak Italian. About 15% of it is acting in Italian which was genuinely terrifying because he would be good at speaking Italian,” Scott said of his character speaking Italian. “So, I’m an Irish man that’s playing an American speaking Italian but then I’m also an Irishman playing an American imitating another American speaking Italian.”
“But then he pretends to be another American who also speaks Italian but he would probably be less good at maybe speaking Italian so the way he speaks Italian would also have to have to differ,” he added.
Quite mindboggling, but Scott knows his know-how and did a marvelous job with the character in the show.
Ripley is now streaming on Netflix.
