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I almost knock into Andrew Scott before I see him.
CLASSIC APPEALScott wears a Ralph Lauren Purple Label shirt. Levi’s jeans.Fashion Editor: Edward Bowleg III.
Hes just dashed out of the Tate Modern, frantic and slightly late: Theres just so many entrances!
His patrician forehead crinkles, and the brown eyes charmingly plead: Forgive me!
He was just inside, picking up his membership card.
TAKING IT IN STRIDE“He can stop time with his honesty,” says Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Scott as an actor. Officine Générale coat.
Surely he can get in for free?
Excuse me, he huffs, Im a fully paid-up member.
Then he flashes the broad grin that seduced a legion ofFleabagviewers, and were off.
Scott inRipley.
The plan today is to meander in a loop along the Thames.
We slow down to regard an underwater section of our route.
I dont think were gonna get through there, he says.
Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn inRipley.
Ive probably got a hole in my trainers.
Now maybe its kind of the opposite.
Thats somewhat underselling his dramatic accomplishments.
He wore his talent so lightly and modestly, Moore says.
He was joyful and fun and an amazing partner to have onstage and off.
TAKING IT IN STRIDEHe can stop time with his honesty, says Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Scott as an actor.
As a child, he was brought to art galleries and theaters.
An eerie stillness characterizes all of Scotts performances as well.
And then there is that agonizing stretch of silence inPhoebe Waller-BridgesFleabagright after its titular protagonist confesses her love.
Has the line Itll pass ever been delivered with so much pathos?
Scotts acting is all submerged passion; when he does speak, his words have depth.
Andrew has an intensity and a precision in his work, Moore tells me.
I love his vulnerability, the way his eyes glitter onscreen.
As a child, Scott was sent to drama classes to get over his shyness.
I feltjoythats the word.
Some intuition told me as an 11-year-old: You have to be this expressive, thats what theater is!
Nobody taught me that.
I just felt it.
Then he swerves to avoid a clutch of tourists on Tower Bridge, and the reverie is lost.
These days, walking around London is something of an ongoing pastime for Scott.
Does he ever feel slightly protective of Mescal, two decades his junior?
Not any more than I would with any of my other people in my life.
Because hes got his head screwed on, you know?
Waller-Bridge, who has known Scott for 15 years, describes him as an absolute pixie of mischief.
When asked to elaborate, she continues: I could write a novel.
But I love how naughty he is.
I dont like to think about it too much, if Im honest, Scott says of fame.
Quite unusually, I got sent all eight scripts at the same time, he remembers.
If anybody comes close, there is always a conveniently located oar or glass paperweight nearby.
Ripley, in other words, is the hero of the tale.
Thats why he fascinates so many, says Scott.
Theres been so many iterations of him.
I think its because people root for him.
Musician and actor Johnny Flynn plays his first victimthe monied Dickie Greenleafand Dakota Fanning is Dickies suspicious ex-girlfriend.
I find Tom quite vulnerable, Scott tells me.
I dont think hes necessarily lonely, but I certainly think hes solitary….
He seems to me by his nature that he just cant fit in.
Hes trying to survive.
InRipley,Zaillian extracts maximum Hitchcockian dread from every creaky footstep.
But most sinister of all is Scotts face, which exhibits a sharklike steeliness throughout.
Its a performance that exudes queasy force.
Is Ripley a scammer, a psychopath, or both?
Theres so many things lurking beneath him that Ive been very reluctant to diagnose him with anything.
I never thought of him as a sociopath or murderous, Scott declares.
Its up to everybody else to characterize him or call him whatever they want.
Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn inRipley.
He seems to draw reassurance from it.
I dont like to think about it too much, if Im honest, he muses of fame.
I find it a little bit, er, frightening.
What stunts did he do?
Whats been on Scotts mind the most hasnt been acting at all, in fact, but art.
For me at the moment, its like, What do you want to do?
What do you want to say?
He scrolls through his phone to show me his work.
Well, God, Ill take that, he mutters at the comparison.
He would like someday to go to art school.
I dont ever regret it, he says of acting.
But I suppose you just get to a stage where you think, What else?
Id love to work with her again.
Shes just a singular, wonderful person.
For her part, Waller-Bridge says: Id love to see him do a fully unhinged slapstick comedy character.
Someone who is outraged ateverything, allof the time.
What did he do with it?
I didnt hold on to it for too long.
In this story: hair, Sally Hershberger; makeup, Frankie Boyd.
Produced by AL Studio.
Set Design: Mary Howard.
