The London Film Festival opened its 2026 run with a powerful reminder of cinema’s capacity to confront uncomfortable history. Irish actor Andrew Scott stepped onto the Royal Festival Hall stage after the European premiere of “Elsinore” a biographical drama centred on the final months of Scottish star Ian Charleson. The audience responded with a standing ovation, and the buzz immediately turned to Oscar pundits who see the performance as a strong contender for the best-actor trophy.
Scott, already celebrated for roles ranging from Sherlock’s Moriarty to the Hot Priest in Fleabag used the moment to speak about the broader responsibilities of filmmakers. While applauding the surge of upbeat LGBTQ series such as Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry he cautioned against letting the darker chapters of queer history fade into oblivion.
“Elsinore”: a portrait of art, illness and defiance
Directed by Simon Stone from a screenplay by Stephen Beresford the film follows Charleson’s 1989 stint as Hamlet at London’s National Theatre. By then, the actor had been diagnosed with AIDS and was already grappling with severe health decline. Despite his waning immune system, Charleson took the role after Daniel Day-Lewis abandoned the production mid-performance, delivering a critically acclaimed interpretation that earned rave reviews before his death seven weeks later.
The supporting cast includes Olivia Colman as pioneering HIV/AIDS consultant Dr. Margaret JohnsonMonica Dolan as longtime National Theatre doorkeeper Linda Tolhurst, and Billie Piper as Charleson’s close friend. After the screening, Scott invited several of the real-life figures portrayed in the movie onto the stage, most notably Dr. Johnson, whose contributions to early HIV treatment were honoured with a collective standing ovation.
Why the AIDS crisis must remain on screen, says Scott
When asked whether the recent wave of lighter queer narratives signaled a shift away from tragedy, Scott answered with measured optimism. “I really, really enjoy the joy that’s emerging in shows like Heartstopper” he said, “but I’m troubled when the industry seems reluctant to revisit the period when the AIDS epidemic devastated our community.” He argued that the reluctance stems from a misplaced sense of shame, insisting that shame belongs not to LGBTQ people but to the governments that ignored the epidemic and the societal prejudice that surrounded it.
“The shame lies with the authorities who turned a blind eye, not with the men and women who suffered,” Scott emphasized, his words echoing the anger felt by many activists in the 1980s. By keeping the story alive on screen, he believes filmmakers can both educate new generations and honour those, like Charleson, who performed bravely despite fatal illness.
Critical acclaim and Oscar momentum
Critics have responded with near-uniform enthusiasm. Kevin Maher of The Times wrote that Scott “has all but secured the best-actor trophy,” while Tim Robey of The Telegraph awarded the film four stars and predicted “thunderous ovations” at awards season. Nick Howells of The Standard described the performance as “a performance of a lifetime” that could compel the Academy to act.
Not all reviews were glowing; Slant Magazine gave the film two stars, criticizing the script for leaving Charleson’s motivations under-explored. Nevertheless, even the dissenting voice acknowledged that Scott “makes you feel the desperate need to play Hamlet in his gut.” With a world premiere at Telluride that earned rave notices and a UK release slated for January 2027, the film appears poised for the awards circuit.
Beyond the trophy talk, the conversation sparked by Scott’s comments underscores a larger cultural debate: should cinema continue to mine tragic queer histories, or is it time to foreground celebration? As the actor put it, the industry now offers “lots of different types of gay drama,” and the challenge is to balance joy with remembrance, ensuring that the lessons of the AIDS crisis are not erased.
