During the BFI London Film Festival the Irish actor took centre stage to promote Elsinore a drama that re-imagines the last months of Ian Charleson’s life. The film, directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, follows the celebrated Shakespearean performer as he battles AIDS while starring as Hamlet at the National Theatre in 1989. Scott, who also serves as a producer, described the premiere as “very, very, very special” and drew a direct line from Charleson’s real-world struggle to today’s ongoing conversations about queer representation.
From tragedy to triumph: the historical weight of Elsinore
Charleson, known for his Oscar-winning role in Chariots of Fire was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 and succumbed to the disease in 1990. Elsinore dramatizes his determination to keep performing despite a collapsing immune system, an effort Scott likened to an “Olympian” feat. He highlighted the physical toll of septicaemia-induced facial swelling, noting that Charleson feared being unrecognisable on stage – a fear that underscored the shame that many HIV-positive artists endured. Scott argued that the shame belongs not to gay people but to the governments and societies that ignored the crisis, a point that resonated with the audience’s applause.
Why queer joy is not enough: Scott’s call for narrative balance
When asked about the surge of upbeat LGBTQ+ productions such as Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry the actor replied, “I welcome those stories, I really, really do.” Yet he warned that an exclusive focus on “joyful” tales risks erasing the painful chapters of queer history. Queer joy he said, should sit alongside “sad gay dramas” like Elsinore, because the collective memory of the AIDS crisis is essential to understanding current struggles. He identified a lingering “shame” that makes some audiences avoid stories of hardship, insisting that this discomfort originates from societal prejudice, not from the community it depicts.
Scott’s career in perspective: from Sherlock to stage triumphs
The conversation also turned to the actor’s own trajectory. He reflected on the worldwide impact of playing James Moriarty in the BBC’s modern Sherlock adaptation, noting that the series reached “230 countries” and reshaped his public profile. From there, he cited his role as the “Hot Priest” in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag and recent projects such as All of Us StrangersBlue MoonWake Up Dead Man and Pressure. Yet he described his personal connection to Shakespeare as “grueling”: three-hour-plus performances of Hamlet, twice a day, at London’s Almeida Theatre in 2017 left him “knocked the stuffing out of” himself. That experience, he said, gave him a deeper empathy for Charleson’s determination to keep the curtain up despite illness.
Scott also paid tribute to the theatre community that rallied around Charleson when few elsewhere offered support. He recalled the outpouring of solidarity from peers such as Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Mescal, describing actors as “the loves of my life”. Their collective backing, he argued, illustrates how art can become a refuge and a platform for activism, a sentiment echoed by the film’s cast, which includes Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Joe Locke and Juliet Stevenson.
By championing Elsinore and its honest portrayal of a difficult era, he hopes cinema will continue to confront uncomfortable truths while also celebrating the vibrant, joyous facets of LGBTQ+ life.
