Andrew Scott says the 'money-making' roles were the ones he enjoyed least

Andrew Scott’s turn as Fleabag‘s ‘Sexy Priest’ had impact in the UK in a big way, not least sending sales of Marks & Spencer cans of gin and tonic soaring by 25 per cent. But If Sherlock took Scott to a mass audience, his Hamlet won huge plaudits, Fleabag took him further into our hearts and a new role in Black Mirror will widen his global impact, where does Scott go from here? 

“I am interested in America, to be honest,” he says. “Maybe not to move there but I would like to travel with work. And America is where a lot of the good work is.”

This 42-year-old Dubliner will only travel if the roles are right – but don’t be surprised to see him fronting major movies in the very near future.

Sc0tt admits he hasn’t had many “awful” jobs that he hated, but adds: “The ones I haven’t enjoyed so much have been the ones that are money-making. Of course it is nice to be able to buy a flat and all that stuff, but that is not what makes me feel alive.

“We are not here long. So I want to be able to just play around as much as possible.”

Speaking to The Big Issue, Scott expresses his concern that LGBT+ people are being hit hard by homelessness.

“When you think of [LGBT+ homelessness charity] the Albert Kennedy Trust, particularly talking to you guys, the idea of young people being on the streets because of [being gay] now is devastating to me,” he says. “People throwing their children out. 

“In the past, there has been so much fear-mongering. To a certain extent, parents being fearful of their children being gay was understandable given what they had to read in the press and saw on television. So when you change what is on television and what is in the press, that changes people’s lives, genuinely. There is absolutely no reason for people to be turned out on the streets. 

“If we are not talking in hysteria about sexuality, then people can feel, OK that is a viable option for my son. Thinking of Fleabag, that a gay person was able to play a part like that? That is why these things matter.” 

Read the rest of the interview with this week’s cover star in the Big Issue, available from your local vendor until Sunday.