Andrew Scott says his character in 'Fleabag' is "uncharted territory" for him.
Andrew Scott
The 42-year-old actor is known for playing villainous roles such as Jim Moriarty in the hit BBC series 'Sherlock', and has said his new casting as a hunky priest in the upcoming second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's comedy-drama 'Fleabag' was a welcome change of pace.
He said: "This is uncharted territory for me, and that's what I'm always looking for. It's a character I've never got to play, and it's such a big part of my life. Sex ... I feel so grateful to [Phoebe] that she thought of me. The part develops in a really beautiful, brilliant way."
Andrew previously worked with Phoebe - who created 'Fleabag' and also stars as the titular character - in the play 'Roaring Trade' a decade ago, and he says he was surprised when she offered him the part in her show.
He added: "We'd not seen each other for so long. But we had a natural chemistry then, and we still do."
And the 'Spectre' actor admits he "loves" the way 'Fleabag' addresses the topic of sex in a "sex-positive" way.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, he said: "What I love about Fleabag is that it talks about sex in what Americans would call a very sex-positive way. It's the thing that every single person in the world is interested in, whether they are sexual people or not."
The actor isn't sure why Phoebe cast him in the role, but in an email to the publication after Andrew's interview, Phoebe herself admitted the casting was down to the way he has "the charisma of 10 people rolled into one".
Phoebe wrote in her email: "It couldn't have been anyone else. It wasn't an easy ask - someone who could convince as a person who's seemingly totally at peace, but at the same time has a promise of danger. He had to be a character that Fleabag couldn't sum up and dismiss as easily as she has with so many others - so he had to be played by an actor who you can't define. Andrew has the charisma of 10 people rolled into one."