Recent News Stories Suggest Andrew Scott Is Being Profiled for Being Gay

Andrew Scott in "All of Us Strangers" Source: IMDbPro

Is actor Andrew Scott being profiled for being too gay?

Two recent news reports suggest this may be the case. In the first, the reason why he was snubbed by the Oscars and BAFTAs for his performance in "All of Us Strangers" was expressed by writer/director Russell T. Davies ("It's a Sin," the original "Queer as Folk").

Scott, the Irish actor who came out in 2013, broke into the mainstream in 2019 with his ongoing role as the hunky priest on the second season of "Fleabag." When "All of Us Strangers" was released in December, many thought Scott was shoe-in for Best Actor nominations from the Academy Awards and the BAFTAs, especially after receiving a Golden Globe nod.

Was Andrew Scott Just Playing His Gay Self?

Davies claims the reason why Scott was snubbed is that "when a gay man plays a gay man, he's not considered to be acting..." Adding, "I genuinely think that happened there, that people thought, 'Oh, it's very good, but he's not acting there. He's not reaching; he was just being himself.'"

He also said Scott's turn in the movie was "a world-class performance [that] was massively underrated because he's gay and very publicly and visibly gay."

Davies was speaking at National Student Pride on Saturday (24 February), on a panel on queer representation in media moderated by Attitude editor-in-chief Cliff Joannou. (Watch the video of the panel at this link.)

"I very publicly and loudly proclaim that gay actors should play gay roles," he further pointed out, adding, "What I'm trying to do is shift it slightly so that more queer people are seen for queer roles"

Davies was joined on the panel by "It's a Sin" actor Nathaniel Curtis, "Everything Now" star Noah Thomas, "Shadow and Bone "actor Jack Wolfe and "Heartstopper" actress Bel Priestley.

Was Scott Gay-Baited by BBC Reporter?

The BBC sort-of apologized for an apparent gaffe by their reporter Colin Paterson when speaking with out actor Andrew Scott on the Red Carpet for the BAFTA Awards on February 18, reports The Independent.

"The red carpet interview in question quickly went viral as viewers criticized the BBC's Colin Paterson for repeatedly asking Scott about Barry Keoghan's nude scene in Emerald Fennell's film, 'Saltburn'," the British newspaper writes.

Scott was at the event to present an award, as well as to support the nominated film "All of Us Strangers," which had been nominated for six awards, including Outstanding British Film, Best Casting, Best Director and Screenplay (Andrew Haigh), Best Supporting Actress (Claire Foy), and Best Supporting Actor (Paul Mescal).

Missing amongst the nominees was Scott, who plays a lonely British gay man who revisits his childhood home to find his parents, long dead, alive and younger than he is. At the same time he begins a relationship with a man in his building (Mescal).

While the film holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, none of its nominees won at the BAFTAS, nor did the film receive any Oscar nominations.

Much of the criticism of Paterson came with his focusing on a controversial scene in "Saltburn," Emerald Fennell's dark, satiric comedy that was also up for a number of BAFTAs, in questioning Scott.

"Instead of asking about the critically acclaimed queer drama, Paterson opted to focus on asking Scott his thoughts on Keoghan's penis," writes The Hollywood Reporter. "In the now-viral clip, the correspondent said, 'Do you know Barry well?' Scott, who seemingly didn't know the direction that the conversation was heading in, beamed, 'Yes! I know Barry, yeah!"'

Paterson continued: "OK, your reaction when you first saw the naked dance scene at the end of 'Saltburn?'" Scott responded with uncomfortable laugh: "It's great, it's great. I won't spoil it for anybody." Not picking up the clues from Scott, Patterson battered on: "There was a lot of talk about prosthetics. How well do you know him?"

Smiling, Scott waved Paterson off and walked away. "Too much?" Patterson asked.

On Saturday, six days after the report went viral with much criticism of Paterson, the BBC published the following comment:

"Our reporter began by asking Andrew Scott about the film he'd appeared in – "All of Us Strangers" – which was nominated for six Baftas. He then moved on to ask about the popularity of Irish actors where Barry Keoghan, star of 'Saltburn,' was mentioned.

"'Saltburn' is a film which has had cultural impact, with Barry Keoghan's scene at the end gaining a lot of attention in particular – something the actor has addressed himself. Our question to Andrew Scott was meant to be a light hearted reflection of the discussion around the scene and was not intended to cause offense. 'Saltburn' writer and director, Emerald Fennell, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose song 'Murder on the Dancefloor' was used in the sequence, were also asked about the scene.

"We do, however, accept that the specific question asked to Andrew Scott was misjudged. After speaking with Andrew on the carpet, our reporter acknowledged on air that his questioning may have gone too far and that he was sorry if this was the case."