Andrew Scott names the greatest actor he ever worked with: “At the top of his game”
From a very minor role in Saving Private Ryan to terrorising Sherlock Holmes and mixing it up with Benoit Blanc, Andrew Scott has come a long way.
Whether it’s on the big screen, small screen, stage, or wherever else he chooses to ply his trade, he has proven time and time again that he’s one of the best actors of his generation. His catalogue of iconic characters and memorable moments is up there with the very best of them, and you get the feeling he’s nowhere near done.
In that time, the Irishman has worked with some of the finest acting talent to ever live. Screen legends, up-and-comers, action heroes, sex symbols, Scott has worked with them all. And that’s just the cast of Wake Up Dead Man. Due to the varied nature of his work, he’s shared dressing rooms with a proper rogue’s gallery. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Speaking to The Guardian, Scott spoke about his relationship with actors on the whole. He revealed that he enjoyed being a part of the theatrical profession, with one actor in particular making him especially proud.
“I always find it weird when actors say, ‘I don’t have any actor friends’, because I like actors a lot. I think they’re very funny, and empathetic, and sexy,” he said. “I worked with Anthony Hopkins in King Lear. I think he’s the most engaging actor I’ve ever worked with. I find something very moving about the fact that he’s 81 and at the top of his game.”
The version of William Shakespeare’s revered tragedy he’s referring to is the 2018 BBC movie directed by Richard Eyre. Scott plays Edgar as part of a cast that also includes Jim Broadbent, Christopher Eccleston, Emily Watson, Emma Thompson, and a young Florence Pugh.
Hopkins, as you might have guessed, plays Lear. A long-time fan of the play, the Welsh icon had previously appeared in a stage version of the story over 30 years prior. With three decades more experience behind him, he delivers one of the defining portrayals of the seminal character of the modern age.
Acting seems to come to Hopkins as easily as breathing. Even when you can tell that he’s phoning it in or just doing something for the money, he’s still often acting circles around everyone else. While he’s always been talented, he seems to have really hit his stride since entering his ninth decade. Perhaps the roles he’s able to play as an octogenarian or the fearlessness that comes with age, but the past decade or so has yielded some of his best-ever work. Don’t just take my word for it. In 2022, he won an Oscar for his performance in The Father, making him the oldest winner in any acting category at the grand old age of 83.
A generational talent, a living link to the past, a champion of sobriety, and an all-round top fella, Anthony Hopkins really is one of the best of us. If he’s good enough for Andrew Scott, then he’s good enough for me.
