Andrew Scott is emerging as one of the best living actors of the moment. From Fleabag to All of Us Strangers, this man has proven that he has leading man talent and charisma. He deserves to be a household name and so much more. His upcoming project Ripley might launch him into superstardom. Let's talk about the openly gay British babe and his sexy new series.
Coming out in 2024 on Netflix, Andrew Scott is about to take on the iconic role of Tom Ripley. Does Tom Ripley ring a bell to you? It should! Any gay cinema fan has seen The Talented Mr. Ripley over and over again. We've all lusted over Jude Law alongside Matt Damon, watching Jude stand up naked from a seductive bathtub game of chess. You don't know what I'm talking about? Then watch it here:
Many critics of Saltburn have been calling it a modern take on The Talented Mr. Ripley. I think that's fine! I know that Tom Ripley is a gay villain, but he was created by a gay person and I think he was always intended to be played by a gay man...that's Andrew Scott. So I am ready to see Tom Ripley come to life again!
So what is Tom Ripley up to this time? This time his "talents" take him to New York City in the 1960s where he will continue his ways of lying, cheating, and scheming. The fraud continues as Andrew plays Tom and Johnny Flynn plays the object of his desire, Dickie Greenleaf. Yes, that was who Jude Law played!
Why Ripley in New York? This is not a spinoff of the movie. This is an adaptation of the book series that all of this is based on. Novelist Patricia Highsmith created Tom Ripley and wrote a series of psychological thrillers.
The strange and reclusive writer knew what she was doing because she also wrote Strangers on a Train and she wrote the first lesbian novel with a loving ending, The Price of Salt, under a pseudonym. That book was later adapted into the movie Carol. So, as you can see, Highsmith knows thrillers and she knows gay romance.
(Total sidenote: it is thought that The Price of Salt is loosely based on her relationship with therapist Kathryn Hammil Cohen, the wife of the publisher of Strangers on a Train. She had a secret affair with her therapist after, ironically, going to her to "cure" her homosexual desires. She started seeing Kathryn twice a week! And to pay for those sessions? She began a job working at Bloomingdale's during the holiday season. Doesn't that sound a lot like Carol?)
Anyway, Highsmith was a highly creative (and complicated) individual and her books are still beloved even if her personal life and views were offensive and messy. Some of those messes helped create these timeless characters. That is why Tom Ripley and her other stories continue to fascinate us decades later. They also arouse us!
Andrew Scott is sure to bring authenticity to the role. A gay man playing a gay villain? Now that's what I'm talking about!
