‘Fleabag’s Andrew Scott Plots More Roles With Phoebe Waller-Bridge After Debut Golden Globe Nomination As Brit Actors Continue Hollywood Take-Over

Peter White

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Andrew Scott – aka Fleabag’s The Hot Priest – was eating a cookie in a Central London café when he was surprised by the news of his first Golden Globe nomination.

Scott picked up a nod for best performance by a supporting actor in a series or limited series and was “delighted” by the news.

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He told Deadline, “I wasn’t expecting it all. I rang Phoebe [Waller-Bridge] for a bit of a scream fest – we’ll definitely find some time in the week to celebrate. It sounds like a cliché, but what awards talk and nominations do is make people say ‘I must watch that show’ and never have I been in a show where I’ve said that I want people to watch this. It’s funny and sometimes comedy is seen as a lesser art form but to my mind, comedy like this can break your heart and be so sensitive and generous, it’s genuinely special.”

Scott is up for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television against The Komisky Method’s Alan Arkin, Succession’s Kieran Culkin, Chernobyl’s Stellan Skarsgard and Barry’s Henry Winkler.

This comes after the second season of Amazon’s BBC co-pro Fleabag stormed the Emmy’s, picking up a number of awards including best comedy series. That night was marked with an iconic photograph of Waller-Bridge, taken by BBC Studios’ Head of Comedy Josh Cole, with a drink outside the Chateau Marmont. Scott joked that even if he wins, “Nobody is going to pull off a vodka gimlet like PWB. I wouldn’t even attempt that. Maybe with my cookie.”

Joking aside, Scott and Waller-Bridge created the character of ‘The Priest’ after a long walk in London’s Soho. “We walked into a Quaker center, which is a place I go to avoid the craziness of London sometimes and it’s a place where you can just sit and be. There was no one else there so we talked for hours about the world and religion and what we wanted to manifest, a real genuine screen partnership, and how people of our generation feel at a loss, now that organized religion has let a lot of people down.”

“At the end of that conversation I signed on, having seen no script so when the script came and it was of the calibre that it was, I knew it was something special. Then you’re relying on the chemistry of the cast and we had that, but even still you don’t know something is going to take off but it really has and I think that’s down to a certain degree of magic,” he added.

Scott’s performance as the priest was also one of the first times a member of the clergy was shown in a different way on television. “It’s unique, sometimes the way that people of the church are represented in quite an extreme way and I wanted to show behind the mask of someone who has their own fears and is capable of falling in love and has their own dilemmas as well as being good at their job. It’s a very interesting dilemma for people to watch.”

The pair are now firm friends and Scott told Deadline that they are plotting their next move. “There are plans to work together again, which I’m really really excited about. It’s very rare that you’re able to make something of this calibre with somebody who is so generous and fun and you adore as a person. The more of that the better, as far as I’m concerned, there’s absolutely future stuff coming up.”

Irishman Scott is one of a number of actors from the other side of the pond to have scored a nomination this morning for the 77th Golden Globe Awards.

Scott is joined by 11 Brits in the television acting categories including Waller-Bridge, who is up for best actress in a musical or comedy.

The Crown’s Olivia Colman was also nominated, with Scott having worked with her in Gaynor MacFarlane’s production of Betrayal as well on Fleabag.

Another old pal, Brian Cox, who Scott worked with on his London theater debut in Dublin Carol, was also nominated for his role in Succession, while other Brits on the list include Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer, Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington, The Crown’s Tobias Menzies, The Crown’s Helena Bonham Carter, Chernobyl’s Emily Watson, Catherine The Great’s Helen Mirren, Chernobyl’s Jared Harris and The Spy’s Sacha Baron Cohen.

Scott said actors in London come from a “great theatrical tradition”. “These are people I’ve worked hard with in the theater and without the scrutiny of these Hollywood events, so I find it magical to go and have a journey with these actors. It’s really important to celebrate that. It’s tough being an actor and for a lot of actors, it comes after years of working hard, so I feel great affection and pride and I’m going to hang out with them on the night and make sure we all have a great time.”

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