Summary
Andrew Scott reflects on his appearance in 2015’s James Bond movie Spectre, opening up about why he doesn’t feel that his performance as villain C lived up to his full potential. The Irish actor is known for his roles as Moriarty in BBC’s Sherlock and the Hot Priest in Fleabag, as well as his appearances in Pride, His Dark Materials, and 1917. In Spectre, C, otherwise known as Max Denbigh, is a deep-cover member of the titular villain organization who plans to assume control of a number of intelligence agencies to surveil and manipulate the world.
With Craig’s James Bond era over and the franchise moving forward, Scott has given a candid reflection on his own contributions to the franchise’s story and why his performance didn’t live up to his own expectations to GQ. While Scott had played a number of villainous roles, the actor admitted that he wasn’t keen on playing another purely antagonistic role after reflecting on what he wanted to do as an actor, stating he would like to explore more ambiguous roles and C in Spectre did not leave him interested, therefore leading him to him feeling he could have done better. Check out Scott’s response below:
If I’m honest, it’s not a territory that I feel like I would want to go over again. Now I know who I am a little bit more, I feel like the work that I’m just interested in doing is more in the grey areas. I suppose it’s just that I didn’t think… I just maybe wasn’t that good in it.
Was Andrew Scott’s Spectre Villain Role Overshadowed?
Quietly making his debut as an unassuming minor character in Sherlock season 1’s finale, “The Great Game”, Scott’s surprise reveal as true mastermind Moriarty, and being behind a string of crimes that challenged Benedict Cumberbatch’s Holmes in the season’s cliffhanger left audiences captivated by his ability to switch between unhinged, playful taunting and intimidating menace on a whim. While the character took his own life to outwit Sherlock in season 2, his impact could still be felt in the following seasons, where flashbacks and hints at his potential survival left audiences eager for more. As such, his casting as a James Bond villain left audiences eager to see Scott steal the show once more as 007’s latest foe.
Despite said excitement, however, it was soon evident that Scott’s C was only a pawn in a larger scheme, as after lengthy legal battles over the use of Spectre in the James Bond franchise concluded in 2013, the movie’s main antagonist slot was instead taken by Christoph Waltz’ Blofeld. The return of Bond’s most recognizable, much-parodied rival, and larger retconning of his and SPECTRE’s roles in previous Craig installments, Waltz’ villain took center stage as C acted as more of a rival to Ralph Fiennes’ M. As such, Scott’s C was ultimately overshadowed by a more recognizable threat.
While his Spectre role may have been sidelined by Blofeld’s return, Scott is an actor who can both captivate and frighten an audience through his antagonistic roles. However, with both James Bond and Sherlock behind him, it is understandable why Scott hopes to find roles that challenge and intrigue him, rather than fall back on the past. Nevertheless, many fans may wonder if Scott could have stood out more had he taken a more central role in Craig’s penultimate bond film.
Spectre is currently streaming on Prime Video.
Source: GQ
Release Date: 2015-11-06
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Craig, Andrew Scott, Dave Bautista
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 28m
Genres: Thriller, Action, Adventure
Writers: John Logan, Robert Wade, Neal Purvis
Summary: Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in the 24th installment in the long-running action franchise. While M (Fiennes) endures a political battle to keep MI-6 alive, Bond investigates a sinister terrorist organization and peels back many layers to reveal the horrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Budget: 250 million
Studio(s): Sony
Distributor(s): Sony
Sequel(s): No Time to Die
prequel(s): Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall
Franchise(s): James Bond
