The original version of this article was written by Jess Bacon and published on 31 May 2024.
Andrew Scott is an award-winning Irish actor best known for his role in iconic TV series such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag and the BBC’s Sherlock, as well as being a regular on the West End, winning two Laurence Olivier Awards. The Dublin-born actor more recently starred in the lead role in Andrew Haig’s supernatural romance, All of Us Strangers, alongside Paul Mescal and won yet more recognition for playing the title role in Ripley last year. He’s back on screens in 2025 alongside his Spectre co-star Daniel Craig in Wake Up Dead Man, the latest instalment of the mystery thriller film franchise, Knives Out.
Read on to discover the best Andrew Scott performances, ranked in ascending order by some combination of Scott’s role and their wider impact, and where to watch them on popular streaming platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
10. 1917 (2019)
Scott’s role in 1917 is far from huge, but he makes every moment of screen time count: He plays Lt. Leslie in the WWI-set film, rocking the kind of beanie and rolled up cigarettes vibe of someone you might run into in your local cafe, just with a lot more swagger and sense of daring-do.
1917 is a battle movie that’s presented as a single, roving oner—so if you are a fan of those kinds of moments in films like Children of Men or Gravity, or appreciate operatic war scenes, as in the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, this is one you might want to see.
9. Too Much (2025)
Lena Dunham made a big return in 2025 with the Netflix series Too Much, and if you’re a fan of her more famous work, like Girls and Tiny Furniture, you’ll be delighted to have her humour back in your life again.
The same goes for fans of Hacks, as Too Much gives Megan Stalter (who stole every scene in that HBO series) the lead role. Scott only appears in a couple of episodes as Jim, the self-absorbed, Raya-subscribing film director, but boy, does he make them count.
8. Pride (2014)
In some ways, Pride was the first movie to put Scott on the map. It tells the unlikely true story of how a group of gay and lesbian activists came to fight alongside the striking miners in the small Welsh town of Onllwyn during the 1980s. Scott doesn’t play the lead here, but his role—as a Welshman who was shunned by his community after coming out 16 years earlier—is perhaps the most pivotal in the story.
A wonderfully uplifting film about solidarity across cultural divides, if you like movies that focus on that moment in history, like Billy Elliot, or fish-out-of-water British comedies like The Full Monty, you’re probably going to love Pride.
7. Blue Moon (2025)
It’s interesting how often Scott plays the supporting role in movies, but, like many of the great character actors before him, I think it’s something he prefers. For Blue Moon, director Richard Linklater’s love letter to Broadway, he plays Richard Rodgers, the famous ex-writing partner of central character Lorenz Hart, played wonderfully by Ethan Hawke.
If you like theatre world movies like All About Eve or Opening Night, or appreciate Hawke’s more dramatic roles, like First Reformed, make sure to put this on your watch list!
6. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
Wake Up Dead Man is the third movie to be released from Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise, so fans of the first two won’t need much convincing. If you haven’t seen them, just imagine a modern version of Agatha Christie—big ensemble, various twists and turns—and you’ll basically know what you’re in for.
For Dead Man, Scott plays Lee Ross, an eccentric, best-selling author. Like many of his roles, it’s far from the centre of the action, but Scott once again makes every minute count.
5. Spectre (2015)
Years before reteaming with Daniel Craig on Wake Up Dead Man, Scott shared the screen with the former 007 in the 2015 James Bond epic, Spectre, the penultimate film in Craig’s reign—it’s maybe not the best remembered of the Craig movies, but if you liked Skyfall or the more recent No Time to Die, it’s more than worth seeing.
Scott plays Max Denbigh, the shady government official who turns out to be harbouring some secrets—exactly the kind of slippery character that Scott seems to relish playing.
4. Ripley (2024)
And speaking of slippery characters, they don’t get more elusive than Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley. In 2024, Scott followed in the footsteps of Alain Delon and Matt Damon in bringing the legendary forger, impersonator, and sociopath to the screen. Ripley is a show that fans of those previous movies, The Talented Mr. Ripley, in particular, should really give a go.
Shot in black and white, it’s a more austere version than the sunny Jude Law caper from 1999, but it’s no less gripping for it—and we can thank Scott’s starring performance for that.
3. Fleabag (2016-2019)
He may already be sick of it, but to many fans, Scott will always be known for his role as “The Hot Priest” in the second season of the Emmy award-winning series, Fleabag. Written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the show is widely considered a modern classic, and deservedly so.
This is a series to watch if you like smart and brutally honest humour—it’s hard to think of a direct comparison, but if you’re into the brilliant observations and offbeat humour of shows like I May Destroy You or Russian Doll, you’ll probably love it.
2. Sherlock (2010-2017)
For his portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s nemesis to Sherlock Holmes, Scott won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor—and deservedly so. His Moriarty only appears for a limited time, but Scott’s performance is electric, enigmatic and simply unforgettable. Sherlock is a must-see for many reasons, especially if you like smartly written and wonderfully acted mysteries like Hannibal or the more recent Ludwig, and Scott is one of them.
Though Scott appeared in television programmes before his time as James Moriarty, this was the part that raised his profile and resulted in him being considered for prominent leading roles.
1. All of Us Strangers (2023)
Scott brings out the best in every role he’s given, which makes it difficult to hold one performance in higher esteem than another. However, his work in Haig’s supernatural romance All of Us Strangers is a true standout—and if you liked Haig’s landmark queer movie Weekend or a film like Celine Song’s Past Lives, get ready to ball your eyes out.
For his poignant role as Adam, Scott was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and was unlucky not to do the same at the Oscars. He imbues each moment of the performance with such intricate nuance and personal history, it’s nothing short of heartbreaking to watch.
