Andrew Scott: AIDS Crisis Shame Lies With Governments — SkimNews
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- Andrew Scott told the London Film Festival opening night after the European premiere of "Elsinore" that he welcomes joyful LGBTQ stories like "Heartstopper" and "Heated Rivalry" but is troubled by a perceived reluctance to revisit darker chapters including the AIDS crisis.
- Scott placed blame squarely on institutions, stating "the shame does not lie with the gay people" but rather "lies with the governments who ignored the AIDS crisis and the stigma that was around people and the innate prejudice that was in society."
- "Elsinore" stars Scott as Scottish actor Ian Charleson, the "Chariots of Fire" star who in 1989 replaced Daniel Day-Lewis in "Hamlet" at London's National Theatre while already succumbing to AIDS complications, earning rave reviews before dying seven weeks after bowing out.
- Director Simon Stone and screenwriter Stephen Beresford collaborated on "Elsinore," which Studiocanal backed and which world premiered at Telluride to stellar reviews with awards-season positioning expected.
- Scott invited the real-life figures portrayed in the film on stage after the premiere, including the National Theatre's 46-year stage doorkeeper Linda Tolhurst, played by Monica Dolan, and HIV/AIDS consultant Dr. Margaret Johnson, played by Olivia Colman, who drew a standing ovation.
- Scott called Dr. Margaret Johnson "a true life hero," citing her impact on the development of HIV and AIDS treatment, with the film's real-life subjects sharing the stage alongside their on-screen counterparts Paul Chahidi as dresser Ralph Mills and Matthew Beard as director Sean Mathias.
Why it matters: Scott's framing reframes the cultural conversation around LGBTQ cinema by pushing back against the push toward lighter fare and insisting the AIDS crisis remains a moral accounting owed by governments, not a chapter to bury — a stance with particular weight at the London premiere of a film that turned that history into a Studiocanal-backed awards-season contender.
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