Andrew Scott Talks Ireland's Marriage Equality Victory

Photo by JUCO

For his role as Moriarty in the BBC's hit drama, Sherlock, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, Andrew Scott has earned himself hordes of die-hard fans. After starring in Pride, the heart-warming 2014 film about a London gay rights organization teaming up with a small Welsh mining town during the turbulant premiership of Margaret Thatcher, Scott was one of our Out100 honorees. He's now set to appear in the upcoming James Bond film, Spectre, making him the second openly gay actor to join the franchise, along with Ben Wishaw. In a recent interview with Red, he discussed his professional and personal life, and got emotional remembering this summer's successful marriage equality referendum in his home country of Ireland. 

"People came out in droves, from all different backgrounds, to vote for love. And that’s essentially what it is. It also meant that the idea of being gay or bisexual was discussed by families all over Ireland. So it was no longer talked about in hushed tones, like, 'Oh, I believe she has a son that’s… you know.' Bringing it out in the open like that, and for it to have a result like that, means that it has changed something in the genetic make-up of the country. I don’t think that the full depth of what has been achieved there has even unfolded yet."

"Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I have to want to get married now. It’s just an option. But it’s about having the same options as everyone else. So now a gay person has a right not to get married."

To read the full interview, visit Red.