for immediate release - andrew scott talks empathizing with his

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANDREW SCOTT TALKS EMPATHIZING WITH HIS COMPLEX

CHARACTER IN NETFLIX’S RIPLEY IN APRIL 13 ISSUE OF

EMMY MAGAZINE

(LOS ANGELES – Apr. 10, 2024) Ripley, the

Netflix thriller adapted from Patricia

Highsmith’s Ripley novels, stars Andrew Scott

in the title role of the elusive con man. The

Dublin-born actor talks with emmy about

taking on the haunting role of Tom Ripley for

the eight-episode limited series written,

directed and executive-produced by Oscar-

winner Steven Zaillian. The award-winning

official publication of the Television Academy is

on sale Apr. 13.

Highsmith wrote five Ripley novels. The first —

and best known — The Talented Mr. Ripley,

has been adapted for movies and television

several times. Most memorable to U.S.

audiences is the 1999 film starring Matt

Damon as Ripley. In “Killer Talent,” Scott

tells emmy that, when considering this Ripley project, Zaillian’s writing captivated

him. “The scripts were just so brilliantly economic and gripping,” he says. “I

thought it was a great opportunity to spend that amount of time with such a

fascinating character.”

The noir thriller begins in early-1950s New York and moves through scenic Italian

locales. “Andrew’s transformation from a disreputable petty crook on the Lower

East Side streets of New York to a sophisticated expatriate thriving in Italy is

extraordinary,” says Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Night Of). “Everything about him

gradually changes — the way he looks and carries himself, how he behaves and

speaks, how he thinks. It is a finely measured performance.”

Transforming into Tom Ripley — whose crimes escalated from forgery and fraud to

murder — was challenging, even for Scott, who played all eight parts in the

Chekhov-inspired Vanya on London’s West End. The actor is in nearly every frame

of the series. “It’s unusual, I think, [in television] to spend so much time with one

character over eight hours. I had to have an awful lot of stamina,” Scott says. At

the same time, the character calls for a demented yet friendly calmness, which

Scott was able to achieve with minimal dialogue.

Zaillian and the creative team behind Ripley were meticulous about creating a

black-and-white world with hard lines, shadows and vacant passageways that

complemented Scott’s silent tension. Production for the series ran from the summer

of 2021 through the spring of 2022 and was under strict pandemic rules. Scott

spent a lot of time in barren towns with only his costars, Johnny Flynn, who plays

Dickie Greenleaf, the object of Ripley’s wicked attention, and Dakota Fanning, who

plays Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge Sherwood.

Scott, who also served as producer, appreciates the source material, which Ripley

follows almost to the letter. “What I think Highsmith does brilliantly is make us root

for somebody, even though they’re doing something that we probably wouldn’t do

ourselves,” Scott says. “He is constantly surviving. I can empathize with him, what

that feels like, where he’s just not being looked at. It’s easy to say that someone is

a monster because that moves us away from having to look at ourselves. Human

beings do monstrous things to protect themselves. That’s why that story has stuck

around for so long.”

Additional featured highlights from the new issue include:

● In “Double the Fun,” UK talk-show host Graham Norton reflects on the

career path that led to creating The Graham Norton Show, a uniquely

irreverent program that hosts the biggest stars in entertainment, from Meryl

Streep to Elton John.

● Warner Bros. Television Studios (WBTV) launched nearly 70 years ago, and

by the mid-1970s, comedic series Alice and Welcome Back, Kotter helped put

the studio on the map. In “Laugh Factory,” emmy explores the legacy of

comedy at WB, which includes past and present hits such as Night Court,

Murphy Brown, Friends, Ted Lasso, Abbott Elementary and Shrinking.

● In “Puppet Masters,” the creative team behind Jim Henson’s Creature Shop

talks with emmy about bringing to life an array of characters, including the

puppets for Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, with the help of robotics, foam

and 3D printing. The reboot of the popular original series returned to Apple

TV+ on March 29 for its second season.

About emmy

Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of

the industry for a unique insider’s view. With wide-ranging, inclusive subjects

representative of the Television Academy membership and the medium as a whole,

emmy showcases the scope of television and profiles the people who make it

happen, from the stars of top shows and artisans behind the cameras, to

programming trends and technological advances. Honored with dozens of awards

for editorial excellence, emmy is published 13 times per year and is available on

selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single print and digital

copies as well as subscriptions.

# # #

For issue/coverage contact:

Stephanie Goodell

breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy)

stephanie@breakwhitelight.com

818-462-1150