High praise is being directed at Andrew Scott’s performance in the upcoming film Elsinore, which tells the real-life story of actor Ian Charleson.
The film takes its name from the Danish setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In 1989, Charleson’s career was not progressing as he had hoped. After early success in major films such as Chariots of Fire and Gandhi, he was searching for a role that could take his career to the next level.
When actor Daniel Day-Lewis unexpectedly left a National Theatre production of Hamlet, an opportunity arose. However, Charleson was running out of time, having been diagnosed with HIV at a point when effective treatments were not yet available.
The film takes audiences back to a period when HIV was widely considered a death sentence, and Olivia Colman takes on the role of Charleson’s doctor.
The story also explores debates around public figures disclosing their sexuality and HIV status. Actor David Dawson portrays filmmaker Derek Jarman, who directed Charleson in the 1978 film Jubilee. Unlike Charleson, Jarman had publicly shared that he was gay and living with HIV.
The film features an impressive cast. Alongside Scott and Colman, the ensemble includes Billie Piper, Luke Thompson, Monica Dolan, Joe Locke, Dickie Beau, Peter Mullan, Georgie Glen and Juliet Stevenson.
So far, the film has screened at several major film festivals, including its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. This week it opens the BFI London Film Festival. It will have a limited US release in November but is not scheduled to open in UK cinemas until January 2027. There are no announced dates yet for an Australian release.
