‘Fleabag’ star Andrew Scott shares that he hates the phrase “openly gay”

Actor Andrew Scott, who plays the priest in the second series of Fleabag, has shared that he hates the phrase “openly gay”.

Speaking to GQ magazine Scott explained why the outdated phrase annoys him.

“You’re never described as openly gay at a party – ‘This is my openly gay friend Darren’, ‘She’s openly Irish’.

“It implies a defiance I don’t feel.” Scott told the magazine.

The actor has enjoyed a long career on the stage and has also made many memorable TV and film appearances. He portrayed Gethin Roberts, a gay man who returns to his Welsh town years after being rejected, in the film Pride, and also had a memorable role as Moriarty in the TV series Sherlock.

In 2013 Scott appeared in the TV series Legacy where he had to speak with a Russian accent. To prepare he watched videos of Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking english. However when Putin endorsed Russia’s tough anti gay laws, he switched to studying clips of Rudolph Nureyev instead.

OUTinPerth has resisted using the phrase ‘openly gay’ for several years, but may have let one through the goals in August 2018.  

OIP Staff