Andrew Scott has addressed the comparisons between his character in Sherlock and his new role in Netflix's Ripley.
The upcoming series, adapted from Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel The Talented Mr Ripley, will follow Scott's titular character as he scams his way to a life of riches in 1960s Italy.
While some have compared Ripley to Scott's villainous character Moriarty in the BBC's Sherlock, which he played between 2010 and 2017, Scott believes the two are completely different.
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"It does feel different [to playing Moriarty]. As Moriarty I felt like I was playing a villain and for some reason I retreat against calling Ripley a villain," the actor explained while speaking on Radio 4's Today programme.
"He's an anti-hero and it's up to me to make the audience know what it's like to be Ripley, not to be a victim of Tom Ripley. We should empathise with him. He is the protagonist in this."
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Scott went on to say that Highsmith's novel actually makes you "want to root" for Ripley, adding: "This is a man with enormous talent living in stress where his neighbours are rats.
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"He is unseen and can do what he does in order to survive like so many people do and then he lands in this world where people are less talented than him and have no qualms in calling themselves artists.
"The message is, 'If you dismiss certain factors of the community, something becomes rotten in state of Denmark'".
Created by The Night Of's Steven Zaillian, Ripley also stars Johnny Flynn (Emma) as Dickie and Dakota Fanning (The Watchers) as Marge Sherwood, who fall victim to Ripley's manipulation.
Ripley will be available to stream on Netflix from April 4.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
