“Short films are something that can be sort of overlooked,” Andrew Scott tells me over the phone in his lilting Irish accent. It’s a little over two weeks before the actor, who was just in Berlin premiering Richard Linklater’s upcoming “Blue Moon,” will virtualy present a lineup of his favorite shorts at SXSW as part of a campaign with Redbreast Whiskey.
“The idea is to find talent that needs to be recognized, or just to have a light shine on it in some way,” he says. “And so we collated some films and narrowed it down to six, and I suppose what I was looking for was just singular voices.”
Getty Images for Redbreast Irish
The lineup, which spans in genre from drama and comedy to docufiction, includes original works by up-and-coming filmmakers: “One Day This Kid” (Alexander Farah), “Entre Tormentas” (Frank Zayas), “Nervous Energy” (Eve Lui), “Sweetbriar”(Danny Rivera), “Brief Somebodies” (Andy Reid) and “I’m The Most Racist Person I Know” (Leela Varghese).
One of the six will receive the Redbreast Unhidden Award, alongside a financial grant, for which he’s already chosen a winner. Aside from the campaign’s spotlight on new talent (“The most exciting part of it is just being able to be a help in some way,” Scott says), the partnership was, of course, a natural fit because of the brand’s Irish origins.
“It’s a really exciting time for Irish people, certainly in my industry and a lot of the creative industries as well,” he says. “And I think there is a sort of confidence to the country at the moment, and the fact that this is an Irish whiskey really appealed to me.”
He’s not overstating the moment that Irish actors have had over the past few years. Paul Mescal, who starred alongside Scott in the romance fantasy film “All of Us Strangers,” Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Saoirse Ronan and Barry Keoghan to name a few.
So, to link back to his Irish roots by way of whiskey just made sense. “It’s certainly part of the culture,: he says of the liquor. “It’s something that people have a real world affection for.”
Below, Scott chats about spotlighting undiscovered talent at SXSW, his enduring “hot priest” legacy and reviving his stage adaptation of Chekhov’s “Vanya” off-Broadway this spring:
Why did this partnership make sense to you?
One of the things that immediately struck me was [it being] Irish. I’m an Irishman. It’s a really exciting time for Irish people, certainly in my industry and a lot of the creative industries as well. And I think there is a sort of confidence to the country at the moment, and the fact that this is an Irish whiskey really appealed to me. And I really like the vibe of the guys. Something that we’ve done in this campaign is throw some light on artists that have yet to be discovered, and we’re doing this partnership with South by South West. I haven’t done a lot of these kind of things before, and it just seems like the right fit
What exactly is Irish whisky?
It was really interesting learning about [single pot still Irish] whiskeys. And yeah, it’s certainly part of the culture. It’s something that people have a real world affection for, and a distinctive appreciation for how it’s made and all that kind of stuff. So, yeah, it’s definitely been in my family and something you kind of grow up with. So yeah, I think it’s definitely something that Irish people really appreciate.
How do you prefer your whisky?
I’ve been asking a little bit about that because I think drinking it neat is really just understanding the difference between the types of whiskey and is something that’s just completely fascinated me. So I suppose I’m in experimenting with it. I should really get the taste of the whiskey. I think what I’m discovering is that you should drink it neat and maybe with some ice. It’s really, really, really refreshing.
Yeah, it’s probably the most sophisticated way to go about it.
That’s me right there.
Part of the campaign is Redbreast Unhidden, in which you’ll shareyou favorite short films from SXSW and honor one filmmaker with the ‘Redbreast Unhidden’ Award. Can you tell me a bit about that process?
Oh, that was just incredibly exciting, and I think a really terrific way of getting involved with South by South West Film Festival. Short films are something that can be sort of overlooked. It’s hard to make a short film. The idea is to kind of find talent that needs to be recognized, or just to have a light sort of shine on it in some way. And so we collated some films and narrowed it down to five or six, and we have a winner. And I suppose what I was looking for was just singular voices. It’s incredible. Immediately you’re able to say, ‘Wow, this is somebody’ and in in just 10 minutes they’re able to really just exude their own singular voice and their own individualism. And it was really inspiring to be able to do. And to be honest, the most exciting part of that is just being able to be a help in some way, and to be able to encourage these incredible young artists.
And you’re returning to the stage in “Vanya”…
Well, one the thing I love about it so much is that it’s so funny. Chekhov is known for being moving and everything, but he’s such an unbelievable, brilliant humorist, and I just find his stuff so, so funny. And so our show is kind of mad cap. And so I’ve been really enjoying kind of remounting it and seeing where I can improve it or I can get it better. And, you know, it’s just the gift that keeps on giving, really. So I’m very excited to do it. We’re doing it the Lucille Hotel Theater down in the West Village.
I also have to ask you, you have an enduring legacy as the hot priest from ‘Fleabag’ Is that a badge you wear with honor? Do you get annoyed by that title? Are you over it?
Absolutely no. I’m so proud of that show. So proud of the whole thing. There’s no bad that came out of that show. Absolutely nothing. It was completely wonderful. I just hope to work with people like that the rest of my life. Again, it’s that idea of an authorial voice. You know, immediately when people have just got something to say. That’s what audiences want. I think this idea that audiences just want this drab stuff, they don’t. I think audiences get thrilled and excited when they go, ‘Oh my god, somebody named something that I’ve felt I’ve never seen on screen before.; So that’s exactly why I think the Priest captured people’s hearts so much.
The Hot Priest has been compared to Adam Brody’s ‘Hot Rabbi’ in ‘Nobody Wants This.’ Did you see it?
I did. I thought it was fantastic. Loved it. I physically loved it. It just captured the audience of imagination.
