Andrew Scott’s Oscar‑winning prospects: Could he be the first openly gay Best Actor winner?

When the lights dimmed on the Toronto International Film Festival’s closing night, the buzz around one film was louder than the applause. Elsinore, a meticulously crafted period drama about 1980s theatre, has put its lead, Andrew Scott, front and centre in the conversation about this year’s Oscar race.

The Irish actor, who turns 50 next month, has already been called a lock for a Best Actor nomination. If the Academy follows the hype, his triumph could rewrite the rule book: Scott would be the first openly gay performer to ever win the category in the Oscars’ near‑century history.

Elsinore is a love‑letter to a real‑life legend, Ian Charleson – the charismatic Scottish star who, in 1989, took over the title role of Hamlet at the National Theatre while secretly battling AIDS. Charleson’s own story is tragic: he died six weeks after his final performance, and his family’s decision to go public about his diagnosis and sexuality helped raise awareness at a time when silence was the norm.

Scott’s embodiment of Charleson is, according to critics, nothing short of revelatory. He captures the actor’s restless energy, his quiet bravery, and the palpable tension of a man forced to hide his truth for the sake of his career. “He’s simply astonishing,” one reviewer wrote, noting how the performance feels both intimate and sweeping.

The project is more than a starring vehicle; it’s a personal crusade for Scott. He co‑produced the film with screenwriter Stephen Beresford – the man behind Pride, Scott’s own breakout in queer cinema. The impetus, Scott says, came from the grief of losing his mother in 2023. “When you’re in that grief state, you feel like you’ve got nothing to lose,” he told reporters after the Toronto screening.

That emotional rawness mirrors the actor’s own journey. Born in Dublin in 1976, Scott landed his first screen role at 17, studied drama at Trinity College and moved to London at 22. Early in his career, agents warned him that being openly gay could pigeon‑hole him, a caution that still echoes in the industry today.

He finally came out publicly in 2013, shortly after his breakout as Moriarty opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock. Since then, Scott has built a résumé that challenges the very idea that an openly gay actor can only play gay parts. From the fervent priest in Fleabag to the stoic Group Captain James Stagg in the war drama Pressure, his range is as diverse as it is daring.

Critics have taken note of how Scott’s choices destabilise old casting conventions. Guy Lodge of Variety observes that Scott is “essentially carving an unprecedented career path for an out gay leading man…where he isn’t pigeonholed into queer roles, but he doesn’t have to avoid them either.” The actor’s recent work – Pride, All of Us Strangers, the Netflix series Ripley and now Elsinore – showcases this balance, proving that queer storytelling and mainstream appeal are not mutually exclusive.

Beyond his on‑screen work, Scott has become a vocal advocate for more nuanced language around sexuality. He has publicly challenged the phrase “openly gay,” arguing that it still frames queerness as a novelty rather than a norm. In a recent interview at Toronto, he said, “The war is never over, but audiences are smarter than we give them credit for. They want representation, but they also want stories that move them.”

His next project, the dark comedy It Gets Worse, pushes the envelope further, featuring him as a borderline‑abusive therapist – a role that shows he’s unafraid to venture into uncomfortable territory.

Colleagues speak of him with a mixture of admiration and affection. Johnny Flynn, who shares the screen with Scott in Elsinore, summed it up simply: “I love him. He’s a dear friend and he puts his whole soul into whatever he does.”

As awards season ramps up, the question on everyone’s lips isn’t just whether Scott will win, but what his win would mean. A Best Actor Oscar for an openly gay man would send a clear message: talent transcends labels, and the Academy is finally ready to celebrate it.