TORONTO — Irish actor Andrew Scott, who recently starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC series Sherlock, came out publicly Friday.
In an interview with The Independent, the 37-year-old referred to himself as “a gay person.”
Scott told the newspaper he has never made a big deal about his sexual orientation.
“Of course, it’s part of my make-up, but I don’t want to trade on it. I am a private person. I think that’s important if you’re an actor,” he explained. “But there’s a difference between privacy and secrecy, and I’m not a secretive person.”
Scott shrugged off any potential professional repercussions.
“Mercifully, these days people don’t see being gay as a character flaw. But nor is it a virtue, like kindness. Or a talent, like playing the banjo. It’s just a fact,” he said.
“Really I just want to get on with my job, which is to pretend to be lots of different people. Simple as that.”
Scott earned plenty of attention on Sherlock as Moriarty, including winning a BAFTA last year for Best Supporting Actor and an Irish Film and Television Award this year for the role.
His list of credits includes playing Paul McCartney in 2010’s Lennon Naked and small roles in both Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan.
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