After Elsinore‘s European premiere at the London Film Festival, Andrew Scott spoke about the importance of remembering difficult chapters of queer history. His new film tells the story of Scottish actor Ian Charleson, who delivered an acclaimed performance in Hamlet while seriously ill with AIDS.
Speaking to Variety, Scott made clear that he welcomes the romances and happy endings LGBTQ+ audiences have increasingly been able to enjoy.
“I welcome things like Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry and Red, White & Royal Blue and all those things that are joyful. I really, really, really do,” Scott said. “And I think the fact that there’s lots of different types of gay drama, so to speak, in film and television is extraordinary.”
But he also pushed back against the idea that stories about the AIDS crisis belong in the past.
Credit: Anthony Dickenson / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
Andrew Scott on Remembering Queer History
For Scott, the concern is not that audiences want more joyful stories. It is that avoiding painful ones can reinforce a sense of shame around the people who lived through them.
“It troubles me a little bit because I think it speaks about people who perhaps don’t want to go back to a time when you’re talking about the AIDS crisis or you’re talking about when it was incredibly difficult for gay people,” he said. “And I think that sometimes comes from a place of shame.”
Scott stressed that responsibility belongs to those who neglected and stigmatized the community.
“The shame lies with the governments who ignored the AIDS crisis and the stigma that was around people and the innate prejudice that was in society,” he said. “So that’s someone else’s shame.”
His comments make a case for a wider range of LGBTQ+ storytelling, with room for both the romances we love and the history we cannot afford to forget.
Credit: Anthony Dickenson / © 2026 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
The True Story Behind Elsinore
Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, Elsinore stars Scott as Charleson, the Scottish actor known for his role in Chariots of Fire.
In 1989, Charleson took over the title role in Hamlet at London’s National Theatre after Daniel Day-Lewis left the production. Despite being seriously ill with AIDS, Charleson earned rave reviews for his performance. He died seven weeks after leaving the show.
The film follows that extraordinary chapter of his life, bringing his work and the people who supported him into focus.
Honoring the People Behind the Film
After the London premiere, Scott invited several people portrayed in Elsinore onstage alongside the actors who played them.
They included longtime National Theatre stage doorkeeper Linda Tolhurst, played by Monica Dolan; dresser Ralph Mills, played by Paul Chahidi; and Charleson’s close friend, director Sean Mathias, played by Matthew Beard.
Scott also welcomed pioneering HIV/AIDS consultant Dr. Margaret Johnson, portrayed by Olivia Colman, who received a standing ovation.
“It’s difficult to underestimate the impact this person had on the development of treatment for people suffering with HIV and AIDS,” Scott said. “To our mind, she is a true life hero.”
The tribute gave the evening a deeply personal connection to the history Scott wants audiences to remember. Through Elsinore, Charleson’s story also becomes a celebration of his talent, his friendships and the people who showed up for him.
