Digital Spy interview about Sherlock

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'Sherlock' Andrew Scott interview: 'Moriarty is unpredictable'

The first series of Sherlock ended on a nail-bitting cliffhanger - Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) shared a poolside confrontation with his deadly nemesis Jim Moriarty and the screen cruelly cut to black with the two men locked in an explosive impasse...

Digital Spy and a team of journalists took a trip to Cardiff earlier this year - while filming on series two was still ongoing - and spoke to the man who brings Moriarty to life, Irish actor Andrew Scott. Read on to find out what's coming up for Sherlock's arch-villain in the new episodes!

After making such a big entrance as Moriarty, are you worried about living up to the hype?
"I think what's important to sustain is the feeling that you don't know what you're going to get when you see him. I think that's what series one very brilliantly set up - that you don't quite know who's going to appear.

"I think that feeling should be maintained in series two, even though you do know who's going to appear. You know who he is, but I don't think you should ever feel that you know exactly what he's going to do.

"In a sense, that's the challenge for series two - that [mystery] of what he's going to be like. Is he going to be scary or is he going to be in a good mood? That for me is the most important thing - to keep that sense of unpredictability about him."


How long did it take you to develop your take on Moriarty?
"I didn't really work it out - it was very well-written. We had a day to shoot the swimming pool stuff, so there was quite a lot of time to play around with it. It was very important to me that he would be playful. I didn't really work out too much how he was going to be, apart from knowing that he needed to be funny and scary!

"What tends to happen sometimes is that you plan a little bit too much. You wrap up what you're going to do with a nice little bow and it's all prepared. [But] I think an audience can really sense if something's thought out a little bit too much.

"I tried not to worry about previous incarnations of Moriarty, because of the very fact that my physical appearance and my age [is so different]."

Were you keen to bring some humor to the part?
"I find any sort of acting that doesn't have any humor in it is mind-numbingly boring. 'Serious acting' is the kind of acting that I don't ever respond to. I think it's important to always be a bit playful, but particularly for this [role]."

Have you had much recognition from your role in Sherlock?
"What's been incredibly surprising to me is the enormous affection that this show has had, after just three shows. I was doing a play at the Old Vic immediately after we filmed last year and there were people there every evening - big fans of the show."

Was it a struggle keeping your role a secret last year?
"In the last series, there was a lot of fun to be had. I didn't tell very many people, because that would've spoiled it for everybody. People were really surprised. As I say, I was doing a play at the time and the next day [after it aired] this old woman who played a maid came in and she was like, 'F**k, you're Moriarty!'"

Do you have an idea of what Moriarty's motivation is?
"I have a not-quite-formed idea. I don't really go too much in for back-story but the thing that is important to me is I don't feel I'm playing a villain. You have to look into yourself - what sort of way I would be as a 'villain' rather than try to copy someone else's version of a villain.

"It's very easy when you're playing these sort of iconic characters to - even subconsciously - copy another actor. So the only way you can ever really be original is to think, 'What would I do?'

"But to answer your question, in this series, I think it's important [that we] see lots of different shades within him. The challenge in the last series was to fit that storyline and now in this one, it's to maintain things and keep him surprising. Like all terrifying people, there has to be a reason [for his actions]."

What is the core of Sherlock and Moriarty's relationship?
"I think it's 'the great game' and there's a great sense that the two of them enjoy it, absolutely. The fun of it is that you shouldn't have a [back-story]. I hate being spoon-fed things, in that sense. I think we shouldn't know... I don't think the question should ever be answered."

How do you think Sherlock Holmes fans have responded to this show's modern-day setting?
"I know any of the fans that come to the stage door... they like what we've made in this version of Sherlock. Of course they love the stories, but the reason that they really attach themselves to these characters are the idiosyncrasies that Benedict or Martin may have."


Conan Doyle's 'The Final Problem' famously ends badly for Moriarty - did you worry about filming an adaptation of that story?
"No, I didn't! Not at all. It's a brilliant script. You never know what's going to happen!"

How familiar were you with the original stories before being cast?
"I wasn't as familiar as the others were. Of course, I was familiar with 'The Hound...' and the Reichenbach thing, but not really [beyond that].

"I read a lot last year - this year I just read the scripts. In anything I've ever done, I've never done any research. That's not out of laziness - I do read the script an awful lot!"

How does it feel this year to be coming back with a larger role?
"It feels really nice. Just to spend a bit more time with the cast and crew is really nice, because obviously that [final scene] didn't take a huge amount of filming time. I feel enormously attached to [this show] and it's become a huge part of my life.

"What's very difficult to find is quality drama that is popular - sometimes it's either / or. That's why I think Sherlock is a rare thing to find - as an actor and for an audience too. It's something that's really loved by the public, but is also well-written and beautifully produced.

What has your experience been like with Sherlock fans?
"The stuff that people send and the fan art... somebody came to the stage door the other day dressed as Jim Moriarty! She was a 16-year-old girl!"

Why do you think Moriarty's brief appearance made such a big impact?
"I think it's because there was such a fantastic build-up to it. The character had a presence and I suppose there was a sort of guessing game about who would be playing the part. I think that's part of the fun of it."

Sherlock returns to BBC One on January 1 at 8.10pm.

Source: http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/s129/sherlock/interviews/a355957/sherlock-andrew-scott-interview-moriarty-is-unpredictable.html