You know what they say: nothing spells “heart-warming comedy” quite like a combination of trade unionism and LGBT rights. Okay, so maybe “they” don’t say that. Nonetheless, Matthew Warchus’ funny and tender Pride promises laughter and tears with its sweet chronicling of the bond that formed between a small mining community and a charismatic LGBT group in Thatcher-era Wales.

It’s perfect fodder for BAFTA-winning Irish actor Andrew Scott. Having shot to fame as Moriarty in BBC’s Sherlock, Scott has no interest in becoming an ego-driven leading man. Whether his projects are mainstream comedies, acclaimed historical dramas, or independent theatre productions, his choices attest to a desire to explore complexity in all its forms.
Thus we get the sexually fluid Moriarty, the commitment-phobic and vulnerable Davin in Irish comedy The Stag; conflicted Father Seamus in Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall; and now, in Pride, Gethin, a gay man not struggling with his sexual identity, but estrangement from his family and hometown.
“We wanted to make a mainstream film that didn’t trivialise the politics. I think that’s its greatest achievement: we made a piece of entertainment that still has very sophisticated politics. However, it’s also very tender... the comedy is real human comedy, not farce. It’s a romantic comedy, really, between two groups, instead of two individuals.”
Scott has been happy to play smaller supporting roles. Still, his incredible, emotive presence hasn’t gone unnoticed. He’s starring in the upcoming Frankenstein alongside Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy, and also reveals he has a part in 2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass with Johnny Depp. For the intensely private actor, this elevation to the A-list takes some getting used to. Is he wary at all?
“I’m not, actually. It was interesting, I went back to the theatre and played a rockstar in Birdland in The Royal Court Theatre, which was all about dealing with fame. And you start thinking about it; but though you can come out one night and have one hundred people waiting at the stage door, if you slip out of another exit, you can just disappear and no-one bothers you. Sometimes, of course, you’re very recognisable, but that’s what I’m learning – occasionally it’s part of the job, and, though disconcerting at the start, not a constant thing.”
But with recognition often comes responsibility, and I wonder if Scott feels that with Pride? The actor opened up to Hot Press about his sexuality back in February, where he spoke about Ireland’s recent debates surrounding homophobia and same-sex marriage. At the time, he remarked “I wasn’t bullied, it never affected my career, my parents were great about it… but I still had feelings of isolation and shame, and that was compounded by a law that backed up that feeling.”
However, he asserts his involvement in Pride wasn’t down to activism, agenda, or a desire to be a role model.
“No,” the 37-year-old says definitively, “I feel I don’t have to be a role model. I actively have to be what I am, which is an artist. And I know some people believe it’s lofty to call yourself an artist. I absolutely believe my first priority, the best thing I can do, is be positive and to work towards positive change. It’s about authenticity, and bringing that to your art. Your sexuality is not a virtue – being gay or straight or whatever. It’s part of who you are. The best thing I can do is to continue to pick parts that explore the different beautiful complexities of being a human being. Sometimes that’s talking about sexuality, sometimes not. There’s a kind of oppression in feeling like you have to or should do anything. Individuals also have the right to be as private about their lives as they want. No, I don’t want to be a role model. I want to be an actor and good at my job, and not limit myself. I want to do it all.”

Pride is in cinemas now.