Andrew Scott and Conan bond over the idea that great acting — like great comedy — is really just sustained, fearless playfulness, not high art. Scott argues that the instinct to play is fully formed in childhood and that formal training or critical over-analysis can calcify and kill it. The conversation weaves between Scott's Irish roots, his breakout as Moriarty, and his philosophy that there is no meaningful difference between a Warner Brothers cartoon and a Shakespeare sonnet.
Key Moments
Andrew Scott
“you're um you're an idiot who delivers balloons to the bar.”
Scott recounts asking the producer of Irish-language TV show Ross na Rún what his role would be, expecting something glamorous.
“And I said to her, listen, as a joke, I said to her, listen, there's a there's a good chance that uh you know, before the day is out, you will fall in love with me. This is what happens when I when I work with. And she said, I'll fall in love with you if you get this done in half an hour.”
Scott describes his attempt at charm with the efficient producer on the Ross na Rún set, which was swiftly deflated.
“the second you walked on camera um was a epic moment for me because you are and jump in here if you this this performance you gave which has been much discussed and it really puts you on the map. You are frightening, terrifying, and funny. And I've always thought all the best villains are charming and funny.”
Conan describes watching Andrew Scott's Moriarty in Sherlock with his son and being immediately transfixed.
“I hate the idea of high art and low art. I really do. I think it's nonsense and actually all the people who were you know like with Shakespeare any of those people like Shakespeare I always feel has been sort of hijacked by academics you know”
Scott explains his acting philosophy, arguing that playfulness — not prestige — is the root of all great performance.
Andrew Scott is an Irish actor best known for playing Moriarty in the BBC series Sherlock and the 'Hot Priest' in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag. He has also starred in the Netflix series Ripley, playing the title role in a stunning black-and-white production, and appeared in multiple Bond films. Born and raised in Dublin, Scott trained through speech and drama after struggling with a pronounced lisp as a child.
Takeaways
1
Playfulness is the core of all great performance Scott argues that acting — whether Shakespeare or a Netflix thriller — is fundamentally about a willingness to play, not technical mastery. He traces this back to childhood and says formal over-analysis is the biggest threat to it. The implication for any creative professional: protect the instinct to experiment before you protect the craft.
2
Shakespeare's own instruction was to stay loose and un-serious Scott cites Hamlet's advice to players — 'speak it trippingly in the tongue' — as Shakespeare explicitly warning against the very reverence academics now pile onto his work. Scott uses this to argue that the original intent of even the most canonical texts was lightness and spontaneity, not solemnity.
3
Over-intellectualizing your craft can calcify it Conan uses the word 'calcify' and Scott agrees: when critics or academics pile $50 words onto what you do, it hardens your process and cuts off spontaneity. Scott deliberately avoids letting others' serious framing of his work influence how he approaches a role. This is a concrete warning against letting external validation define your internal method.
4
Irish culture survives through compulsive storytelling Scott explains that Irish humor and narrative aren't just personality traits — they are a survival mechanism developed when emigration scattered families and the only way to keep absent people 'in the room' was to tell stories about them. This reframes comedy as a form of grief work and community preservation, not mere entertainment.
5
Children come fully formed — parents can only nurture or damage Both Conan and Scott's fathers independently told them that who you are at 8 is who you are. Scott credits his parents for recognizing that each of his three siblings had a distinct nature and leaning into it rather than redirecting them. The practical takeaway: identifying rather than imposing a child's (or employee's) disposition leads to better outcomes.