[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Ripley.]

The Big Picture

The Netflix series ‘Ripley’ is a complex character study of a con man, showcasing the fine line between adaptability and deceit.
Andrew Scott’s performance is a standout, showcasing Ripley as a multifaceted character, not just a villain.
The series offers dark humor and beautiful cinematography, as a balance to its sometimes sinister nature.

From writer/director Steve Zaillian and based on the work of author Patricia Highsmith, the eight-episode Netflix series Ripley takes a deep dive into lone wolf grifter Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), living in New York in the early 1960s as he’s hired to travel to Italy to convince Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to give up his wayward lifestyle and return home to his wealthy family. Instead of fulfilling that request, Tom works his way into Dickie’s life while also drawing suspicion from Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning). And as the incidents of deceit, fraud and murder start to pile up, Inspector Ravini (Maurizio Lombardi) searches for evidence, and Marge asks more and more questions, Tom has to figure out what his next move will be.

Ripley is a fascinating character study of a complex, solitary con man wanting a life other than his own. Adaptable to any situation, it’s hard to know who the real Tom Ripley is, but what you’ll learn from watching the series is that it’s better to keep at a distance, because if you uncover too much and ask too many questions, you could meet a tragic fate. The black and white cinematography is beautiful to look at, providing a notable contrast to the dark and sinister depths the story reaches.

During this interview with Collider, Scott, whose performance as Tom Ripley is true perfection, talked about wanting to avoid twirly mustache villain territory, what makes Ripley such an iconic character, the wit and humor of the scripts, being a con artist with an artistic nature, the gondola ride with co-star Fanning that he’ll always remember, and whether there could be more episode. He also discusses another possible future collaboration with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, why he’d like to do a full-on comedy, and his desire to take a holiday.

Ripley A grifter named Ripley living in New York during the 1960s is hired by a wealthy man to begin a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

Andrew Scott Doesn’t View Tom Ripley as a Mustache Twirling Villain
Image via Netflix

Collider: It’s so interesting to watch this character study because we can really see and feel Tom Ripley trying new things and continuing to adapt. You’ve talked about how this is a Ripley that isn’t a psychopath or a monster, even though he’s a criminal and a con man. What was the key to him for you? Was there a focal point that you always went back to if you felt like you were getting off track at all?

ANDREW SCOTT: Yeah, anything that slipped into twirly mustache villain territory always felt like the wrong vibe. This character is a murderous person who does very dastardly things, but is also a human being, and to try to access that part of us that goes, “Well, what would I do if I was in that situation? How would I get rid of a body? Would I be incompetent? What mistakes would I make? How long would it take me to actually think about that? What would happen if a normal person had to do the things that he does? And that’s exactly who he is. I think that’s why he remains such an iconic character. We’re rooting for him to succeed. That’s the great achievement of Patricia Highsmith’s novel.

Related ‘Ripley’ Review: Andrew Scott Dazzles in Netflix’s Gorgeous Noir Thriller The series based on Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels also stars Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn.

When I spoke to Steven Zaillian about what made you his Tom Ripley, he told me that he was sold because of a combination of how fantastic you were in Fleabag, what you did with your voice performance in Locke, and your take on Moriarty. Does that combination surprise you? Does it feel like this Tom Ripley is a blend of those three things, in some ways?

SCOTT: Oh, I don’t know about that. You never really know why you’re cast in something. Certainly, the thing that I was interested in, talking to Steven when we first had a conversation, was the [lack of] big labels. I thought there was so much wit in the script and it was funny. The tone of [Highsmith’s] work is very darkly funny. And I never thought of him as a sociopath. I suppose there are elements of characters that I’ve played before that are villainous, but I didn’t really think of Tom Ripley as a villain because he’s the protagonist. He’s the person through whose eyes we see, so it’s very important for me not to judge him. Those characters are so eclectic that maybe that’s the reason. I don’t know. Maybe he saw something in all three of those things.

Andrew Scott Says His ‘Ripley’ Character is More Con Artist Than Con Man

You’ve also talked about how Tom Ripley isn’t necessarily lonely, but that he is solitary. Do you think that’s a choice that he makes because maybe it’s easier to not get caught or be suspected of something if you keep people at a distance, or is it simply just that he doesn’t fit in with people?

SCOTT: I think that’s it. When it starts out, we have to remember that he’s not a murderer. He’s not even bloodthirsty, but blood makes him feel a little bit thick. He’s a con artist, and he’s perhaps a con artist because that’s the only way he can express his artistic nature. We discover that he does have an artistic nature later on, when we see his adoration of the beautiful art that he discovers in Italy, and his appreciation of music and all the finer things in life. But this is somebody who hasn’t got access to any of those things, so he applies himself to the con artistry because that’s all he is deemed useful for, for whatever reason. A person who wants to spend time on their own, people go, “That’s a lonely character.” To me, isolated is the word.

I think that’s why we find him fascinating. We spend an awful lot of time with him on his own, but the world is no less lively for that. I don’t think it would necessarily make the character more content, or whatever, if he had a partner, for example. I don’t think that’s what his goal in life is. He actually is a real enthusiast for so many things, and he doesn’t take things for granted. When very well-to-do, spoiled characters with far less talent than he has are able to wax lyrical about their own merit and have access to so many things that he doesn’t, it addresses what [Highsmith] is talking about a little bit, which is who gets access to what in the world and the unfairness of the way opportunities are distributed.

When I spoke to Dakota Fanning, she had very nice things to say about you and the time that you guys spent together filming this, and when I asked her about her favorite moment with you, she mentioned a very late night on a gondola. What was your favorite moment with her?

SCOTT: It’s exactly the same. Dakota is absolutely, hysterically funny. She’s such a professional person. She’s been in this industry for so long. She’s prepared, she’s hard-working, she knows where she’s at, and she’s not afraid to ask for what she needs. She’s very, very capable. She’s so good in this show, and I loved acting with her. But when you’re doing these night shoots, and it was a long shoot that we had on this, you start to become hysterical about things that are completely not hysterical, but then you have these in-jokes. So, we were on a gondola at three o’clock in the morning, and we just couldn’t stop laughing. That is the memory that I’ll keep with me forever.

1:38 Related Before ‘Ripley,’ Andrew Scott Modernized One of the Greatest Villains of All Time Scott’s scene-stealing performance instantly ranked among television’s greatest baddies.

You’ve recently mentioned that you’ve got some things cooking with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, which certainly warms my heart, along with, I’m sure, everyone else who’s a fan of your work together. Just to clarify though, that’s not for any sort of Fleabag reunion, is it? Are you guys just talking about other entirely unrelated projects that you’d like to do together?

SCOTT: Yeah, it’s not Fleabag, I’m sorry to tell you.

I would be happy with whatever it might turn out to be, so you don’t have to be sorry about that.

SCOTT: Okay, good.

Andrew Scott Would Love to Do More Comedy Roles in the Future
Image via Netflix

She’s mentioned that she’d love to see you do full-on slapstick comedy, which would be great. Is that something you’ve thought about?

SCOTT: Absolutely. Something I’m actively looking forward to is doing more comedy. I’ve done a lot of physical comedy on stage, but it’s something I’d certainly love to do, particularly because with Ripley and All of Us Strangers recently, it’s been dark territory. It’s wonderful and I love it, but you want to be able to play all the notes.

Related 10 ‘Fleabag’ Scenes That Live In Our Heads Rent-Free When he broke the fourth wall.

Steven Zaillian told me that he feels this character could continue with more episodes because there’s still more story to be told, but he also said that he didn’t know if he would have another five years to devote to it, like he did with these episodes. Is this a character that you’d want to play again, even if someone else wrote and directed it, or would you only be interested in that if Steven Zaillian was involved again?

SCOTT: I feel like it’s been so long in the making and the gestation period has been so long. There are two things that I’m really focusing on. One is getting the show out. I’m so excited for people to finally get to see it. And the second thing that I’d like to do is to take a holiday. I’ve been working very hard. I did a one-man play last year, and I went straight into All of Us Strangers, and then straight into Ripley press. It’s been a very, very long time. As an actor, you’ve gotta try to live and soak up as much of life as you can before it passes you by. And so, that’s what my main focus is. And then, I’ll think about all those other things after I’ve had a Piña Colada or two.

Ripley is available to stream on Netflix. Check out the trailer:

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