He’s won rave reviews for two of the year’s blockbuster movies – and now Andrew Scott is set to become the first actor in nearly a century to compete for an Oscar by himself.
Scott is considered almost certain to land a Best Actor nomination for his performance in the yet-to-be-released Elsinore, and he has also impressed critics with his role in the World War II blockbuster, Pressure.
A rule change for the 2027 Academy Awards makes double nominations in the same category possible for the first time since 1930 — and the 49-year-old Irishman gets a double chance at glory.
In Pressure, currently in theaters, Scott plays Scottish meteorologist James Stagg, whose expertise and bravery in standing up to General Eisenhower helped ensure that the D-Day landings were successful.
In Elsinore, which is due for release in January, he plays the late Chariots of Fire actor Ian Charleson, who spent his last months playing Hamlet at the National Theatre.
When Daniel Day-Lewis walked off the stage with exhaustion in September 1989 and never returned, Charleson stepped in at short notice. Charleson gave breathtaking performances but died of AIDS in January 1990, only eight weeks after his appearance in the final.
It looks like Andrew Scott is going to become the first actor in almost a century to compete for an Oscar by himself for the films Elsinore and Pressure.
Critics praised Scott’s performance in Elsinore following its Toronto Film Festival premiere last month, with The Guardian saying the Irish actor appears to be ‘a dead cert’ to win the Best Actor award in March.
And The Hollywood Reporter described his portrayal in Pressure as ‘award-worthy’.
Movie review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes described it as ‘a brainless war movie that gets most of its thrills from Andrew Scott’s brilliant performance.’
Entertainment journalist Olivia Fahey, who posts on social media as Press Play With Olivia, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘All the conversations have been had with Elsinore, and that’s what everyone is saying will be her big Oscar push. But I definitely think we can’t reduce the pressure, because it’s such a powerful performance.
‘Andrew Scott can certainly do a double in this category next year.’
Scott – who shot to fame as the hot priest in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag ten years ago – will be the third Irish actor in a row to win the top prize, following Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer in 2025 and Jessie Buckley in Hamnet this year.
The rule change for next year’s event will allow actors and actresses to be nominated for more than one film in both the lead and supporting categories for the first time since the third Academy Awards 96 years ago.
In 1930, British actor George Arliss was nominated for Best Actor for Disraeli (which he won) and The Green Goddess. Norma Shearer won Best Actress for The Divorcee and was selected for Their Own Desire.