A film built on a 1989 Hamlet

Elsinore opened the 70th BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday 7 October, with Andrew Scott starring as Scottish actor Ian Charleson and co-producing the film. Directed by Simon Stone from a script by Stephen Beresford, the drama follows Charleson's final months, when he had been diagnosed with AIDS and still chose to take on the title role at London's National Theatre. Daniel Day-Lewis had walked off stage in the middle of a performance, and Charleson, frustrated with the film roles on offer, saw the opening as a chance to return to meaningful work. According to AFP, Charleson played 24 performances of the production, which runs close to three hours. He died in 1990 at the age of 40, a few weeks after his final performance.

Scott on the role

On the red carpet near the National Theatre, where most of the film takes place, Scott said his main task was to understand Charleson as a person. He told Reuters that he could feel he was making something very special while shooting.

I think the biggest thing for me was to understand that he was a man who had a great zest for life, and who was very funny and kind of charming and sexy and a wonderful person who was deeply loved and to remember how he lived as much as how he died.

Speaking to AFP, Scott said the role was a great challenge, and that having played Hamlet himself helped him imagine how exhausting the part must have been for Charleson. He also said the part does not come around very often, and he praised the screenplay and the cast.

Olivia Colman and the real people

Olivia Colman plays Margaret Johnson, a pioneering doctor whose efforts to treat stigmatized patients at the height of the AIDS crisis are highlighted in the film. Colman said the wider community deserves recognition too.

She was a hero, as were all the families, nurses, other doctors and friends who refused to be poisoned by the paranoia. I want them to be remembered, too.

After the premiere, Scott brought out the real-life people behind several characters, including Linda Tolhurst, the National Theatre's stage door keeper for 46 years, and Charleson's sister Lizzie. Scott then spoke about Johnson's impact.

It's difficult to underestimate the impact this person had on the development of treatment for people suffering with HIV and AIDS.

Early reviews and Oscar talk

The Independent reported that Scott is said to be in pole position to take home Best Actor at next year's Academy Awards. A win would make him the first openly gay actor to win the prize in the ceremony's 97-year history. The Guardian's Benjamin Lee gave the film four stars, and Vulture's Alison Willmore called Scott's performance phenomenal. Kevin Maher wrote in a five-star review for The Times:

Andrew Scott, the former Hot Priest from Fleabag, has all but secured the best actor trophy.

Scott on AIDS stories and queer history

At a Screen Talk at BFI Southbank on Thursday, Scott welcomed films such as Heartstopper and Heated Rivalry, but said it troubles him when people do not want to revisit the AIDS crisis. He said that reluctance sometimes comes from a place of shame. He placed the blame elsewhere.

The shame lies with the governments who ignored the AIDS crisis and the stigma that was around people and the innate prejudice that was in society. So that's someone else's shame.

Release and festival run

Andrea Occhipinti, lead producer and co-founder of Lucky Red, met Charleson in Rome in 1987, and the project began after Ethan Silverman told him about Charleson's final months. The London Film Festival runs through 18 October. Elsinore has a UK release on 29 January 2027 and a French release on 10 March, according to AFP.