Andrew Scott was once advised to keep his homosexuality private because he could “get away with it.” Now he is playing a gay actor whose sexuality and illness were kept hidden from the public.

In Elsinore, Scott portrays Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor known for Chariots of Fire and Gandhi. The film follows Charleson during the final months of his life, including his acclaimed 1989 performance as Hamlet at London’s National Theatre.

A performance the audience did not understand

Charleson was seriously ill with AIDS while playing Hamlet. The public was not told. He died eight weeks after his final performance, aged 40.

His sexuality and diagnosis had been kept private during an era when being openly gay could damage an actor’s career, and when AIDS was surrounded by fear and stigma. Charleson later asked for AIDS to be recorded as the cause of death, helping challenge the silence around the disease.

The performance itself became legendary. It was widely praised as one of the finest Hamlets of its time, and Ian McKellen gave Charleson his Evening Standard best actor statuette after seeing him perform.

“I could get away with it”

Scott has spoken about receiving similar career advice early in his own life: keep his sexuality private because he could pass as straight enough to avoid the consequences.

That makes his role in Elsinore more than a conventional biographical performance. Scott is an openly gay actor portraying a gay actor who had to protect his private life while his body was failing him.

The two men lived in different eras, but the pressure is part of the same history. One was encouraged to disappear behind his work. The other is using his visibility to bring that hidden life into view.

Remembering the man behind the tragedy

The film has attracted major attention for Scott’s performance, and early awards discussion has focused on the possibility of Oscar recognition. But the deeper significance lies elsewhere.

Elsinore returns Charleson to the centre of his own story: not only as a man who died of AIDS, but as a gifted gay actor who delivered a remarkable Hamlet while carrying an almost unimaginable secret.

Scott’s performance cannot change what Charleson endured. It can help ensure that audiences remember the courage, talent and humanity behind the silence.

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Troye Sivan has assembled quite an invitation: an English castle, opening narration from Ian McKellen and a sample of Madonna’s Music.

His new Party video brings queer nightlife into a fictional period setting.

But beneath the extravagant surroundings is a feeling that needs very little explanation: the relief of finding somewhere you belong.

A party with a personal meaning

“Partying is actually quite sacred, especially for queer people,” Sivan said in a statement quoted by Queerty.

That thought gives the castle fantasy its emotional connection. For many queer people, a favorite club or bar holds memories far beyond the music that played there.

It might be where you first held someone’s hand without hesitating. Where a new friend introduced you to everyone. Where you realized you could spend an evening enjoying yourself instead of monitoring how you appeared to others.

Familiar names, a new invitation

Madonna’s contribution is a sample of Music, while McKellen supplies the opening narration. Both bring familiar associations to Sivan’s celebration, giving different generations of viewers a way into the party.

The castle is an extravagant backdrop. The longing for connection is wonderfully ordinary.

For those whose first welcoming dance floor came with questionable lighting and a permanently sticky floor, there may be something especially sweet about seeing that feeling given the royal treatment.

Which queer club or bar first made you feel at home?

Image source, for selected video stills: Troye Sivan / Party official music video.

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