Few television villains have left an impression quite like Jim Moriarty in the BBC’s ‘Sherlock’. Played with amazing intensity by Andrew Scott, the criminal mastermind is simply unforgettable. From his unpredictable behavior to that chilling smile and calm demeanor, nothing failed to send a shiver down the spine.
But one of the biggest reasons Moriarty felt so terrifying wasn’t even because of the script. Andrew Scott insisted on one deliberate acting choice to make sure he brought out the best in the character.
Andrew Scott Wanted To Keep Moriarty A Mystery in ‘Sherlock’
From the beginning, Andrew Scott knew he didn’t want Jim Moriarty to talk too much. While playing Sherlock Holmes’s sadistic nemesis, the actor believed the character should reveal as little about himself as possible. To achieve that, he often approached the ‘Sherlock’ writing team with an unusual request.
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In an interview with Vanity Fair, Scott said, “A lot of the time, I remember asking for my lines to be cut so that I would say less, so that you don’t give your power away, so that it’s all the more alarming if it just comes out of nowhere.”
Scott believed that the less Moriarty explained himself, the more power he held over everyone around him. This “less is more” philosophy became Moriarty’s defining characteristic. Scott ensured that each line landed with maximum impact. Whenever Moriarty opened his mouth, viewers knew something disturbing and completely unexpected was about to happen.
Andrew Scott’s Acting Philosophy Made Moriarty One Of TV’s Greatest Villains
Andrew Scott revealed the philosophy behind his approach to portraying Moriarty. He explained, “I think sometimes what’s frightening about people in real life, or why we get scared of people on the street, or we get suspicious of people, is because we don’t know about them, actually. It’s because we don’t know their backstory, because the information we have about people is power”.
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Scott immediately recognized this as the key to bringing Moriarty to life. He further explained, “If you don’t know about that person and there’s a mysteriousness to that person, it makes them a little bit more frightening because you don’t have that knowledge at hand.”
Once he got this philosophy down, the role came naturally to Scott. He even joked that because of his innocent face yet devilish tactics, he scared many people during his audition. That commitment stayed with him once he got the role and is why Scott’s version of Jim Moriarty will forever remain unforgettable.
In fact, ‘Sherlock‘ was never quite the same without him. The early seasons won fans over with their fresh take on classic stories, but the show began to lose some of that magic later on. Moriarty’s absence was a big part of the problem. He was not just another villain. He showed viewers what Sherlock himself could become if he fully gave in to his darker and more chaotic side.
The show also lost some of the dark humor Scott brought. Without Moriarty, ‘Sherlock‘ often became much more serious. New villains arrived, but none had the same wild energy or screen presence.
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