Andrew Scott is being widely tipped to win the Best Actor Oscar for playing Ian Charleson in *Elsinore*, which would make him the first openly gay actor to receive the award. The film examines Charleson’s career, sexuality and final Hamlet performance, while reflecting Scott’s own efforts to pursue queer stories without being confined to gay roles.

Set in 1989, *Elsinore* portrays Charleson taking over as Hamlet while privately living with Aids; he died aged 40, shortly after the production ended. Scott, who came out publicly in 2013, helped develop and finance the project, following earlier work in *Pride* and *All of Us Strangers*, and has since played a wide range of heterosexual and queer characters.