Last month, Gabriel Scott finished his year-long run as Jem Finch in Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, with Richard Coyle as Atticus Finch, and this production marked Gabriel’s West End and UK & Ireland Tour debut. Gabriel shared the role of David in Summerwater with his real-life father Dougray Scott, with Gabriel playing Young David in the series, and in the feature film Truth & Treason, he played Werner Kranz. For the TV series Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Gabriel plays PC Agnew, and he played Garrison in Masters of the Air, with his further credits including the fantasy series His Dark Materials as Father Heyst, House of the Dragon as Jerrel Bracken, and he had his first on-screen regular role playing Fraser in Series 2 of Crime in 2022. Catching up with Gabriel, he told us about playing Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, filming as Young David in Summerwater and his first on-screen regular role of Fraser in Crime.
You have recently finished a year-long run with To Kill a Mockingbird as Jem Finch; how was it making your West End debut with the production, and how did you find the experience heading out on your first UK & Ireland tour?
It was amazing from start to finish. I was privileged enough to perform in a lot of historic theatres across the UK. It felt special in every place we went to. I got the chance to learn a lot about theatre and how much goes into just making it possible to be there, so I’m really grateful for that as well and to everyone part of that production.
Was there anything that drew you to the role of Jem, and how did you prepare for taking on the character?
A lot of my inspiration and excitement came from the book. I read it very early in my life, and Jem always stood out to me as a character I grew up with as I was reading. That feeling never really left. It was even more special reading how Aaron Sorkin masterfully distilled that journey into the play script. It was a part I jumped at and felt extremely lucky to be able to play.
Were there any scenes you found most challenging to perform as Jem, and what do you feel you learnt from your time playing him?
It was always a challenge to make sure you did the text justice every night, for 312 shows. I would say the more challenging aspect was continuing to learn from the character – learning more about where others stood and what he believed. Rewarding though.
How was it performing with the rest of the cast, which included Richard Coyle as Atticus Finch, Anna Munden as Scout Finch and Dylan Malyn as Dill Harris, and had you worked with any of them previously?
They were phenomenal, and I will remember it forever. Every night and afternoon, with as much commitment as we gave the play, it was a joy to act with them.
What did you enjoy most about telling the To Kill a Mockingbird story, and what was it like being part of Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation?
The kids have a lot to do in terms of audience interaction, so they played a big role in the show. That keeps it really alive and enjoyable. Aaron Sorkin’s script is masterful and a great blessing for an actor. You could find something new every night.
How different do you find performing on stage opposed to filming for screen, and do you have a favourite aspect of each?
I loved the freedom it provides you. To be able to do it all over again every night was invaluable. You get used to doing your own work in your own space with screen projects, so to come in and try something new or go through the whole story again was wonderful.
How was it playing Young David in an episode of Summerwater for Channel 4 last year and sharing the role with your father Dougray (who played the older character)?
David was an interesting character, who clearly hadn’t escaped his past (where I come in). Although we didn’t have scene time together, it was fun to make all the mistakes of his past for him!
Can you tell us about the feature film Truth & Treason, in which you play Werner Kranz, and what was the project like to work on?
That set had a really lovely atmosphere. I made a lot of friends on that project, and it was a really special story to tell. I love history, particularly that part of history, for the bravery and the stands people made against oppression.
What was it like being involved with Lockerbie: A Search for Truth as PC Agnew and Masters of the Air as Garrison?
Lockerbie was an incredibly intense action sequence using a lot of pyrotechnics, so it required a lot of patience to get the shot right. Another great project to be involved in.
Masters of the Air was one of my first jobs out of drama school and was one of the best experiences of my life. An incredible production to be a part of.
How was it on set of the fantasy series His Dark Materials as Father Heyst and House of the Dragon as Jerrel Bracken?
Pretty surreal. I’d been a fan of those books as a kid, so to walk into my childhood imagination was wonderful.
House of the Dragon was the first time I’d worked at Leavesden Studios, which was pretty cool. I saw tanks rolling by for Mission Impossible and saw Willy Wonka being filmed. To be in that environment was special.
For your first on-screen regular role, you played Fraser in Series 2 of Crime in 2022, what was this like to film?
I learnt so much on Crime. We had a great crew and, being with them on the whole shoot, I picked a lot up from them and how they worked. Being in front of the camera regularly taught me a lot too.
Had you always known you wanted an acting career, or were there any other careers you considered before attending drama school?
Yes, in a way, I’d always been around it. But working with animals and the environment fascinated me as well, so I’d always had a draw to that and still do. I fell in love with acting through Shakespeare and his lens on the world. That really made me realise I couldn’t do anything else.
What are some of your favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch?
I’m rewatching Breaking Bad at the moment. One of my favourites. I love historical films and war films – All Quiet on the Western Front really resonated with me. Also French cinema; the film Close by Lukas Dhont is definitely up there.
Favourite plays could be The Motive and the Cue, which always jumps out as one of my favourites. Johnny Flynn was superb. The Oresteia was also fantastically crafted; Simon Stone is a genius. Jerusalem remains one of my favourite plays.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I play a lot of sport and I go to a lot of galleries. I try to fill my time with acting as much as possible. And I love going to new places, so whenever I can, I do.
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