December 3, 2000
Sunday Express
New Talent for Ripley Sequel
By Henry Fitzherbert

Instead John Malkovich will play the part of Ripley and British heart-throb Dougray Scott will co-star.  The £45 million movie is an adaption of Patricia Highsmith's novel, Ripley's Game.

"It's the book that comes  after the Talented Mr Ripley and I am playing the part of Jonathan," Scott tells me.

The Scottish star is now a major player in Hollywood following his starring role opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 2.  He has also recently completed filming Enigma, in which he plays a brilliant young code-breaker opposite Kate Winslet.

"My character is a picture framer who works in Italy and is dying of leukemia.  Ripley asks him to commit two murders and he decides to do it because he really needs the money," says Scott.

"He is the most unlikely assassin in the world.  He is weak and pompous and English, but he is a very complex character."

"The film directed by Liliana Cavani. is being made by a different team to last year's Oscar-nominated hit who only had the rights to one book.

"I think Malkovich will be fantastic as Ripley," adds Scott.

"He is an amazing actor so I am really looking forward to working with him.  We are filming north of Venice, between there and Padua. It is a terrible job - I just can't stand going to all these wonderful places."

He has just finished perfoming for director Sam Mendes in the acclaimed To The Green Fields Beyond at London's Donmar Warehouse. "I got the theatre bug again but I will now wait quite a few years before I go back," says Scott.  "It is really hard work.  I'm exhausted

- Thanks to Lorna for the find!