So Much of The Priest Was Shaped By Andrew Scott!
In a piece of writing at the end of the book, Phoebe Waller-Bridge describes different people who were involved in the creative process of bringing Fleabag to the screen. One of my favorite entries was about Andrew Scott, who portrayed the famously hot Priest.
In her recounting of Andrew Scott’s involvement, Phoebe Waller-Bridge describes how he was deeply involved in fleshing out the character and plot points that would help subvert the tropes of “lovable young priest” that show up in so many other pieces of comedy and media.
My personal favorite detail? During this process, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott were walking and talking and actually stopped in a Quaker meeting room, using it as a space to sit together and talk for a looooong time about the second season and the Priest’s role.
Are Quaker meeting rooms supposed to be silent? Absolutely. But I personally love the image of the two of them working together in that collaborative space. As Fleabag notes in the second season, Quaker meetings are supposed to be silent unless the spirit moves them to say something. So hey, maybe the spirit was just moving both of them A LOT that day!
One final lovely tidbit about this part of the process—the very same Quaker meeting room makes an appearance in a memorable scene in in Fleabag’s second season!