Andrew Scott says it’s "mind-blowing" to be referred to as a "sex symbol".
The 42-year-old actor recently played a "hot priest" in the second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ‘Fleabag’, and has said he finds it strange that people now believe he’s sexy, as it’s "uncharted territory" for him.
He said: "It’s mind-blowing being described as a sex symbol. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose. But I think it’s more about the casting. I’m very happy that Phoebe put me in that part of the hot priest, because it was definitely uncharted territory. It’s better than people being repulsed by me. So, I’ll take it!"
Andrew’s role in the show has prompted many people to turn to Google to ask if it’s okay to "have sex with a priest", and whilst the ‘Sherlock’ star hasn’t looked it up himself, he’s "quite relaxed" about the situation.
He added: "I’ve not Googled "Can you have sex with a priest" myself. It would be a bit weird if I did, wouldn’t it? Having said that, you’ve got to get your kicks where you can. I’m quite relaxed about the whole thing."
The ‘Spectre’ actor comes from a religious background himself, and says he’d be keen to allow priests and nuns to have romantic and sexual partners if he was in charge of the Church.
Speaking to The Observer, he said: "If they made me pope, my main thing would be to get rid of this nonsense that you can’t be a religious person and a sexual person at the same time. I think it’s damaging to desexualise any human being. Allowing priests and nuns to marry or just have a partner in life might have saved a lot of tremendous hardship. It also might be an incentive for people who feel spiritual to enter the church."