Andrew Scott Embraces the Pressure of Playing WWII's Unsung Hero

Andrew Scott was drawn to James Stagg because he was not a conventional war hero. The meteorologist's advice helped shape the D-Day invasion, yet his role unfolded through forecasts, arguments and decisions rather than battlefield spectacle.

Scott calls Stagg an "extraordinarily interesting cinematic character" and an "unsung hero from history." He also paints him as a contradictory figure: "very chilly," but also "forthright, direct, obsessed with weather" and unwilling to hide the truth from powerful people.

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He may not have been the most charming person, but I think he had a huge amount of humility in the face of nature. And that's one of the themes I think of the film.

In Pressure, Stagg works inside a volatile team of meteorologists whose disagreements are robust and public. He must help General Dwight D. Eisenhower assess the conditions for the Normandy invasion, which required a full moon, low tide, limited cloud and wind, and low seas. The stakes were enormous, Scott says.

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He appeared to me to be an extraordinarily interesting cinematic character, as well as an unsung hero from history.

The actor enjoyed playing someone who was not interested in winning approval. He describes Stagg as "a real fish out of water in this situation" and says the character was "not a particularly garrulous" man. That reserve, he argues, makes Stagg an unlikely hero rather than a lesser one.

"So many of the heroes in our own lives don't have that big swashbuckling moment," Scott tells the BBC. "And you know, a hero comes in all different shapes and sizes." Speaking aboard HMS Belfast, which led the opening bombardment for the D-Day landings, Scott says he hoped audiences would gradually understand Stagg's motivations and inner life. The film also stars Brendan Fraser as Eisenhower.

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So many of the heroes in our own lives don't have that big swashbuckling moment. And you know, a hero comes in all different shapes and sizes.