Filmed in black and white, Steven Zaillian’s Ripley vividly renders the world of Patricia Highsmith’s masterwork in stunning contrasts. But Eliot Sumner, who plays Freddie Miles in the latest adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley, has always been more captivated by the enigmatic grifter’s shades of gray. “There’s something innately human about him,” Sumner says of the title character, who is portrayed exquisitely by Andrew Scott. “From his perspective, the world around him is out of reach, so he has to steal it. In a strange way, you are rooting for him to get away with it.”

While moral ambiguity courses through the series, the relationship between Sumner’s character, a fellow expat and friend of shipbuilding heir Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), and Tom Ripley isn’t conflicted at all. “Freddie is this posh boarding school guy who’s unapologetically well-off, and he’s everything Ripley hates,” Sumner says. The actor’s approach to the role, however, was anything but one-dimensional. “Eliot auditioned, along with two hundred other actors,” says Oscar-winning writer-director Zaillian (Schindler’s List, The Night Of). “Almost all of them played Freddie as a loud, obnoxious American, which is how Highsmith described him in the book. Eliot chose to play Freddie as quiet, knowing, sophisticated, which I found more interesting.” Sumner’s version of the audition? “I really thought, It’s very nice of them to give me a shot, but I wasn’t going to get it.”