Andrew Scott thinks that people are more uninformed than homophobic when it comes to gay rights issues, The Independent reported.

"I don't believe people are intrinsically homophobic. I think they're ignorant, and they need to be exposed to things," said the openly gay 37-year-old Irish actor, who is best known for his role as the villain Moriarty in the Emmy-winning crime drama series "Sherlock."

Speaking ahead of the U.S. limited release of his new film, "Pride," Scott added that it is "pretty cool" that gay marriage has finally been legalized in Britain.

"Sometimes I think people talk about different types of sexuality as if they were invented in 1973," he commented about the delayed gay marriage legislation in Britain. "It's going on since the dawn of humanity, and will continue until the end of humanity, whenever that may be."

Scott plays Gethin in "Pride," which follows the story of a group of LGBT activists who raised money to help families affected by the U.K. miners' strike in 1984, at the outset of what would become the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign. The National Union of Mineworkers refused to accept the group's support due to the worries about being openly associated with a gay group, so the LGBT group instead decided to give their donations directly to a small mining village in Wales, which results in a coalition between the two communities. The alliance was unlike any seen before but was successful, according to Indiewire.

Scott said that more than being a gay character, Gethin, is a role that is "much more about nationality, his national identity."

The U.S. distribution rights for the British drama film, written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus, were acquired by CBS Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is set for a limited release in the New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on Sept. 26.