Who Is Mr. Gilmer in To Kill a Mockingbird? Actor Scott Watson Portrays the Infamous Prosecutor On Stage

Who Is Mr. Gilmer in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Mr. Horace Gilmer is the prosecuting attorney in To Kill a Mockingbird, known for his role in the trial of Tom Robinson. In Mill Mountain Theatre’s stage production, Scott Watson portrays Mr. Gilmer, bringing depth to this pivotal courtroom figure and the tensions of Harper Lee’s classic novel.

Actor Scott Watson stars as Mr. Gilmer in To Kill a Mockingbird at Mill Mountain Theatre. This gripping courtroom drama reunites him with Timothy Booth (Atticus Finch), following their sold-out performances in Mamma Mia and multiple productions of A Christmas Story.

This production also marks the return of Mill Mountain’s Producing Artistic Director, Ginger Poole, to the role of Scout—a character she portrayed in the theatre’s 2014 staging. Fittingly, this will be one of Ginger’s final productions before her upcoming retirement, closing out a transformational tenure that helped Mill Mountain survive and thrive through events like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scott is honored to share the stage with Ginger for the first time in To Kill a Mockingbird, and remains deeply grateful to her for casting him in The Odd Couple back in 2016—his first role at Mill Mountain and the beginning of a meaningful artistic home.

Directed by Neil David Seibel, a Distinguished Teaching Professor at Auburn University at Montgomery, this production brings Maycomb, Alabama to life with a richly detailed tone and ensemble cast. It also marks Scott’s first time performing in To Kill a Mockingbird, where he steps into the morally fraught role of Mr. Horace Gilmer, the state prosecutor in the trial of Tom Robinson.

Scott Watson on Portraying Mr. Gilmer

On Playing a Villain Within the System

“It’s always difficult to portray characters who say or do odious things—especially those who participate in the vile dehumanization and institutional violence that is racism in the United States. Mr. Gilmer represents the legal and institutional side of oppression—violence laundered through courtrooms and official procedure.”

Is Mr. Gilmer Morally Gray—Or Worse?

“There’s a small note in this production suggesting that Gilmer doubts Tom Robinson’s guilt but pursues a conviction anyway. I believe that’s not morally redeeming—it makes him more dangerous. He’s not just complicit; he is knowingly harmful.”

The Banality of Evil in the Courtroom

“Mr. Gilmer didn’t bother to build a real case. He relies on the racist structures of the 1930s Alabama court system. When Atticus forces him to act like a real lawyer, he falls back on racist, borderline-illegal tactics. That’s not neutrality—that’s cowardice, and it’s evil masked as order.”

“In my portrayal, I wanted to show that Gilmer is not simply misguided or morally grey—he is more deeply corrupted than even Bob Ewell. Mr. Gilmer is the banality of evil in a white suit.”

You can see Scott Watson as Mr. Gilmer in To Kill A Mockingbird at Mill Mountain Theatre from Sept 25 – Oct 6 on the Trinkle Mainstage in Roanoke, Virginia.

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