Interview Richard

With talk this past week of introverts and the act of “being on” when in front of an audience, it got me to thinking of Interview Richard and who he is to me.

lights, camera, action!

Interview Richard is able to maintain a good balance of affable charm, is informative, with a few slightly rehearsed quips thrown in to lighten up the atmosphere.

“it’s nice to have a superimposable horse to go with it [Guy action-figure] because when I’m not in Hungary, I can practice my horse riding at home”

An example of this balance can be seen in the Marilyn Denis interview that Richard Armitage did in Canada last year.

These are certain traits that I’ve come to attribute to Interview Richard:

No Follow-Through

the way that Richard came striding out, intent on dipping the host, but not able to keep from mentioning that it wasn’t really his idea. He also does this when trying to deliver a witty comment but not being able to stick with the straight-face long enough; he gets embarrassed and stops short before the finish!

Deflection of Praise

when the host shares Peter Jackson’s positive feelings towards Richard, he gracefully accepts but then quickly jokes about not realizing it was Christmas time until he saw the decorations.

my local shopping stores have had Christmas decorations up since the beginning of October…

Class

the way Richard weaved together his praise for Peter Jackson with his explanation of how he chose to portray Thorin.

“In terms of his leadership I actually became inspired by Peter Jackson himself because he leads his team with such dignity and a kind of quiet authority… I didn’t want to command respect, I wanted to earn loyalty.”

“There is One who I could follow, there is One I could call King”

Rehearsed Wit

big boots, quite camp? c’mon people, that was funny! unfortunately, sometimes these attempts fall flat.

you’re too distracting Richard, you kill brain-cells

Thankful

this time the thankfulness was directed at the Armitage Army, his fanbase, for the way we have supported Richard through the years.

aww! we ❤ you too!

Interview Richard doesn’t forget that he’s in front of an audience and he tries to play that up when he can, but the slight nervousness is still there as is the desire to convey the passion he has for every character and project without coming across as too intense.

An introvert who knows how to work a crowd; it’s not as rare as it seems.

Quiet Determination

With the Extended Edition extras from The Hobbit flying about, getting us all in a tizzy over Richard’s Thorin audition, I was reminded of these quotes about Richard and his acting style:

It was very easy, working with Richard, what he brings as a person is that he has quiet determination. He respects himself and others, when working but he holds onto this strong core of himself, actually. He’s about the least arrogant person you can wish to meet, very self-deprecating and he’s always up for what you’re going to bring to the scene.~ Martin Freeman

Richard is one of those very rare actors in which he uses stillness and he uses quiet to draw your eye. There can be a lot of things happening on the screen, there can be many characters on the screen, and yet Thorin in his stillness draws your attention. It’s a very, very rare skill and he’s somebody when he’s on screen your eyes go to, you want to watch.~Peter Jackson

okay, I’m going back to the tizzy now…

Nobody Says It Better

[on restrictive prosthetics] “I think hands reveal so much about a character. They are sensitive little beings all on their own, and the enlargement with the silicone hands could be quite restrictive. I wasn’t able to put my hands through my hair, or pick up anything with ease. Touching my face or touching another character’s face in a tender moment, was always going to be difficult. Hands are also connected to the emotions. The clenched fist and the relaxed shaking fingers– these were things we had to live without.”

 

“When you give a character such a dark center, a damaged inner life; when you give them the potential for redemption I think everybody is sort of attracted to them. They feel that there’s a journey to go on. I think we feel a need to see them through that journey.”

 

[on being shy at parties] “…I’m good once I get to know people. I’m not very good at talking to a lot of people at the same time. If I can’t focus on one person, I get kind of itchy–especially at a party when someone’s talking to you and they’re looking all around, I’m like ‘are you talking to me or are you talking to everybody else?’ “

 

“I always imagine characters who are defined by their history. If it’s not there then I will inevitably construct a detailed biography. For Thorin this was very easy…but I still needed to investigate a more domestic biography; what do Thorin and Dwalin chew the fat about? Or, what was Thorin’s relationship with his sister Dis like? I felt that might inform how Fili and Kili would feature in Thorin’s life.”

 

“Sometimes you know your villain is doing really terrible deeds but you want him to succeed because he’s doing it with such finesse. You want to see him get his comeuppance but you also want to see him pull if off. It’s a real paradox.”

 

[on meeting Prince William] “…after the movie, I was sitting on the aisle and he left and he kind of walked past me and shook my hand and said, ‘That was a really really great performance. Kate’s going to love this when she gets to see it.’ My dad was like, ‘What did he say?’ I was like, ‘Did you not hear him?’ and my dad’s like, ‘No, I’m deaf, I didn’t hear him.’ That was one of those days that I felt very proud.”

A Life In The Day

A Spooks-era print article that I always enjoy reading is The Sunday Times, If Looks Could Kill… I love how it’s written from Richard’s point-of-view and spans the course of a typical day. To start the day off, apparently Richard will sleep through the alarm if it’s not loud enough. Not me, I know when that thing is set to go off a good five minutes beforehand! which leaves me tossing and turning until I hear it. Why don’t I just get up? Because that’s not how things are supposed to work! I can be a bit stubborn.

I’ve looked at the clock three times & only one minute has passed?!

“Then it’s a mad rush to get ready

and I’ll be picking something off the floor to wear

because my drawers are empty and I’ve forgotten to do a wash.”

I always think of drawers meaning boxers when I read this, which makes me snicker because I’d imagine Richard’s drawers are not really empty…

When he’s not filming, Richard’s mornings are more leisurely. No alarm, a breakfast of hot oatmeal with fruit, and scrambled eggs; microwaved. Hey, it’s better than my normal cold Pop-Tart, so you won’t hear me complaining!

make mine a frosted brown sugar-cinnamon, please!

Richard then sorts through his e-mails and telephone calls, and heads to the gym. I bet he’d be a lot less productive if he were part of a fandom; keeping up-to-date on the subject matter can wipe out whole mornings in no time!

Clickonline tweeted another answer=whole day, gone.

For lunch and dinner Richard tries to eat healthy, none of that boxed and frozen food for him. Ah, the life of a single-ton, who doesn’t need to appease the persnickety tastes of children. I used to eat real food too, once upon a time. I get so little praise these days, if incorporating fake cheese products into our meals will earn me cheers, I’m going to do it!

genuine smiles are valuable currency

After filming for the day is done, it looks like more exercise is on the agenda; this time for mental stability. Richard claims he’s a brooder who avoids confrontation. If he can’t find a way to work that temper out of his system, it may result in chairs being thrown out windows. I’m a brooder with a temper too, only I like to kick things.

that IS my password you idiot machine! Ugh!

Richard ends the day ignoring his messy house in favor of reading anything and everything, (hey, I do that too!) after he takes his bath.

Please, Please, Pretty Please?

Richard Armitage 30 day challenge

15.) Q: a role you would love to see him in

A: Matthew Clairmont from A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

“…well over six feet…And he definitely was not slight. Broad shoulders narrowed into slender hips, which flowed into lean, muscular legs. His hands were strikingly long and agile..”

“With a soft, satisfied sound, he deliberately fitted his lips to mine and kissed me, gently but thoroughly, until my entire body-not just my hands-was tingling…His mouth drifted to my cheeks and eyelids. When it brushed against my ear, I gasped. Matthew’s lips curved into a smile, and he pressed them once more against my own.”

“My beloved vampire, with a face that would make an angel envious, looked at me with Sorrow. “You know how I feel about you.” I shook my head. “No, I don’t. When you’re ready, you’ll tell me.”