Well, what an honor to be invited to contribute to one of my favorite blogs!
Actually, Nat’s blog was the first RA site I came across and she is the first on-line
friend I made. So I hope I do her site justice.
Mr. Armitage, Mr. Armitage.
We’ve discussed everything about you, (and I do mean everything *wink.*)
We’ve had plenty of conversations about your acting ability and the research you bring to the
background stories to each of your characters. And Lord knows there have been fan fics aplenty based on
your characters. Heck! I ought to know, I’ve read almost every single Guy of Gisborne one there is! :)
But honestly, what makes me
a true fan of you Mr. Armitage, is you!
See, I’m weird. If I like an actor, I tend to like his projects.
And if I don’t like an actor, well, I just avoid his projects. I have a hard time separating the actor from
the character. So although I was first introduced to you Mr. Armitage through North & South,
it was the interviews I saw of you that made me a bona fide fan girl. (And this is coming
from someone who never joined a fan club as a kid, or had posters on her wall of rock stars or actors
growing up. Who knew I’d be 30+ before I truly entered the fandom world?)
I know you have said that you won’t ever do a show where you just play yourself.
But honestly, for me, the glimmers of your natural self that shine through during your interviews are what
really draw me to you. Your self-deprecating humor and wit always bring a smile to my face.
So without further ado,
here are some of my favorite interview moments…
not that these are the only ones, mind you, but I do have to limit myself to just a few. :)
Interview Clip #1 courtesy of HeathDances.
The facial expressions throughout the entire interview crack me up,
but especially during the response to question #1 and the reaction at 0:18 are just priceless. :)
And the serious reflection given before answering the last question (it’s asked at 5:08 )
combined with the actual response at 5:48 , well, that laughter is just infectious.
Interview Clip #2 @ 1:50 to 1:56 courtesy of Newchanteuse
The fact that I’m a dentist has nothing to do with why I always crack up watching this, I swear. Seriously.
Interview Clip #3 @ 3:46 to 3:51 courtesy of Spookslucas
Move over 007, ‘cause honey you are so passé!
To my fellow RA fandom members,
what are your favorite RA interview moments?
* * * * * * * * *
About the guest blogger~
Twinkling Moon lives in western New York.
She is a dentist who would love to take a look at Richard's pearly whites.
She is a dentist who would love to take a look at Richard's pearly whites.
She is single and enjoys book club and British TV/drama.
TM discovered RA in Spring of 2009 when she did a search for period dramas
on YouTube and North & South appeared. The rest is history.
TM discovered RA in Spring of 2009 when she did a search for period dramas
on YouTube and North & South appeared. The rest is history.
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30 comments:
Hi Twinkling Moon! Lovely post and I agree totally with you about admiring the real person rather than just his roles. Great interview choices, I grinned right through the first one. I don't think I had seen the second one before, except for a funny version which is slowed down so that Richard sounds drunk. (It's very funny!)
I like all his interviews so it's hard to describe one from the other, but the one on the Morning show where he is wearing a blue shirt is very memorable!
Bravo TM, I enjoyed watching those again.
It is so, so difficult to pick a favourite interview, he brings warmth and humour to them all. But, I do adore the interview with Lorraine Kelly in 2007. He looks adorable, sort of boy next door-ish. He seems so embarrassed when she calls him a 'beautiful boy'.
The N&S DVD clip, where he describes filming 'the kiss', as "a nice way to spend an afternnon" is lovely too.
Oh dang it, all his interviews are fabulous, even if some of the interviewers are not that great! lol
Great post TM!
How you became a RA fan is how it happened to me too :D. It was him, the actor/person he showed in interviews that really made me interested in his work.
I don't have a fav interview but I realy enjoy when he shows that particular humor and wit he has.
OML :)
Hi TM,
What a wonderful post. Same as all the comments before, I love all of Richard's interviews. Like you I love his sense of humor, intelligence, and how polite and sweet he always is no matter what question he's asked, even if it's the circus question he's been asked at least a thousand times!
One of my favorite interviews is one he did at the beginning of Robin Hood. The video starts out with Keith Allen, but the second part is RA. Love his answers and his laugh. (He looks absolutely gorgeous too).
Thank you TM - love all your clips.
@TM from dentist to fan blogger/gurrl. Thanks for the clips! I like the first one. It is so off the cuff. As the Brits would say just brillant.
BTW Keith Allen -- it looks as thou he really IS missing a tooth. Doesn't it?
I totally agree, although I can still enjoy a film even if I don't particularly like who the person is off-camera. But, when I DO like them off-camera, they seem so much more attractive, somehow, and I enjoy their works more. Started by enjoying RA on-screen and then, as I delved more into the interviews and things, discovered that holy moly he's such a lovely bloke that if I didn't fall in love with him on-screen, off-screen definitely did it.
Favourite interview? Each and every single one of them. Sorry, but I just can't help it. :)
Great job Twinkling Moon! :) All of Richard's interviews are great...Some are more delicious than others..I remember the one from May 2010 with Lorraine. He was talking about Strike Back and the upcoming spooks...He was wearing a black shirt and black jeans and he was looking extra fit..:) He seemed more relaxed and rested a bit even though he was in the midst of filming Spooks..He is so genuine and self-deprecating as others have said..What makes him attractive and makes us care about his work is that he is so not about ego...He's polite and funny...and sweet...:)
You're doing a great job Twinkling Moon! I remember in one of Richard's most recent interviews, while he was filming Spooks 9, he mentioned he had a "raging toothache", so perhaps you could offer some pain relief for RA's troublesome peggies? I was quite surprised actually to learn he suffered from toothache as they look so well cared for and I assumed perhaps his crowned teeth were giving him some jip. I hate having to get them replaced myself, usually because I've cracked the damn things. Over here in England we have packets of pork scratchings which are my absolute favourite snack (or at least they used to be before I broke a crown eating one! They are very hard to crunch).
I love the interview Richard did on British breakfast time to plug the ninth series of Spooks, where he samples some Thai curry, and when the interviewer (Mylene Klaus) asks him if his tattoos are real, he says "come over here and find out" (saucy devil)and then adds laughingly that "it's my chat up line". Gosh he could get killed in the crush coming out with comments like that! Well Richard did say he likes his women "naughty". (I think the word saucy might be nearer the mark!I suspect Richard is a little fruity on the quiet (and I'm not talking peaches here!)
@TW-What a lovely way to begin the week...laughing so hard that tears are rolling down wrinkled old face!! I had not seen any of these so what a treat!!
The first interview was hilarious...loved the goofy faces that accompanied his answers, especially the one about the action horse. Re:Practicing his horseback riding skills when not in Hungary...lol!!
I just loved this post! Partially because I'm just too durned lazy/busy to look all this stuff up myself but mainly cause the subject is just so durned cute!
twinks,
You're the perfect age for him! :) I am too (in my mind).
Sigh. You took the words right out of my mouth. He comes across almost as too good to be true. He's charming, funny, lighthearted, intense, thoughtful, intensely creative etc. and comes across as a decent, modest, kind man with a solid set of values, the most important things to me.
So my pleasure of watching him or even looking at his pix is enhanced by that knowledge. When Christian Bale raged, I tossed him over. Mel Gibson? Forget it. I had a tendre for Christian, now for RA, so yes, their personalities do make a difference to me. For actors where I don't have those feelings, my dislike would be similar, just not as intense.
If I were to find out he was depraved? I don't want to think about it.... but it would matter, and I know without a doubt that this "foolish passion" would go stone dead.
BTW, so YOU'RE the dentist from comments way in the past!!!!! I remember them when I was new and just lurking. Just loved your intense interest in his teeth (with me it's hair, since I was a kid, but I'm not a hairdresser ::).
I love this post because you said exactly how I view him and what is important to me as well and I'm sure, to many other admirers. This is us.
Oddly, I have watched almost no interviews, and haven't read more than a couple of his messages from the past. I don't know why. But I did see that last one where they were cooking, and my favourite, absolutely favourite moment was, considering how much he was being ignored, that he took his great length, and bent it to lean down on the low counter on his elbows. Talk about in your face. And when he dipped his finger into the food and licked it. Perfect moments. Just perfect.
Oh yes, I remember that interview where Richard states his "chat up" line in regard to his tattoos...More than one woman would come over and "find out"...If Mylene was a bit braver...She could have responded "Here I come" and proceed to sit on his lap...:) :)
Twinkling Moon,
First, I love your screen name! Second...wonderful guest blogging.
I do like the interview moments where we get to hear him laugh naturally. I do love his wit!
Ice cream? Ice queen...yes..
TOO CUTE!
TM, Brilliant guest blog. So agree with your remarks. Sue stole my favorite interview moment (or perhaps I'm stealing hers), so be sure to read her comment. I remember watching that interview and wondering at the willpower that kept her from yanking up his shirt.
Thanks everyone for your great comments! Special thanks to Nat for letting me guest post. I so appreciate everyone's thoughts as I have never blogged or anything before, your lovely comments are so sweet :) I guess that's a credit to RA too, that his fandom is made up of such nice people!
I wish I could send you each an individual response to your comment, but that would become another post unto itself, LOL!
But I wanted to respond to a couple of things several people brought up...
Like everyone else, I have to say that in all honesty I can't truly pick a few fave interview moments because really, whenever we get to see him shine through as himself that moment instantly makes me smile :)
And about that question the talk show host asked concerning if his tatoos were real, well, he really is gracious and quick on his feet given his reponse. I on the other hand, was rolling my eyes at the interviewer when she asked. I mean seriously, did she think he went out and tatooted himself front and back for one part? That's one possibility I suppose, but I felt like that interviewer didn't know if she was coming or going.
As for that circus quetion, well, get ready for that question to pop up a gazillion times more when RA promotes the Hobbit in the US!
Great job TM, I love your post.
I think my favourite interview is the first one you showed. RA seems so open, shy and considerate.
I enjoy watching all his interviews, but the Affairs of the Heart should get a mention here. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K63btBQXSjc
Now that that line is discussed... is 'chatup line' the same as 'pickup line'? Or does it mean a line to open a conversation with another person.
@Anon, that's the interview I saw after watching N&S, the interview that make me notice him and look up more of his work, sometime later here I am! :D
OML :)
Onemorelurker1...Yes, a "Chat up" line is the same as a "Pick up" line...It's a line you use when flirting...:)
I like the videos with this guest blog because it shows him being normal, human...Not all "actory" or "showbizzy" if those are even words...You know what I mean..He's gentle, quiet, as if even he is amused by all this...:)
Great job TM!I loved this post, and I love all his interviews. He's just a gentle and genuine man. My favourite is probably the top one (when he's talking about the Guy action figure at around 3.23 I couldn't stop laughing!), but I also love the bottom one (his expressions are fantastic!).
HI.
I have always loved that one with James Hewwitt - Hilarius.
And the interview from September 20, 2010 on BBC One, where Richard discusses spooks S9.
The question: You star in Strike Back too. What draws you to these actions based roles?
I'm sure while I can bre
athe and get my leg over a horse I'm sure I'll be asked to do action again. And fine, whatever it is that keeps me in work. But I'm semi-conscious of picking something which doesn't necessarily have a violent content. I feel like I'm getting to be associated with violence and I'm really not a violent person which is probably why it's easy to act.
So yeah, I'd like to do something nice and calm and all about love.
*SWOON* We want that too:)
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlsH3_a019Q
Thank you so much for such a terrific guest blog Twinkling Moon! It is hard to find another comment to add to all the great ones mentioned above as I love them too!!
From the start, I loved the Affairs of the Heart interview and all the really nice things he had to say, about not only Daniella, but his other fellow actors and how much they contributed to his John Thornton character. But one interview that especially stuck with me is the one in the Special Features of the Series 2 DVD's where he mentions that he couldn't sleep for a couple of nights before he had to *kill* Marion and how hard it was for him and that he felt they had so much more to say to each-other. That just blew me away! Even though he is acting a part I believe his whole heart is invested in it and it probably makes it seem more real to him and I found that so sweet and sensitive. Truly the *real* Richard comes through when he is being himself and that is why he is loved so much by all of us! :))
@Teuchter I must see that interview.
Agree littlevictories, I have to see that interview too.
I think in different early intervies for RH S2 promotion he expressed he didn't like it, that he went to talk to the writers about it. I'd love to know what were his thoughts about Lucas, after reading each script.
OML :)
In recent interviews RA said that he wanted to continue to play Lucas North..That he finds him to be an interesting character...He definitely let the writers know that he wanted to continue with Lucas...
As for Robin Hood..I remember in one interview RA said something like he didn't want Marian killed..That Guy and Marian should have been married and then the drama would be Robin trying to get her back...
@Violet8886, I think I heard that too regarding RA's thoughts on how he felt the Marian/Guy/Robin drama should unfold. That would have been one heck of a triangle with Marian married to Guy, I can just imagine the swoonworthy moments in that, *wink* But I wonder if the writers may have felt that would have been too adult of a storyline for a show that really was focusing on a younger audience. I think the adult draw was something they didn't foresee.
As for RA wanting to continue as Lucas North, I hadn't heard that one. Who knows what he will be able to do now given his other commitments?
I see what you mean, Twinkling Moon...That would indeed have been too much of an "adult" theme to Robin Hood..I think Richard said that as one option instead of the killing Marian plotline...It could have been handled a bit lighter..They could have done it..Just less adult...Kind of like most of the love scenes in Robin Hood were not really "adult"...
Richard stated he wanted to continue as Lucas North in later interviews..toward the end of filming Series 9 of Spooks...
The thing is..Spooks was filmed from February 2010 to about August 2010..So when they interviewed Richard about his wanting to continue on as Lucas North..It was way before they announced that he would star in The Hobbit...I don't know if he was even offered The Hobbit role as of August..We don't know..So maybe Richard put the word out there that he wanted more Lucas because..at that point..not much else was lined up...and any actor wants to continue to work...
Obviously, he will be busy filming The Hobbit..It starts Feb 2011..It will certainly cut down on filming other projects..But I am sure they give actors a break..That would be a hardship to be away completely for a whole year...
Maye Lucas will be back if they do a Spooks Movie or if Spooks comes back for Series 11...
It would be sad if they made a Spooks movie and Richard wasn't in it somehow. In several interviews he mentioned encouraging the producers to make a Spooks movie in time for the London Olympics.
@violet, thanks for answering my question about RA and Lucas, and futher explaining the potential s/l for the love triangle on RH.
@Musa, yeah, he has spoken about the idea of a Spooks movie set during the Olympics. Who knows if they'll even work that into a storyline though?
Late to comment Twinks! Thanks. I remember the BBCA interview as I got IMBA (I must Be adopted) to ask the Shakespeare one and our friend Royal Nonesuch asked one later about KA :).
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