So, I did the '30 days of Richard Armitage' challenge last year. I actually cheated and instead of answering 30 questions in 30 days, I answered them in only 3 days. Have a look at my answers here (part 1), here (part 2) and here (part 3).
But lately, some other bloggers and facebookers have started doing the challenge and I've noticed that the questions are slightly different. So, I thought it would be funny to answer those new questions as well.
Pictures of Richard Armitage are taken from www.richardarmitagenet.com Other images were found via Wikipedia.
The 30 days of Richard Armitage challenge... part 4!
31. The character I would like to meet I would love to meet Claude Monet. I would jump at a chance to have dinner with this wonderful artist. We would talk about impressionism and the things that inspired him to create his masterpieces. And I would love to hear his thoughts on modern art.
Richard Armitage played the young Claude Monet in the BBC's The Impressionists in 2006
32. The character I would spend one week with I would get on the back of Ricky's bike and we would ride across the UK for a week...or maybe even much longer ;-)... that would be the perfect holiday!
I may just not bring him back at all ;-) ... Richard Armitage as Ricky Deeming in the George Gently episode Gently Go Man
33. The character I would want to have a longer affair with
This is a difficult one... If I was single, I would probably fall head over heels for Lucas North. I know, I know, with all that baggage (8 years in a Russian prison and all that jazz) he's probably not the best boyfriend material, but I know for a fact that I would not be able to resist him. For the record, please note that I still refuse to acknowledge the existance of John Bateman. Just so we are absolutely clear about that little detail.
I love Lucas, I really do... :-)
RA as Lucas North in season 7 of Spooks
34. The character I would want to marry
Honestly, none of them. Although I think Lucas and I have similar personalities, marriage is something that takes just a bit more than that...
But if I absolutely had to select one of Richard's characters to marry, I would probably go for John Thornton. I don't think any woman could resist a real gentleman. Even though he's a mere tradesman (manufacturer, I beg your pardon), I'm sure JT is as much a gentleman as any man of noble birth could be. And he reads Plato: there's nothing sexier than a man who knows his classics ;-)
Mr. Thornton finishes a book before returning it to its rightful owner. RA first caught my attention when he played cotton mill owner John Thornton in the BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's classic novel North & South.
35. Describe Richard in 3 words...
Reader Craftsman Inspiration
36. Richard should work together with this actor or actress...
Another difficult one... it really depends on the film and the character they would be playing. But one thing is certain: Richard and Hugh Jackman could definitely play brothers!
37. My favourite crossover pairing
John Porter meets Homeland's Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) - They both look good in scarves! :-)
No, I honestly think they would make an excellent team...
38. I would like to see Richard doing a cameo in this film/series
I love to see Richard in intelligent drama, so he would be a perfect villain in Sherlock!
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in the BBC's modern interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
39. Something I would like to know about Richard
Richard, do you still enjoy dancing or have you given it up completely?
Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? For my better half and I, this is just a day like any other day. We are always kissing and cuddling and we never leave the house without saying 'I love you', so we don't need a day to remind us how happy we are together. But even though we don't buy each other fancy presents or go out to dinner, I know a certain Brit who has been rather busy on Valentine's Day over the years. ;-)
In 2001, Craig Parker turned on the charm for this pretty blonde...
Richard played Craig Parker in one episode of the BBC drama Casualty
In 2004, two ladies were fighting for the honour of being RA's Valentine...
Lucy Brown (Ann Latimer), Richard Armitage (John Thornton) and Daniela Denby-Ashe (Margaret Hale) in the BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South
And although this lady may have thought she had him hooked...
His heart showed him his one true love with one single yellow rose...
In 2005, Richard dressed up as Guy of Gisborne to present Lady Marian with a token of his regard for her:
Richard Armitage and Lucy Griffiths as Guy of Gisborne and Lady Marian in episode 6 of season 1 of the BBC's Robin Hood (2006)
In 2006, we fell in love with Harry Kennedy, but he fell in love with Geraldine...
Richard Armitage and Dawn French as Harry Kennedy and Geraldine Granger in The Vicar of Dibley
In 2009, our spy-cam spotted senior case officer Lucas North on a romantic date with yet another pretty blonde. Well, anything's better than Sarah Caulfield, right?
Richard Armitage as Lucas North in Season 8 of Spooks
In 2010, RA hoped these lovely flowers would cheer up his love, as she was not feeling well and had to stay in hospital...
Richard Armitage played Sgt. John Porter in Chris Ryan's Strike Back
In 2011, he declared his love for all the world to see...
Richard Armitage leads his fellow cast members in the Powhiri ceremony on the first day of filming for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington, New Zealand
In 2012, he sent Valentine cards to all his friends!
And in 2013, under a Black Sky or threatened by Dragon fire, whether on Valentine's Day or not, may our very own King Richard love with all his heart and find that special someone who says 'I love you' back to him.
... Gary! For weeks now, we have been wondering whether Richard Armitage’s character in the new film ‘Black Sky’ would be another ‘John’, a name that so many of his most memorable characters have shared: John Thornton in North and South, John Standring in Sparkhouse, John Bateman in Spooks, John Porter in Strike Back, John Mulligan in Moving On…
Todd Garner, producer of the film, has been tweeting pictures of RA on set, in character, making us fans extremely happy. Thank you, Mr. Garner!
Richard Armitage as 'Gary' on the set of Black Sky Picture shared on Twitter by the film's producer, Todd Garner
Today, Mr. Garner also solved the mystery of the character’s name, in answer to a question from fellow blogger Gratiana Lovelace on Twitter. To my extremely great pleasure, it’s not another John. RA’s character in Black Sky is named ‘Gary’. It sounds very American to me, for some reason, but that’s OK as RA will also be rocking an American accent in this film.
But does the name fit the character? Well, let’s have a look at the meaning of the name ‘Gary’:
The masculine given name Gary is derived from the word 'spear' in Germanic (gar = spear), meaning a 'spear bearer' and the name (also spelled Garry) is an "acceptable" Anglicised spelling of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic personal name Garaidh which, like Gary, is also pronounced gæri.
In German the meaning of the name Gary is: Gentle. Modest and brave Sir Gareth was a legendary knight of King Arthur's Round Table.
People with this name have a deep inner desire to use their abilities in leadership, and to have personal independence. They would rather focus on large, important issues, and delegate the details.
Well, now you know what to expect! ;-)
I, for one, am very much looking forward to this film (we will have to wait until 2013, unfortunately). It may be ‘just another tornado movie’, but Richard Armitage’s talent will take any old disaster movie to a completely different level (in my own humble opinion, that is). And it’s another chance to see my second favourite man (after my own sweety, of course!) on the silver screen. I’m sure Mr. Armitage is also enjoying the chance to play a ‘normal’ character after going through life as Thorin Oakenshield for The Hobbit for almost 2 years!
Thank you Todd Garner – and please keep sharing those pictures! You can follow Mr. Garner on Twitter @Todd_Garner
“Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and the opposition of character, shown in all these details of appearance she had just been noticing, seemed to explain the attraction they evidently felt towards each other.”
What's a
birthday without a birthday present? But what do you get the man who's living
his dream? This year,
consider donating to one of Richard's selected charities (Shelter, The Salvation
Army, Childline and Barnardo's) - visit his Just Giving
page. Thank
you!
This Sunday afternoon, we have been invited to take tea with Mr. Thornton of Marlborough Mills to discuss the arrangements for Richard's birthday celebration. :-)
Mr. Thornton (Richard Armitage) visits the Hale family for tea in the BBC's North and South, based on the novel by Elisabeth Gaskell
I love the way Mr. Thornton holds his teacup in this picture. In fact, I'm convinced that it's a specific characteristic that Richard added to the personality of John Thornton to show that he is not of noble birth, although he has made his business a success. And I find it absolutely endearing!
North and South was how I discovered Richard Armitage and it's this particular scene that made me sit up and take a closer look at Richard as an actor. Those long fingers combined with the most amazing blue eyes, that velvet voice and a very modest but at the same time overwhelming acting style captivated me.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
What's a
birthday without a birthday present? But what do you get the man who's living
his dream? This year,
consider donating to one of Richard's selected charities (Shelter, The Salvation
Army, Childline and Barnardo's) - visit his Just Giving
page. Thank you!
OK, this post is completely random and just a little present for myself after a long day. Let's have a look at Richard Armitage characters named John!
Ah, John Thornton, the TDHCMO himself... By the way, if you don't know what that means, you have not watched North & South often enough!
John Standring from Sparkhouse. So shy, but so very strong in love at the same time. I love this character because it gave Richard a challenge as an actor and his performance is overwhelming! Just like Guy of Gisbourne become almost more important than "Forrest Boy" in Robin Hood, John Standring is what keeps me coming back for more in Sparkhouse...
John Mulligan doesn't look like a bad boy, does he? Nooo, he's cute, he's sweet, he's kind and generous. Not to mention incredibly S-E-X-Y! Too bad about the whole drug dealer thing... Fortunately, it's always a pleasure to watch Richard Armitage play the baddie!
And just for your info: one of the reasons why I like John Mulligan is because he looks like Lucas North from season 7 of Spooks which was filmed around the same time as Moving On (designer stubble, anyone?).
"Just so you know...I'm going to kill every single one of those bastards."
Need I say more? John Porter... I would willingly put my life into his hands. If you have not seen Chris Ryan's Strike Back, go watch it - right now!
I'm still in denial about John Bateman. In season 9 of Spooks, we find out that Lucas North is not really Lucas North. He's John Bateman and John is not exactly a nice guy... Although I thought the 'downfall of Lucas North' twist was completely unbelievable, I have to take my hat off to Richard Armitage for the way he portrayed the slow transformation from Lucas, the hero, into John, the killer. In every single picture from Spooks 9, you can clearly see the difference between Lucas and John. I can't exactly put my finger on what the differences are, but they seem to be two completely different characters. That, ladies and gentlemen, is real talent!
... for neglecting my blog for so very long! Don't worry, I'll make it up to you in the coming days, I promise! Starting today with the final part of the 30-day Richard Armitage Challenge. My replies to questions 21 to 30. As always, pictures were taken from http://www.richardarmitagenet.com/ and videos from http://www.youtube.com/
21.A role of his I haven’t seen, but would like to.
I would have loved to see Richard when he was in Cats, just because it would have been so wonderful to see him dance!!
22.Your least favourite photo.
The suit is wrong. The hair is wrong. The shoes are wrong. The moves are wrong. So not him.
Yes, I know I just said that I would love to see him dance. But not like this. Please.
23.A confession.
I love Lucas North. Can’t help it. Gisborne, Porter, Thorin, Ricky, Harry, Standring, Thornton. I love them all, but I absolutely LOVE Lucas North.
24.A cameo role you would like to see.
If they ever make a film of Spooks, I hope there will be a flashback to Lucas North. I love Lucas North. Did I say that before? J
25.An audio book you would like him to record.
The Hobbit, LOTR, North & South (of course!), anything by Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, one of Mo Hayder’s thrillers.
Listen to Richard read a tiny part of the proposal scene in North & South.
Check the ‘blogs I love section’ on the right-hand side for more fantastic blogs!
27.Your favourite gif(s).
Go to Bccmee’s Richard Armitage Vid’s & graphics page for original GIFs, and other fabulously designed graphics work! Don’t ask me to select a favourite, I simply can’t…
Guy of Gisborne in leather… of course! Especially in Season 2 of Robin Hood.
The belt, the gloves, the Guyliner, the boots, the spurs, the hair, the eyes… indeed, Gizzy looks pretty good!!
29.Your favourite personal look.
Richard tends to dress like the character that he’s playing. We’ve recognised Lucas North’s jeans and shirts in TV interviews and Porter’s leather jacket has also made an appearance.
The discussions about the hair and especially the beard continue with every new picture that is released. I personally like the beard a lot. And the short hair. And I think Richard looks completely adorable in this screencap from Peter Jackson’s videoblog from the set of The Hobbit. So this is my favourite personal look.
30.Your favourite picture.
This is so difficult! I love so many pictures for so many different reasons.
Here’s one that literally took my breath away when I first saw it. It's from the photo and video shoot for Project Magazine.
