Have you ever wondered why I am so fascinated by Richard Armitage? Well, I guess some of you have questioned my sanity on a very regular basis...
The video below shows everything I love about him. This was filmed at a screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey a few weeks ago which included a live Q&A with Richard.
I love his acting skills, his attention to detail, his lust for life, his love for his craft and so much more. If you watch it, you will understand (or maybe not, but I still love this man to death!)
I'm honestly amazed at how much of himself Richard is now willing to show in public. I guess, as long as he's talking about the characters and the craft, he's fine with just being himself, not necessarily always the dedicated professional. He's content, he's having fun, and I'm delighted to be able to see that!!
And... "Dwarves Illustrated 2012"? It was a present for Peter Jackson's 50th birthday. Well, we know Richard was on the calendar for the month December. We know he was sitting backwards on a chair throwing his long Thorin hair backwards. There was a hairdryer involved. And I imagine that he had his eyes closed. Not sure about wheter or not there was a strategically placed piece of oak! ;-)
So, it could have looked something like this: (notice the strategically placed Orcrist ;-))
Another lovely video interview that surfaced today... probably filmed on the same day as the Twitter Q&A for @TheHobbitMovie, judging by the fact that Richard is still suffering from the sniffles. Bless him!
Why should you watch this one?
- the cutest Gandalf impersonation - an architect? Of course! - That's quite a grin for a bad-tempered Thorin! - It's not difficult to learn your lines with this simple tip from Richard!
And the word "blue" *sigh*
Enjoy!!
Bin Weevils interviews Richard Armitage - Thorin from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Published on YouTube on 28 March
This song haunts me. How does he do it? I'm talking about Paul Freeman's beautiful performance of his song 'The truth' on some old piano, somewhere in a basement in Copenhagen.
Paul Freeman managed to find a way into my brain (and get stuck there!) once before, and I'm absolutely amazed that he's managed to do it again.
I must have watched the video about a hundred times in the last few days and I keep going back to it. For some reason, it calms me, alleviates the choas in my head and gives me peace. Sounds very much like an addiction, doesn't it?
What's so wonderful about this song? The lyric is beautiful. I love a man who's good with words. I tried to find the exact words online, but they don't seem to be available anywhere, so I've written them down here for you. I hope I got it right!
Paul's voice sounds lovely in the stillness of that basement. You can almost hear that this room is somewhere underground. The piano is in tune, but its age just sounds through the music, giving the song a rough edge. Paul adds to that rough darkness by the way he glances into the camera to emphasise certain phrases. The jeans jacket and ruffled hair enhance the effect. And all of that takes place against an almost immaculate white wall. The result is unique... well done, Paul.
Oh, and please continue to haunt me for a little while longer. Thanks!
The Truth - by Paul Freeman
I’m never gonna call you back
‘cause I never really liked you much
Is it fun to watch me sabotage
Everything I’ve ever loved
Everybody looks for something
But something by the very definition is fake
So take your pills
Get busy getting laid
‘cause everybody knows the truth
It’s so hard for you to say
The truth
It’s deceitful in its own way
The truth
Building bridges every day
But the truth is we’ll break them down… again
Love is such a simple word
So why d’you find it hard to say
I never have the money
But she always seemed to make me pay
And I don’t care what you’re callin’ me
I don’t have your insecurity
So raise your glass
But at least you’ve got your past
‘Cause everybody knows the truth
It’s so hard for you to say
The truth
It’s deceitful in its own way
The truth
Is building bridges every day
But the truth is we’ll break them down… again
You say that you won’t miss me
I just occupy your time
But you’re not fooling anyone
I can see your blood-shot eyes
Oh everybody knows
The truth is so hard for you to say
The truth is deceitful in its own way
The truth
Building bridges every day
But the truth is we’ll break it down again
The truth
It’s so hard for you to say now
The truth
I was looking for a reason to bring some music into this blog and, as always, my muse provides me with the inspiration I was looking for...
So Richard Armitage does not sing in the shower... But if he did (I will be eternally grateful to Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis for pressing on and making RA answer this question) he would sing this: Love In An Elevator by Aerosmith! :-)
What a great choice! There's a ride in Disneyland Paris by the name of The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster which features Aerosmith and, more specifically, this song. The ride is a great thrill, taking you from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds. It's one of my favourite roller coasters!
But back to music, and singing in the shower. As RA's been so good as to give us a sneak peek into his shower (oh no, it's going to take me hours to get THAT mental picture out of my head...), I thought I'd return the favour and share a song that I sing in the shower.
To be honest, I always sing in the shower, mainly because I love the way my voice echoes in the bathroom :-) Although that does not necessarily mean that my singing is any good :-§
The songs that I sing tend to change according to my mood or the radio station that I've been listening to, but there are certainly a few songs that I keep going back to. I love film and musicals, so this is a definite favourite: Let's Go To The Movies from the musical Annie. When I was young, we had this film on VHS tape and I'm sure the film is now completely ruined from the very many times my sister and I used to watch it and sing along to all those wonderful songs.
What about you? Any favourite bathroom ballads or shower soundtracks?
Two brilliant new interviews: one in which Martin Freeman interviews Richard Armitage and one where Richard interviews Martin. Funny, adorable, sexy (that voice!)... these guys are so funny together!
What I've learned: - There's somebody out there who is even worse at telling jokes than I am :-)
- RA prefers wine to beer... As I'm belgian, it would be almost sacrilege for me not to like beer at all, but I have a definite preference for wine. My new favourite is a Sauvignon Blanc from the Stoneleigh vinyards in New Zealand ;-)
- RA had a 'relationship' with his horse - Good to hear that he got along with HER after his rather 'difficult' relationship with Richie, his horse for Robin Hood... :-§
- He trusts the judgement of a stylist to make him look good. Now, I know we agree that this man would look good wearing a plastic bag (and not much else, winkwink), but he's right that his stylist for the press tour for The Hobbit has made him look absolutely gorgeous (Best dressed list gorgeous, that is!). Can I get a big round of applause for Miss Ilaria Urbinati?
- RA is a bit of a fitness freak... lifting weights because he "would not want to be a fat dude". I love people who like to suffer the pain of sports, and appreciate the incredible feeling you get when you've put your body through an extensive workout :-)
- He's sticking to his guns (!) about social media, but he prefers making that perfect shot with a bow and arrow... good, I don't like guns anyway, unless we're referring to a specific part of RA's body; in that case: I love guns! ;-)
Oh, and can I just bring everybody's attention back to that voice... That's dip-me-in-chocolate, tingles-down-my-spine, rich velvet voice? Not even Thorin's voice can top the real thing! Enjoy!!
MAX 60 Seconds with Richard Armitage - Thank you Cinemax!!
This interview is brilliant - had me laughing out loud!! :-)
There will be more in-depth analysis of the film and the previous weeks and days very soon, but as it's already 01:40am here, I need to get some sleep first. Or maybe I'll just quickly watch this interview again... ;-)
Richard Armitage on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight- Toronto, Canada Video shared on Youtube by TheHour
It is done. I have just seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 48fps 3D. My hands are actually shaking while I write this. I wanted to describe the experience, but I seem to be unable to string a few words together to form a decent sentence...
The film
I am in awe of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and I am extremely grateful for their interpretation of Tolkien's 'children's book'. They do the story so much justice and they treat it with nothing but love and respect. Their knowledge of the details of Tolkien's world is so very evident throughout the film... I expected the return to Middle-Earth to be a wonderful experience, but nothing could have prepared me for this!
The story
Sir Peter and his team remained extremely loyal to Tolkien, whenever they could. So much so that much of the dialogue comes directly from the novel which is just what the fans want. Whenever they do stray from the original storyline, it is because some things simply do not translate well to the silver screen. Even Tolkien, the great storyteller, would have agreed with that because he would have understood that the success of a story depends as much on the vehicle you use (film, in this case) as on what you describe. Even though I've heard certain people in the media say that "Tolkien would be turning in his grave" if he could see what PJ has done to his story, I firmly believe that he would be proud to have this story interpreted the way Sir Peter has.
The 48fps
Oh my world! The 48fps makes everything so very clear. Every hair on Balin's beard, every piece of Thorin's battle robes, every wrinkle in Gandalf's face, every piece of gold in the Lonely Mountain...it's all there, right at your fingertips. This is setting a new standard for film in the future, and it really makes this specific film an extraordinary experience. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I can't go into too much detail now, but I just want to say this: if you have a chance to go and see it in 48fps 3D, do yourself a favour and do it - you will not be disappointed.
Richard Armitage
Fans of Richard Armitage, look around you. Once this film is released to audiences across the globe in the days to come, there will be many more in RA's "little group of friends".
He took my breath away! The regal authority, the gravitas, the depth and the sense of purpose he brings to Thorin are undescribable; I was literally moved to tears. Such wonderfully detailed acting: the eyes, the hands (although they're not his own elegantly beautiful hands) the posture, the voice... I'm sure that voice will haunt me in my dreams tonight and possibly for many nights to come. That was SO good!
I don't think I'll manage to sleep tonight, but I'd better try anyway - long day at work ahead of me... But for now, with Thorin's voice in my head, all I can really think about is: When can I go see this film again?
This is an exerpt from the London press conference posted on Youtube by RedCarpetNewsTV. Richard talks about finding the confidence to commandeer his 'merry men' of dwarves and about venting his inner anger through Thorin.
I'm always fascinated when Richard speaks about his process of becoming a character. Without knowing it, he has taught me so much about acting and there are so many little things that I now do when I go on stage just because he has spoken about how they help him do a better job. So, thank you, Mr. A!
Just a small fragment of Richard Armitage's appearance on Strombo - The George Strombopolous show when he was promoting The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Toronto, Canada last week. (clip from Youtube shared by @RA_Central on Twitter)
It's exactly 01:00 on Wednesday, 12 December 2012. It's officially Hobbit Day - I will only have to wait hours instead of days, weeks or months before I get to see Thorin, and the full film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The midnight screening here in Belgium is going on as we speak. At 20:45 today, I will be watching the film in high frame rate 3D and I can't wait! By the way: does that mean I will be watching the film at the exact same time that Richard will be watching it at the premiere in London? Well, that's almost as good as watching it together with him, right?! Oh, if only...
In the meantime, enjoy an exclusive scene from the film - The Misty Mountains song, delivered by Thorin and the company of dwarves in Bag End, while Bilbo and Gandalf contemplate the journey that lies ahead...
OK, so yesterday was the premiere of The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey in New York. Can I just say that Richard looked absolutely amazing!! There will be more about the fashion of the premieres soon, but I wanted to share this "Soundbites" video with you first.
In this video, Richard talks about Thorin, about Thorin's reasons for going on the quest to reclaim Erebor and about how safe he feels in the hands of Peter Jackson who "has the entire film in his head" and "knows this character better than I do".
The content of this interview is really nothing new: over the last week or so, we've seen more interviews with RA than we had in the last 2 years, so all of these questions have come up at some point. But this video is still very much worth watching - or rather, it's very much worth listening to.
As you can see, this was taped while filming for The Hobbit was still ongoing - hence the beard (by the way, I still love that beard, even though RA looks stunning without it). And I think Richard is still very much in Thorin-mode here: his voice is very deep, he speaks very slowly and deliberately - this is not Richard! No, I honestly think we are looking at Thorin, dressed up as Richard.
In the beginning of this video, although you can't hear the question, it's obviously "tell me about your character in this film" or something like that. I can almost see a look of frustration on RAs face. It's as if he's offended because some 'human' has basically said "who the hell are you?" and is not giving the King Under The Mountain the proper greeting and acknowledgements. When you get as immersed into a character as RA usually does, it must be very difficult to remind yourself who you really are, especially when you're asked to do interviews in between shoots. He's talked before about how difficult it was for him to be friendly to fans when he was on his way to set to film a scene for Robin Hood. He would be so deep into the evil Guy of Gisbourne, that it was almost impossible to quickly become Richard again and smile and sign autographs. So now that he's been living as Thorin for the last 18 months, it must have been quite a recovery process to find the real Richard again.
Anyway, watch the video here. I would love to hear if you see what I see!
"Whatever age you are, try to remember the sense of awe you had as a child... Hopefully you will leave with that awe firmly in place"
(James Nesbitt - Bofur)
A 13-minute Television Special has been made available. Careful, the video is full of spoilers, so if you're not ready for more details of the story, better not watch this...
If you are up for it, you will love this. I do. I can't believe that I'm only 1 week away from finally seeing this film, the first of 3, at least. *jumps up and down!*
I will mainly remember this:
Not only does Richard Armitage play a fierce warrior... he IS one! The proof is in this video :-)
Tolkien was a brilliant writer (not that there was ever any doubt!)
Philippa Boyens is a huge fan of Thorin Oakenshield (and, I suspect, also of Richard Armitage!)
This is how Richard describes Thorin: "He's gone from prince to pauper and he's a battle-hardened warrior.He has a fierce sense of honour but he's been hardened by life, so his outer shell is pretty impenetrable."
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
Update: The original video was removed from Youtube, but it seems it's now available again. I hope it remains here:
This is the story of how one humble, but incredibly talented man from England becomes the spokesman for a Peter Jackson trilogy. He's generous, patient, open, friendly and genuinely thankful. And he speaks about this film with so much passion... no wonder people love him! Even those who had no idea who he really was...
Thanks to Warner Brothers Pictures Canada for sharing this video on Youtube!
The hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Union Station Takeover - Toronto, Canada 3 December 2012
Can I just say to Richard Crouse: This was a wonderful interview. Thank you for allowing this intelligent man to speak! Your questions were very good and Richard's answers are always extremely insightful and so well thought-through. I love hearing him speak about his love for these books, these films, his sense of responsibility for the correct portrayal of Thorin, his research into Tolkien's reasons for and messages in The Hobbit. And even about his acting process - now that piece of information is a true gem! Thank you!
And then this: "I'll certainly give it to my kids"
Now, I expected Richard to walk away with the map and key to Erebor. The Oakenshield belongs to the character of Thorin, so that makes sense as well. But he's got THE Orcrist!! How coolis that! Now, Richard, when is the Army expected at your house to come and take the mighty sword for a 'schwing'?
So I wake up this morning to find my Facebook wall and Twitter timeline full of pictures and video from the press conference and premiere for The Hobbit in Japan.
First of all: Richard Armitage in leather! Both at the press conference and later at the premiere, he wears leather. Talk about pleasing the fans: he brings back a little bit of Guy of Gisborne, just for us! :-)
Richard Armitage and Elijah Wood at the premiere for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Japan - 1 December 2012. Picture (screenshot) from the image gallery of www.richardarmitagecentral.co.uk
Secondly, both Martin Freeman and Peter Jackson had some extremely nice things to say about Richard: about him as a person, about him as an actor and about what he brings to the character of Thorin. I was completely blown away by what they said, and by the man himself... again!
I thought about putting some quotes in this blogpost, but decided agains it because you need to hear it from their own mouths. And please, look at how RA reacts to what they say, especially after Jackson sings his praises about Richard as Thorin. Such a humble, thankful, respectful reaction - tingles down my spine!
You can see the entire press conference on Youtube thanks to www.richardarmitagecentral.co.uk but you especially need to see part 4 - Enjoy!
For a while now, I've been wondering whether Richard Armitage is still thinking about playing King Richard III. Richard was named after the English king as he was born on 22 August, the day Richard III was killed in the battle at Bosworth Field in 1485.
A few years ago, Richard was planning to create a film to redeem the wronged King and restore his reputation. The fans loved the idea and have been rallying support for this project ever since. But with everything that has happened in Richard's career over the last few years and months, does Richard still have Richard on the brain? Or has he moved on? Someone on that Red Carpet for The Hobbit in Wellington had obviously done their homework on Richard and asked him that very question. And I could not be happier about his reply... notice the twinkle in his eye and that small sigh of regret when he is confronted with the memory of Richard III... *runs off to watch the video again*
Video uploaded to Youtube by Britu 21
Would you like to know more about King Richard III? I would recommend the excellent historical novel The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, which was actually a great favourite of RA's father.
Yes, Peter Jackson understands me. He knows exactly what I want to see. So, when I woke up to PJ's new production video this morning, it turned out to have exactly what I needed: interesting details about the process of creating The Hobbit... and a lot of Richard Armitage and Thorin!!
So, Thank you PJ, for making my day - again!
And a special thank you to Wendy Dixon and Jonia for their excellent screencapping skills and for making the pictures available on the web.
See Peter Jackson's production video here:
As I said, there's plenty of Thorin/Richard in this video. In fact, Richard is the only member of the cast who features prominently in this behind-the-scenes video. Oh, and did I say he looks absolutely incredible, both as Thorin and as himself... or is that just stating the obvious?
Why don't you judge it for yourself...
"Elves..."
And there it was: his beautiful, deep, velvet, dip-me-in-chocolate, tingles-down-my-spine voice.
I've missed you, my precious...
Though they sink through the sea they shall
rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.”
(From: And death shall have no dominion by
Dylan Thomas)
If you know
me, you know that I’m not easily impressed. I tolerate a lot of things, I’m
open-minded about changes and new ideas and I always give people the benefit of
the doubt, but once you’ve lost my regard (or my attention, or even my respect),
it’s incredibly hard to get it back.
Imagine
this: My sister and I are at our third Chris Isaak concert. This man’s concerts
are some of the very best live experiences I’ve ever had, apart from *Live* and
maybe Metallica (yes, my taste in music is very diverse). So we usually don’t
really pay attention during the opening act. We simply want whoever it is to
keep it short, stop trying to be funny (nobody’s interested in your jokes, get
over it!), sing a couple of songs while we wait and please do take our polite
applause as an encouragement – for you to get off stage as soon as possible.
On walks
some guy with a guitar… “Hello, my name is Paul Freeman, I’m Welsh.”
Well, the
Chris Isaak concert was brilliant. We had so much fun, there are no words that
would do it the justice that it deserves. The man, the music, the band… even
the silly dance moves – I loved every second of it!
So, I wake
up the day after this brilliant concert and I’m still feeling great about this
wonderful night. I’m singing in the shower and while I’m having breakfast it
suddenly dawns on me: I’m not singing a Chris Isaak song! The song that’s been
in my head all morning is called Tightrope
and it’s by Paul Freeman…
“There's no way back if I let go
You’re where I’ll land
So here I go
Cause I just want to live
And I just wanna feel it”
(From: Tightrope by Paul Freeman)
Yes, I enjoyed
his five-song mini concert, and so did the rest of the crowd, judging from the
louder-than-average applause after, and the attentive silence during the songs.
But only the morning after do I realise exactly how much of an impression this
man has made. I HAVE to know more!
I am
absolutely certain that I had never even heard his name until about 2 weeks
ago. And now, I just want him to come back to Belgium and play for me again – I
feel as if I didn’t pay enough attention the first time and I’d like to
experience it again to see if he can impress me a second time.
So what is
it about Paul Freeman that made him able to wipe away a wonderful Chris Isaak
concert and make his way into my subconscious? His boyish good looks and
radiant smile? Although he definitely has those, it’s the music that impressed
me.
“It's easier to compromise when everything has
gone
And it's hard to make amends when all the
damages are done
And to everyone I've ever hurt, I'm sorry
But I was wrong”
(From: That’s how it is by Paul Freeman)
When I got
a chance to meet Paul after the concert, he was just as sweet and genuine as he
seemed to be on stage and he’s as intelligent as his lyrics. He won my undying
respect a few days later when I found out that he likes Dylan Thomas. Thomas
was known to be a great admirer of William Blake which almost makes us kindred
spirits. (Hey, can you believe I just found a link between Paul Freeman and
Richard Armitage? I knew there was a reason I liked this man!)
Right back at you, Paul!!
Another
thing that caught my attention is the way Paul sings his songs. Every time he
started playing, it was as if he went into a world of his own. There was such dedication
and joy in the way he performed; it makes me smile to even think about it. But
don’t take my word for it, here’s the proof. This is Paul’s performance of
Tightrope at the concert that I attended in Brussels.
It’s that joy that woke the room up and Paul
managed to grab the attention of people who would usually just see him as the
reason why the main act of the evening wasn’t there yet. By the third song, he’d
won them over. When he finally walked off the stage, I felt a sense of loss…and
the applause continued longer than I have ever seen it last for an unknown
opening act.
So Paul,
when exactly are you coming back to sing for me?
