Richard on a Sunday morning

On By EstherIn Richard Armitage

Richard Armitage in today’s Sunday Times:

2020-0105 RA Sunday Times

Is it me or is something off with this image? Richard looks a bit uncomfortable to me and something is off with his face, a little too smooth or too light or something? In any case, I do reallly dig the long hair and beard. 🙂

The article is behind a paywall, but if you have an account you can read an article for free every once in a while, which is what I did. I was going to screenshot it, but Servetus has already done that so nicely here.

Gotta say, I get a bit tired of reporters leading off with or emphasizing the “male totty, heartthrob” thing so much. Says more about the reporter than the actor, I feel. I’d never deny that Richard’s a heartthrob, I wouldn’t have been a fan for close to 14 years if I didn’t think he was a bit of a heartthrob, but I couldn’t love someone for so long just because he has a nice face. There are so many other tall, dark and handsome actors out there to love and yet he is the one I fangirl over. The man brings other qualities to his “male totty” moniker, qualities I still fail to understand completely myself, which is what keeps him interesting to me even when he does projects I don’t much enjoy. I wish that were more of a focus in articles, trying to understand what is beneath the surface that makes him so appealing. I guess this article is not that.

Other than that little gripe, I did enjoy reading this. There was a lot of not so new content, I felt, as we all know how he loves finding darkness in light and light in darkness and inhabiting flawed characters. I identify with the outsider-feeling and him enjoying his me-time, even though I already knew that about him. It was interesting to read that his grief informed his acting in My Zoe, and that apparently he has no designs anymore on Hollywood? For a little while there I felt like he did but his work seems to be taking him elsewhere and I really like that. Oh, and it’s sweet to read that he still seems to fanboy over Cate Blanchett.

My favourite part of the article is when he talks about playing Astrov in Uncle Vanya and doing theatre work, especially this part:

“Now I understand that people aren’t here to see their favourite actor doing something, showing off. That isn’t the point of it. The point is, I am there to help them feel something, so it’s all about them, not me. That makes it so much easier.”

I agree and disagree with that. I am, after all, solely traveling to London to see my favourite actor doing something! However, it is indeed not about the showing off for me, it is because he really is able to touch my soul and make me feel something. So, yes, fair point that he thinks it’s all about the audience but maybe he also needs to acknowledge that it is also about what he as a person brings to a performance. It’d be so interesting to delve into this more deeply with him.

Anyway, this Sunday is getting away from me and I have stuff to do! So, let me just end by saying I’m so glad to see some real Armitage content as that has been sparse of late. Here’s hoping Uncle Vanya will spark more!

58 thoughts on “Richard on a Sunday morning”

  1. “I agree and disagree with that. I am, after all, solely traveling to London to see my favourite actor doing something! However, it is indeed not about the showing off for me, it is because he really is able to touch my soul and make me feel something.” Well said! Period.
    I still like to read the interview and I suppose you’ll never ebe able stop the heartthrob history unless he really rejects to comment it any further. It’ s bis insights and approach that attract me again and again reassuring me it’s the right decision die him to do this play and for me to hear to the theatre. Small chairs and ironed crinkles aside. 😘

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    1. I hate my b*** autocorrect as I am never Quick enough to avoid strange substitutes! “You’ll never be able to… It’s the right decision for him…and for me to head to the theatre.” Sorry for the misleading context in my comment above…

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    2. The heartthrob thing is a two-way thing. I think it’s useless for him to be bothered by that too much because it will always be a part of any good-looking well-known actor’s life. On the other hand it also annoys me when that is the first focal point of an article, as if that is the only thing fans focus on from the viewpoint of a journalist.
      I do like the rest of the article. 🙂

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      1. Esther the journalist was a woman and he has a way with charming women just engaging with them from what I gather (would love for him to charm us in February) so maybe she got distracted a bit. I wouldn’t blame her 😂😘
        But I like that he self deprecates that he doesn’t think he’s handsome I mean that’s refreshing…

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        1. Yes, that is sweet but I think he must also realize by now that he is considered handsome… And I agree, it wouldn’t be the first time a woman reporter succumbs to his quiet charm.

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          1. I think he doesn’t think that at the forefront
            Especially in an interview and I’ve dreamt of how I would feel interviewing him those blue grey eyes peering at me for a question and I’m just thinking gosh what incredible cheeks and lips and full hair (😉) I mean that’s human nature. 😂😂

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  2. Esther I wish he would do more introspection like at the end of this article. I relate like you to him about alone time and here he taps into his insecurities which make him human and humble to me and that above all else are what I find alluring and attractive about him. The head looks odd here.
    Have a great Sunday!! 😘❤️

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    1. The word humble always leaves me with a bit of a bitter taste – reminds me too much of Uriah Heep, that despicable character in David Copperfield. 🙂 Richard does try to stay grounded, I think, but not always realistic about his effect on people.

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      1. Ahh ok well I like that he displays his insecurities about how he views himself that time makes him humble IMO.
        I can relate to him better than people who constantly talk about themselves
        I get the feeling he is uncomfortable talking about himself personally not professionally and maybe he views his looks as subpar compared to how he tackles a character. He doesn’t reveal much personally so I find I’m reading between the lines but again I find that mystery even aloofness quite alluring if that makes sense.

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              1. So just found out through a little birdie that Seville Communion is apparently on for this year (fingers crossed) which would be great!! I for one enjoyed the novel and he will be a very sexy Father!

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              3. Me too Esther and nothing official but I think it would be a great role for him! I enjoyed the novel because of his character. I’m not religious but the depth of the characters shined above the religious stuff in the novel at least for me.

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              4. I’m not religious either but I am fascinated by it (and know my fair share about it through my upbringing) and I used to have a crush on Richard Chamberlain in “The Thorn Birds” so it would be nice to follow that with Richard Armitage in a cassock. 🙂

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  4. Snap. Exactly the same thoughts as you, Esther.
    As for the photo – I agree, I also felt something was off. Somehow – and I don’t know why and how – the photo seems to emphasise his cheekbones. He looks very round there, whereas his chin seems to fall off. And that is not really what his face is like in RL. Wonder whether the photographer zoomed in too much rather than physically move closer to his subject. Sometimes that can produce such an effect (often happens when taking selfies, for instance).

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    1. Kate

      The picture has a bit of a duckface vibe, doesn’t it? That was my thought on closer examination. Not from anything he does (though he has in the past), but it sort of has that effect. 🤔
      Agree with you Esther (and your post as well G) about disagreeing with his assessment of why we go to see this. I am hopeful that it’ll be a great experience all around, but remove him from the equation and I’m not going, so yes, the starting point is most definitely I want to see X live on stage. And that’s okay IMO.

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      1. There is, unfortunately, a slight element of ‘telling us how to fan’ in his answers. Maybe not as in prescribing it, but as in how he’d rather have it. That always gets my back up. I don’t want to be made feel bad because I jump to buying a theatre ticket because my favourite actor is in the play. Any football fan is excused to buy a ticket to see their favourite team play. Why can’t I?

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        1. Kate

          That’s a brilliant analogy. I don’t know why he fights it. There may be the odd theater buff who lives in London and will see anything on a whim, but for people like us, who have to travel large distances, of course there is a specific reason. For us it’s RA, for others it’ll be Ciarán or Rosalind or Toby or one of the others. There’s no flaw in that.

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        2. I can imagine adoration getting annoying and him trying to counteract that, but yeah, it won’t change that we’re coming to see the play because of what HE brings to it. And I’m not apologizing for that either. 🙂

          that is his opinion. I stick to my own kind of fangirling and yes, refuse to feel any guilt!

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      2. There’s a reason why he’s chosen to do this play – it’s not because he’s an unknown, it’s because he IS known and can bring something to it… So yeah, Rich, no use fighting that. I’m coming to see you because you have an effect on me, more than the play would without you!

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        1. Esther I also think he identifies with Astrov professionally and personally and maybe he was itching to get back onstage. I mean Ciaran And Toby are no slouches either so I think many factors went into this choice for him.

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      1. Kate

        Though it somehow doesn’t look like he was making that face to me, just that the angle or something made it come out like that. Weird. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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  5. Servetus

    I think he just tells himself that people aren’t coming to see him showing off in order to get himself up there. He apparently has some big psychological tick around that issue (childhood conditioning?). Of course people are going to the play to see him specifically — that’s how he got hired to do this now and didn’t get those roles fifteen years ago. It’s interesting, the stories we tell ourselves to get ourselves going. I could totally identify.

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      1. Esther I agree with you. I think he’s a team player and he would come across as arrogant if he says yeah of course I’m the draw here when there are Toby Jones fans and Ciaran Hinds fans too. I think he’s modest and downplays all this handsome looks thing and I’ll taje that attitude any day over narcissism.

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        2. er, because they are in the rehearsal place as she specifies and these tend to be mostly half empty warehouse types with ramshackle chairs and not much else 😉 And it makes for an interesting photo displaying the bod, weird face apart 😉 I understand the photographer, though not what happend with the weird face pulling

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  7. rachel

    it’s like saying people go and see singers for the songs…i mean that’s part of the experience but a big part is how that singer interprets the songs and more often or not whether you like what that singer stands for and their opinions , etc.
    he needs to stop trying to avoid the fact that is a handsome chap, but he’s not the only handsome actor out there and his looks are not the only reason why we like him…and yeah maybe he feels that we can’t really like ‘him’ because he doesn’t show us him..but he forgets that he shows us facets of him
    sorry i’m waffling…

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  8. Yes agree Esther, if the heart-throb ‘problem’ isn’t discussed in interviews then the emphasis would be more on his thoughts and actions. Agree also, the photo is weird, like his face has been ironed.

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  9. Pingback: Richard on a Monday morning… | The Book of Esther

  10. Maybe if the latest projects would have been shown in the UK or raised more interest we wouldn’t be having the heartthrob conversation, again, how utterly boring. I understand him being bored with it, since for whatever reason he’s never been particularly comfortable with it.
    As to why people come to the theatre and why actors do theatre i don’t understand his constant confusion really. Or why the subject still torments him, shrugs. Why WE come is or rather should be rather irrelevant to why THEY do a piece or why they even do theatre. Big names bring in the crowds, it’s no secret or mystery. It’s very popular on London stages and used widely to fill theatres and get people while they are at it to engage with the theatre, with interesting pieces and productions and thoughts and make them feel stuff. The names bring them in but their JOB is to make their experience memorable through the means of good theatre and productions. Gawping alone grows old soon.

    I’d say it’s important for actors to do work that means something to them or gives them an interesting experience and worry about giving us one when we pay for the ticket and come to see something. And worry much less why we buy the ticket in the first place. What’s important is what happens when the lights go off. See on the subject Ralph Fiennes, Andrew Scott, James McAvoy and for that matter even younger actors. Really doesn’t matter why we are there. Names are needed to sell tickets but theatres lives on because people find the experience rewarding and actors enjoy telling the stories and going through the experience of embodying different people and their experiences. end of.

    Having said that, if there is a piece capable of inducing mid-life crisis in anyone over 30 then it’s Uncle Vanya, so no surprise on extra pondering, especially in him i’d say. Also legitimate given last few years of work and natural thoughts like in anyone’s career or how to proceed next and what to do. Maybe not a bad thing either.

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