By Elle Morris
Photography by Leslie Hassler
For early October, the day was sweltering hot and humid–not my ideal conditions for any kind of face-to-face meeting let alone an interview. Richard Armitage, however, could hardly have looked more comfortable with his water at our nearly empty meeting spot. With the kitchen closing in 15 minutes by the time I sat down and the heat of the day beating around us, we decided quickly that a glass of white wine was the way to go instead of the Thorin tea that I’d brought along with me. We spoke a little about wine, beer, and cocktails.
“Here’s a little pitch for your piece, then. I think you should throw out there a little mini competition of ‘Make a Thorin cocktail’,” he offered. “What is it called, and what is in it? I’ll judge the competition. We’ll make the cocktail. … We’ll get it down to a short list and we’ll do a tasting session. But it has to have a title and it has to have some cool ingredients.” I did warn him that I would make his contest happen. (So get mixing!)
“It doesn’t have to be a short drink just because he’s a dwarf,” Richard added. A short drink wouldn’t fit Thorin’s character, anyway.
Richard Armitage sat down with me as part of his press rounds for the December 18th release of The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Despite having a very solid career under his belt, most people outside of the UK probably weren’t aware of him before he landed the role of Thorin (Dwarf prince and leader of a company of 12-Dwarves-plus-Hobbit-and-Wizard on a quest to regain the Dwarf homeland in the mountain Erebor), in the Peter Jackson-directed trilogy (The Hobbit: There and Back Again is due out in 2014).
Richard lives in New York, though not all the time, and New Yorkers can count him among those who reject the notion that we are anything less than friendly.
“I find New Yorkers incredibly engaging. They’re like Parisians …cool and confrontational, in a good way, in a good way, like they like a good debate. …you walk into a restaurant and it’s not full of people silently sitting in front of each other like it can be in England; it’s full of people pointing fingers in each other’s faces having a really good political debate, or whatever.”
In addition, “London and New York are sort of unique in that they are not really representative of the rest of the country that they exist in. London doesn’t really represent England–it’s so multicultural and cosmopolitan that it’s its own entity. [It’s the] same with New York; that’s why I’m able to live in New York.”
In those early days of October, the US was facing a government shutdown—the first it had seen in 20 years. The shutdown was four days old and Richard had been out of the country rather than enjoying it.
“I’ve only just returned yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to enjoy it yet, but it is something I’m prepared to enjoy. I do feel saddened that it is thus, and also that the Republicans are trying to destabilize Obamacare–I think that’s a real shame. I think it’s something to really fight for and I don’t know why they’re doing it, really. But then I come from England where we’ve had a national health service since the Second World War and I think it’s so important. I take it for granted.”
With half of the government throwing a temper tantrum over the Affordable Care Act, it seemed unlikely that the US would ever have national health care to take for granted. From the moment Republicans won the House in 2010 they’d been pushing farther and farther to the right, trying to rescind everything from voting to women’s rights–often in the name of religion.
“I think it gets very, very complicated when religion and politics get tangled up together,” Richard acknowledged, nodding, “And I know for sure in England we do try to keep religion and politics very, very separate. I think it’s important when you’re campaigning on personalities that those personalities–for example, the President of the United States–has a faith. I think that’s important in terms of their character, but when it gets entwined into politics I think it gets very, very complicated. And it doesn’t function well.”
True enough, especially for the US. “You can’t [have religion in politics] because you’re talking about a multi-faith society.And that’s what the whole of the Constitution is built on–those differences.”
The UK has never had their government simply close in quite the same way as ours did, which Richard attributed to debate. “We elect a government, I mean, I don’t vote in the US but you elect a government to solve the differences. As much as we in England were opposed to a coalition government, or surprised by it, or shocked by it, in a way it sort of is functioning rather beautifully. There just is always debate, but there’s always a decision,“ Then Richard paused and his eyes widened, almost apologetically. “Oh God, how’ve we got onto politics? I’m an actor, nobody cares about what my politics are.”
I assured him that Moves Magazine cared about his politics and we considered the UK too civilized to have their own government follow American practice in shutting down. “You’d think that,” he said, “but you look at what happened with the Poll Tax riots back in the ‘80s …the closer it gets to our home, the closer it gets to the pound that’s in your pocket, the more uncivilized we become as a nation.”
The UK may not be perfect, but at least they debate which America doesn’t seem capable of anymore, given that even a mass shooting at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard couldn’t get gun control law firmly on the agenda. Rather than debate, it seemed that government had got their hands over their ears to better shout over each other.
“When will it end?” Richard asks.
That was our question.
“
“Again, I come from a place whereby we’ve never had the right to own a gun. Illegal guns have always been part of the fabric of the subculture in the UK. We’ve had a knife problem with gangs.…The fact that [gun ownership] is in the constitution–that needs to be changed. It’s gonna be almost an impossible task unless it becomes absolutely illegal to own a weapon. Illegal. And I don’t think that’s gonna be possible, so I think it has to be illegal to own the ammunition. We’ll hear the government say ‘lessons must be learnt, we must not let this happen again’, but until you make it illegal–you can just spiel out that same clip line, but you have to make a change.”
Asked if he believes that violence in movies and other entertainment is partly to blame, Richard was firm in his reply. “Yes.”
“I’m always very, very conscious, whatever I do. I’ve done a couple of military shows myself. …I did a show called Strike Back, which is going to be aired by Cinemax in the fall this year, but the one thing I said to them in the beginning, before I signed the contract… I said, ‘I do not want to have a shot of me standing with a gun on a poster.’ I said, ‘I’ll give you anything else, but I don’t want to be holding a weapon’. I won’t deny that I got some kind of thrill from firing that weapon, as an actor, but in terms of telling the story… The Hobbit, for example… Peter Jackson always had this debate with his design team and the actors that you can’t undersell violence. It needs to be as shocking and violent as it really is, but you can’t glorify it, or make it look sexy or appealing.”
“To the end of keeping violence seem less mundane and domestic,” Richard said, “The Hobbit design team was careful to make sure the weapons used looked very different from every day objects that you’d have in your house. Although, doesn’t matter what it is,” he added, “My little 7-year-old nephew starts swinging a sword around and I see a kind of violence in his eyes.”
Richard himself admits to taking home the less agreeable traits of the characters he’s played: “I spent most of Robin Hood walking around as a miserable mother—and pretty much all of The Hobbit shoot because Thorin was so troubled. I take on those troubles.” But, he added, “That’s one of the things that attracted me a role like [Thorin], because you see him redeemed, you see him have his moment of salvation and you see his sacrifice.”
Characters of grey morals, it seems, are those that Richard likes best. “Everyone is so convinced that [Thorin] is who they think he is, and it’s my job to unwrap him a little bit and say ‘you’re right, he is all of those things, but this is why he’s all of those things’.”
“I’ve never played a psychotic mass-murderer,” Richard continued, “but if I did, I would still attempt to find a kind of empathy with him and an explanation as to why he turned out the way he did, and in a court of law I’d end up being able to stand up and say ‘look, this is why this guy shouldn’t be put to death, because of this’. In a way you have to fall in love with the character you’re playing and be able to defend him in that way.”
The role he’s just waiting to be offered? “A psychotic mass-murderer.”
(Why yes, Hollywood casting team, you are welcome.)
And for those waiting with baited breath for a hint at what’s to come this December, I have this one other tidbit to offer: “No one’s seen the dragon,” Richard told me. “We’ve seen bits of him–most of us have seen a green ball on a stick, but one of the digital artists at WETA who did my makeup used to show me the work that was being done on the dragon. He’d come in one day with an iPad screen of this incredible—what looked like a fossil, this iridescent red fossil with multi-facets and layers and colors and it was one of [the dragon’s] scales. And they zoomed out and [the dragon’s] covered in a million of these scales. That’s the detail that they’re working on the dragon. And I was like ‘okay so how long’s that taken you to do?’ and he was like ‘that’s taken about a week‘. To make this single scale.”
December is going to be awesome.
13 comments
Thank you Moves magazine for the very interesting article. Richard, welcome to the States and thank you for voicing your political views. You’ll fit in just fine here. I really enjoyed it!
*** Service disabled. Check account status. Request number 9b9fb1ae3ed7040daafa42cc8c05fea0. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***
Falling in love with a character and taking on his troubles, exploring all his layers, finding out why he turned out like he did, and communicating that to the audience, is a skill and art form that continues to amaze me. I don’t know how actors like Mr. Armitage go so deeply inside, dig to those depths for months, and then return to their own lives, attempt to get grounded, and go right back to face that emotional and physical challenge again. I did not know of Mr. Armitage until “North and South,” and he kept me watching from his first scene in the mill. The transformation of his character he brought to the last scene in the train station was astounding to me. He brought that same commanding presence to his role in the first “Hobbit” movie, which I managed to see on my TV a few weeks ago. I had no interest in seeing the “Lord of the Rings” movies, but Mr. Armitage will get me to the theater to see the second Hobbit movie. I can’t wait to see what happens to Thorin and experience the full force of the movie artistry on a huge screen with full sound. Although Mr. Armitage wants to be offered his dream role of the mass-murderer, I personally hope he continues to choose deeply complex roles, and characters of “grey morals,” but where the audience can be gratified by the character’s overcoming immense challenges, and perhaps his own prejudices, and we see his sacrifices, and his redemption. The kind of characters where we can walk away saying, “I really enjoyed that ride, I’m amazed and uplifted, I learned something about human nature and perhaps myself, and I thank Mr. Armitage for bringing that character to me to enjoy.”
*** Service disabled. Check account status. Request number 8b6965534f9c079c48f3df6e98b33bef. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***
Awesome interview!! Spoken like a man with true heart! Welcome to our Country Dearest Richard New York is all the better for having you there! Lucky New Yorkers!! Maybe in the near future you consider L.A.. Perhaps a small, vacation, get away home??? Think about it.
You are a terrific actor; I love the way you reveal Thorin’s true character. What a beautiful portrayal of a very fine, and deep character! You give Thorin exceptional depth and the heart of a lion! You are my favorite character in the Hobbit! Well done!! 🙂
Awesome article! Read this when it first came ou.
RA is such a class act!
Love him!♡
*** Service disabled. Check account status. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***
I love this article! It really gives us an insight into a different side of Richard Armitage and what lies behind that unique surface.
I wish I could share this on my twitter or facebook page. Is this possible?
*** Service disabled. Check account status. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***
Richard is an awesome actor but siure doesn’t know much about America or understand our constitution. In a country with 80 million gun owners who own 300 million guns we have less violent crime then the UK. and the safest place to be are places that have concealed carry and open carry. As for obamacare, try reading the 2000 pages of regulations. ….smh.
[…] his comeuppance. He has repeated this discussion about the complexity of villains more recently in his discussion of what he would try to do if he played a psychotic serial killer. Indeed, he said in that interview that he was “just waiting” to be offered a serial […]
[…] control the violence in the stuff he appears in. I even remember defending him in light of his equivocating statements on this topic in New York Moves in November 2013. In the end, pragmatist that I am, I am sure that it is hard to find roles in films that […]
Fantastic interview … Some leading man roles would be fantastic!
[…] Richard Armitage Moves Magazine […]
[…] statements, and others (like me) are more positive about it. Armitage said almost nothing political until 2013; it was so surprising to some fans that there was a tussle at the time over whether the journalist tricked him into doing […]
[…] I found it exciting that Richard Armitage chose to publicly share some of his political opinions in New York Moves magazine. he always seemed like someone who didn’t want to rock the boat, went out of his way not to […]
An interesting interview, although the use of the term ‘gonna’ instead of ‘going to’ bothers me considerably…. not very eloquent of the writer on the grammar front I’m afraid.
Comments are closed.