Though you will likely recognize Richard Armitage from his day playing
action-hero roles on acclaimed British TV exports such as "Spooks"
and "Strike Back," he is now moving to higher ground. This winter, he returns as the
awe inspiring warrior King Thoring Oakenshield in director Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.” An actor who knows what he likes, The strapping Armitage has a penchant
for dark and challenging roles, which allow him to give a powerful and
adrenaline-charged performance. Born in Lecicestershire in the north of
England, the relentless Armitage still believes he has a long way to go in the
field of action. We look forward to watching him climb to very top.
Da Man: Richard, you’re starring in the
momentous final installment of “The Hobbit.” Without giving too much away, what do we have to look forward to?
Richard Armitage: It’s the last piece of
Peter Jackson’s explorations of Tolkien’s works about Middle Earth, so expect the big finale before the curtain
falls. There is a big clue in the title, but rest assured that a pretty spectacular
battle is coming your way. As for my character Thoring, he is spiraling
downwards but will rise again like all the best tragic heroes in literature.
DA:What have you most enjoyed about playing Thoring Oakenshield, the King
of the Dwarves?
RA: I've enjoyed the duality of playing a
troubled being that is weighed down by the burdens of his past yet hopeful in
searching for a lost treasure and the chance of reclaiming his thorne. Thorin
has to overcome fear of failure but also the dreaded dragon sickness., which
makes him lust after gold over everything else. However, he has one of Tolkin’s
most legendary weapons on his side, the “Orcrist” sword, and, Boy, does he know
how to use it!
DA: you’re nearly 190 cm in height, was it
tough to envisage yourself as a dwarf?
RA: Yes, I laughed when they told me I was
going to be a dwarf. I still can’t see Thoring as vertically challenged, which
has actually been key to understanding him because he’s a legendary warrior
that stands head and shoulders above those in Middle earth, Metaphorically. What’s
more, we spent nearly two years acting like much bigger versions of ourselves
so that when Peter Jackson worked his digital magic, we didn't look like
children, but heavyset, bison-like warriors.
DA: Incredible. And can we ask how long
Thoring’s hair and makeup took?
RA: The first attempt was six hours, but
the brilliant and highly skilled Tami Lane(on prognostics), and Jennifer
Stanfield (hair and makeup) got it down to two and a half hours in the end.
DA: What has it been like working with
illustrious director Peter Jackson ?
RA: Peter fights for something beyond excellence,
he moves cinema forward. It’s an
uncompromising style and I found myself in a place of intense creativity, with
a lot of pressure to go beyond what I thought I was capable of in order to find
thorin. Peter guided me, listened to me, laughed at me, broke me and made me
look better than I really am. We tried to make Thorin aspiration for all his
fatal flaws, we wanted him to be “great” in the true sense of the word, someone
we would remember and who was worthy to
be spoken about in Tolkin’s universe for years to come.
DA: You spent two years shooting in
beautiful New Zealand. How was this experience?
RT: Incredible, beyond words. I still sense
New Zealand. I remember the sunrises of Paradise in the south and the fiery
sunsets of Nelson in the north. We were so often at the mercy of the weather,
like when a descending mist stranded half of the crew, but also the wonderful
human elements, such as when I ended upu trying to speaking Maori to native
Maori crowd!
DA: You've previously appeared on British
TV shows such as “Spooks” and “Strike Back” that have become popular globally.
What made these shows so successful?
RA: Both had their fingers on a political
pulse, with great characters in impossible situations. It’s all about a great
story being well told and a good helping of gripping action and engaging
locations on the side.
DA: It seems you often play commanding,
masculine roles. Is there a part of you
that identifies with such characters?
RA: I aspire to them. I've realized over the
years that I like to look at fallibility, rebirth and inner conflict. When that
is presented from within the commanding presence of powerful man (or dwarf), it
garners a certain dramatic tension. It’s why Titanic that sinks and towers that
fall fill us with such terror. I’m not really into fairy tales and happy endings.
I think it’s why I die a lot on screen and only got married once. We live in a
paternal world, and hacking away at the foundations of the seemingly
indestructible is very satisfying.
DA: So with this in mind, we talk it we won’t
be seeing you in any romantic comedies ?
RA: I always feel like a fake when I read
that material, I’m just better at the other stuff that involves melancholia and
irony. I look better in the dark.
DA: You’re one of a growing community of
English actors now living and having considerable success in the US. Why do you
think this is happening?
RA: Perhaps it’s connected to the last
question. Brooding distant, dark humor and irony, all provide great contrast to
that ”all-American” fee-good factor, but it’s always about balance. I also
think there is a great literary tradition in Europe: script first, picture
later. It can be the reverse in the US. Again, it’s a about a good balance of
opposite.
DA: From other British actors we've met, we
often hear about some kind of competition between people from the north of
England and people from the south. Can you please explain this to us?
RA: Well, ironically it’s coming up to the
10th anniversary of a BBC drama show I did called “North and South”
that pretty much explains it all. Essentially, the division originates from an
industrial north and serenely pastoral south that were products of the
industrial revolution in the early 19th century. Though it’s not so
much the case now, the north was all about coal mining, steel making, ship
building and “grand theft auto,” while in the south folks would be going to
ship at Harrods and see cultural performances at The Royal Albert Hall.
Needless to say, the Queen lives in the south of England!
DA: Though you career is dominated by TV
and movie appearances. We understand that you recently got back on stage?
RA: Yes, I played John Proctor in Arthur
Miller’s masterpiece “The Crucible,” which was performed at The Old Vic Theater
in London and directed by Yael Farber. It was a great event; we sold out and
received rave reviews. I couldn't have asked for a better return to the state
after a 12-year absence.
DA: Do you still get nerves before you go
stage in front of a large audience?
RA: Not nerves for the audience, but nerves
for what it is I’m about to take the character through. With my character
Proctor in “The Crucible,” it was huge,
like climbing a mountain. It was an extremely detailed and emotionally
destabilizing role; it was a three-and-a-half-hour play sometimes twice a day.
I’d ask myself, “Can I do this to myself )or rather John Proctor) again?” I shed
so may tars during those 12 weeks, I sometimes felt like I had nothing left.
Da: How did you earn your acting spurs
earlier on in your career?
RA: Actually, I don’t feel like I've earned
my acting spurs yet. Proctor was a big moment for me, but I believe that I've
got so much further to go. Thorin was
also a very significant role, deeply complex and Shakespearean in ts scale.
Often the fantasy genre is disregarded by critics, but thankfully not by
audiences.
DA: What is the most important quality that
an actor should possess?
RA: Patience.
DA: What rules do you live your life by?
RA: Treat others as you’d like to be
treated yourself—thanks Mum!
DA: What advice would you give to your
younger self?
RA: Practice your cello harder, and take that
offer to be part of the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra.
DA: How could you describe your own personal
style?
RA: Effort-full. People like to dress me up
as James Bond, but I’m happiest in jeans and a T-shirt, whith dirt on me, doing
something manual. Otherwise, everyone looks good in a well-fitted, white
button-down shirt and aviators.
DA: It seems like you have a pretty hectic
schedule. What do you do to relax?
RA: I’m pretty relaxed now… I must be
enjoying myself! [ Laughs]
DA: We have a New Year coming up in 2015.
Do you have any resolutions?
RA: Read more, dream more, smile more, eat
less, complain less, frown less. That’s enough for now.
