Literally, quo vadis, Armitage?
[Photo of Richard Armitage as "Gary," tweeted by Todd Garner from filming of Black Sky, September 10, 2012. Source: RichardArmitageNet.com]
I’ve asked this in the past, figuratively, of myself and literally, of Jane, but now I’m asking in concrete terms. Filming for Black Sky is supposed to wrap up September 27th. Where are you going, Mr. Armitage?
Will you be going to California to do voice work or audio pickups or other stray work on this film? Or to meet with your U.S. management? Or will you growing your beard out again soon? Back to Wellington for pickups and more work on The Hobbit? Back to England for some other brief project?
Somewhere, anywhere, for A BREAK? (Hint, hint, Mr. Armitage, if you’re reading this — TAKE A BREAK ALREADY!)
And what’s on your mind, if you’re Richard Armitage? Relieved to be getting away from the artificial wind and rain machines? Looking forward to more swordplay, soon? Happy to be leaving Michigan, or sad? Satisfied with your work on this project? Looking forward to the wrap party? Sad about leaving new friends? Looking forward to the return to other friends or family? Thirsting for the next big thing?
Mr. Armitage, I hope you liked Michigan and that this project allowed you to see a different facet of the U.S. than the frantic coasts.
If you’re leaving the U.S., I hope you’re coming back soon. (Sorry, British readers. It was so neat to think of him being almost in my time zone for a change, or even seeing some of the same weather.)
I imagine you in a hotel room, resting after filming, texting or talking, playing with your laptop, looking at a TV screen from time to time — are you a media kid / tech lover? still making dance tracks on your Mac these days? — and I wonder what you’re thinking this Sunday night.
![RichardArmitageNet.com]](http://richardarmitagenet.com/images/filmography/RA-BlackSky-10Sept12.jpg){kind=link}
I Hope Richard is able to get a mini-vaction of sorts because I imagine that there is also going to be a press junket for The Hobbit. I worry he’s going to collapse from exhaustion if he gets too much busier.
Me too!
I’m hoping for a break for him, too. He went from The Hobbit to the craziness of Comic-Con and then to shooting Black Sky–and I agree, I expect a lot of publicity appearances for TH and at some point he has to do additional shooting for the trilogy.
I do hope he gets to spend some time with his family and friends back home. We have all sorts of ways to stay in touch nowadays but nothing beats those in-person times.
And I admit I would be happy to welcome him back to the US to work (or to play!!) any old time. It’s been fun knowing he was *that* close to me.
I am also glad he got to see some of the American heartland, too, which has a different mindset than either of the coasts. Now, you need to come south, Rich. The weather is cooler now, the food is great, the hospitality unparalleled and we believe in good manners, too.
facilitates fantasy — especially since I have no real idea how NZ looks, but I have a good picture of what MI looks like.
and hey, Midwesterners are big on manners.
true, but I have to admit I am always taken aback when my young Georgia cousins reply “yes Ma’am” when asked to do something. Most kids I ask at home grunt some sort of response
I grew up with kids who had to say “sir” and “ma’am” to their parents and others. (We didn’t.) But I think most people in my parents’ generation had some variation on that — or maybe it was just the rural area.
idk…interesting isn’t it? Maybe I just come from an exceptionally rude pocket
I do notice that I tend to thank people what seems to be excessively…I am constantly prompting my youngest to do the same.
Well, manners are defined in different ways in different places. Midwesterners are big on please and thank you. Texans are big on returning the “how are you?” question.
I think he will go to LA, talking to his agents, looking for more work and perhaps for a place to stay as I think he will mostly live in the US for the next years, given he finds work, any work, and only be a visitor in the UK.
Even though I live here, I hope he doesn’t live in the US. I’d rather see him stay in England or traveling round the world. If he’s here and he become popular, he’ll have the media hounding him. I’d rather he remain obscure.
yeah, I think he’d have an easier time staying under the radar if he spent most of his time in England, too.
It would be unfortunate for someone who clearly values privacy to have so little, but it seems that other mega-stars have been able to avoid celebrity mania pretty successfully if they choose to do so. RA could probably do the same if the wants to stay close in the Hollywood production scene but avoid the rest. Time will tell I guess.
he has to stay out of the “see and be seen” venues, I think, as a first step — but he seems to have done that in England anyway (or else no one there knew who he was or cared, although that’s hard to accept totally. He did have leads in two prime time series).
In UK terms, someone like Jimmy Nesbitt is a much bigger star than RA simply because the amount of TV hours he has had. RA is still niche in a sense. But the point is he keeps a low profile, protects his private life and would rather die than fall out of a car dead drunk and vomiting. A few first nights with free tickets and that’s the extent of his exposure. If LA wants more than that out of him, he won’t stay for long.
Pam, I said the same thing to Servetus just a few weeks ago! When I mentioned the Hobbit and its British cast to my colleagues – aside from Sir Ian, the only actor they knew was James Nesbitt – and not for his acting but for his winning horse, Riverside Theatre!! It’s a bit of a horse racing culture here, isn’t it?
or at least, rather die than be seen doing those things
although one wonders who is really willing to fall out of car dead drunk and vomiting …
I don’t really know how important the whole “being seen” thing is to actual career success in LA — I really have no idea at all. I also don’t know if he wants to be someone like (say) Tom Cruise, or just have a great career. I suspect if what he wants is the second more than the first, he can probably stay out of the limelight. But there’s also the sociability issue — that means he also has to find friends who have similar motivations.
it’s a good time to enter the US property market, I guess, based on all the predictions.
I’m with Jane on this. I doubt he will be spending extended periods in the UK for a while otherwise the tax man will have large chunks of what he has earned. Additionally, I assume he has rented his house out long term and flogged the beemer so coming back to the UK won’t be coming back home in that sense. I do hope he spends some time with family and friends in December and gets a decent holiday in the mean time.
I hadn’t thought about the tax issue — although I assume the right accountant could make that hurt less. I know that for my friend and colleague the Cambridge professor, depending one’s green card status (I assume he gets one facilitated through Equity), you also have to be careful how much time you spend in the U.S. if you don’t intend to spend the rest of your life here. I hope he has good US tax advice, too.
I also assumed he’d rented the house and sold the car (that’s what I’d have done).
Hmm… Sometimes the admin of being an out of country landlord can be a bit of a pain. (My Chicago place is empty now because I just can’t be bothered). I shipped my Audi to my mom in Seattle. It’s a good car for her to have in all that wet and windy weather.
My US / UK taxes are handled by a firm appointed by my company – but I agree, it is an absolute mystery to me all these international tax rules and credits.
There are mgmt companies, though, as you know
You’re KILLING me with these comments.
Yes, there are management companies, and woah to the unsuspecting renter who has to deal with the ones in the UK!
if I were him I’d sublet to a DIY-handy friend.
Why not just sublet to the wizard Merlin if you’re going to fabricate a DIY-handy friend available for subletting?
I mean, who WOULDN’T love having a DIY-handy friend around? I thought that was HIS function among his friends?
I’m sure he’d be happy to do that as long as Merlin paid on time.
Rental for 2 bed property in SE22 (East Dulwich) is running at between £1500-2000 pcm. Even with the level of incompetance of the average British letting agent, and deductions for fees, tax and insurance, it’s a no brainer.
Hi Pam,
I think it could still depend on what sort of utility a person has for their space. As I mention, my home in Chicago is empty because I like to return to it every 6-8 months, check in with my neighbors, and go through 50 pounds of mail.
It’s still nice for me to have a home in-tact, even if I’ve been working in London for the past 3 years.
One imagines also that over such a long period away, his plans might have changed. Who knows. He’s lucky to have family in England who can help him out.
I was under the impression that in summer 2011 he spent about two months in London, presumably in his own house? I have also heard (unconfirmed) reports that he was seen in his neighbourhood early this year, when we though he’s in NZ.
Who knows. He may have friends there, too — so he might have kept the house unrented till summer 2011 and then decided to rent it after that, too. We just don’t have enough information to say. Apparently all the responses to fan mail that came back over Xmas were postmarked Leicester. It would be *really* practical to rent it.
I wonder what his mortgage is. Explains a bit the need to keep working.
It would certainly have been frighteningly large for a single chap without steady employment when he first bought the house but hopefully he has reduced or paid it off since. He seems a prudent fellow so I think he would have thought of his mortgage before buying the BMW!
if he bought it in 2006, with a 3 year contract for RH in hand, presumably he thought he could sell it again?
And yeah, if I were he I’d have tried to pay cash for the BMW.
I’m clueless on the tax issue and I have no idea if he would rent out his house or would want it ready when he comes back. I don’t even think it is his primary concern what is most advisable financially in the short run. But if he wants to be where things happen and make valuable contacts, and doesn’t just go for the occasional audition, he has to find a permanent base in LA. I would love him to keep his base in the UK and mix British film with international/Hollywood stuff, but British films haven’t materialized for him yet. Many actors are off to the US as soon as they get a chance.
I agree, Jane. The money for film and TV production is in the US. I think the US advertising model makes this possible – whereas here in the UK, everyone pays 12 GBP / month as a sort of ‘licensing’ fee for access to a comparatively advertising free tv experience.
I don’t know how taxes affect British nationals working abroad – but as an American working in the UK, all my travel for the past 3 years has been tracked to the day to ensure proper allocation to each country’s tax rule.
I don’t really know what the health is of the British film industry or the British TV industry either – but I’d say it’s surviving, though not necessarily ‘thriving’. I think the model of UK trained actors not working in the UK will be a pretty standard one going forward.
There are production companies like Working Title (most recently Anna Karenina) but not much else.
A lot of good questions Servetus. I wish someone would answer some of them for us *sigh*
I’m sure we’ll hear eventually
Quietly, (and somewhat selfishly) I am hoping Jane is right and also that his next gig will take him to the Pacific NW of the US… Certainly, I think there is a likelihood of him setting up base in LA for a while; it would make sense to build on the recent momentum and get more opportunities to expand his film career. I sincerely hope though that his next role will be a more substantial character role, not in another blockbuster/disaster movie/action piece. And yes, in the mean time, an actual vacation back in, as he would say, Blighty, would be in order before the Hobbit hoopla properly breaks loose.
OK, well, then I will selfishly hope that he comes here, too
I can’t believe I’m saying this but since I saw the last Hobbit trailer I’m starting to fold on the action question.
He does do the heroic, epic figure quite well, does he not? That’s the thing about RA, he is that detailed character actor with the face and physique of a leading man/action hero. Even when you shrink him down, he’s still larger than life, somehow.
I just hope, before RA can leave to a well deserved vacation, that a reporter can get hold of him and asks him the overdue R3 question ;o)
but as I am quite sure, his answer at the current moment would just be quite un-distinct, he perhaps better deserves lots of relaxation and a big holiday without interruption by reporters right away.
He would probably be unwise to say anything exact just now. As long as he keeps saying, when asked that question, R3, and not something else
I have no idea when, but I am 99% sure that – aside from his professional obligations – he will do two things:
1. Spend Christmas with his family.
2. Go to France and ski.
Of course, he will also use his break (s) to get some “love” time with whoever he wants. No way in heck is he going to be celibate the entire year! The man is a world-class flirt, and we all know he is a LEO. If you don’t know what I mean by that, Google it.
Have fun, Richard! We’ll be here to support you all the way. You have our love, our respect, and our admiration. All the best to you and your loved ones, always.
P.S: You better have your team hire a stylist NOW. Believe me, as much as you loathe the Red Carpet events, that will be your life during the entire awards season. Wrap your brain around the fact that you will be attending the Golden Globes and the Oscars! Book Tom Ford now, please!!! We need you to be the Best Dressed Man. Show everyone why we think you brought Sexy Back. Ha!
Just to say, he wore Tom Ford at the CA premiere and I don’t think that was a total success.
It was that ghastly plaid tie in LA that sabotaged that look. But he was perfection at the New York premiere.
The plaid pattern of that tie reminded me a picnic tablecloth for some reason.
LOVED his NY look. Good colors, loved that open collar, too.
Chris Evans had a handkerchief with the same pattern.
no, lousy trouser break. But if he’d actually had his pants hemmed instead of pinning them he’d have looked great.
It was better than most of what he’s worn in that situation. But I agree, it’s not a great style for him. Designed for someone not as broad as he is.
I hope he has the relationship with celibacy that he desires (whatever that is).
The stylist that he hired for the CA premiere put him in the Tom Ford. I don’t think that’s an ideal silhouette for him, though.
I think so too, Servetus. These pants were too tight and narrow…wait a minute…did I actually said it?… at loud ?…Oh God.
the jacket bothered me more than the trousers. But again, it was better than a lot of stuff he’s worn to red carpets. I was less worried after that that LA would eat him alive. He knows what to do now — he just has to practice it a little.
for that kind of style of clothing, you don’t necessarily want super tight fit.
I hope he gets a month to relax an enjoy himself wherever he wants to be before the publicity grind starts, with all the interviews, premieres, photo shoots, and meetings that will have him constantly in transit. Maybe he’ll have a break at Christmas, but I suspect not much of one. Then, what can he fit in before he has to be back on location in NZ? A ski week in the Haute Savoie or (please) an audio book?
I don’t think he will be back in NZ before next summer (northern hemisphere summer). That’s what was always planned. And I very much doubt he will have the opportunity to grow the beard back.
I thought I understood that it was later this year that they were resuming the filming. But July was kind of a disaster for me, so I might not have been reading carefully.
As I understand two months of pick ups were always planned for next summer and while they may extend that, it won’t be that much more. I don’t think filming will resume in January or February. So he will have time for one or two films before he’s back in NZ.
I guess when I heard “next summer” I thought they meant the southern hemisphere one.
That’s what I thought as well, Serv. Not “our” summer but “their” summer.
yeah, you kind of suspect he might have a hard time being in England for Xmas with the premiers.
Exhaustion, thy name must be Richard Armitage! I hope the man gets a well deserved vacation break before he has to do some sound looping and other post production stuff for his films.
But then, we would love to see him back in the states filming again in the future.
Sighhhhh! He was in my same time zone when he was filming in Michigan–though 1.5 states away. Ha!
yeah, I have mixed feelings. I mostly want him to be happy, though, so I hope if his career keeps him in the U.S. he learns to like it here.
Reading the above comments and the emerging thoughts about RA not going home to England after finishing “Black Sky”, have made me somehow inexplicably sad and a bit melancholy. Don’t know exactly why that is, as I’m not even from England, though probably I finally want to have him a bit closer, before he presumably disappears ultimately into the worldwide movie-stardom world that I cannot grasp with my tiny little wits or my shaken emotions as it feels too strange and million miles apart from me…. Furthermore people (bloggers and commenters) time and again leaving the “fandom” really require a constant facing up to on my side as it sometimes churns me rather deeply. It is to expect but when it happens it is nothing that leaves me unaffected.
I had the same feeling when I read the comments the next morning — inexplicable sadness (part of why I didnt’ respond to comments right away). I assumed it was my own feeling of “I hope he can go home if that’s what he wants”.
The people leaving the fandom thing has been really disturbing, although I understand the reasons.
Thanks Servetus for sharing that it’s not only me, who on occasion is feeling a certain sadness and conflicting nature, which really often hinders me from such as commenting.
I think there’s a more general undercurrent of that at the moment. We’re not the only ones by far.
Do you think it the threshold his career is on that is affecting people so much…he was “ours” (sounds creepy, but I think you know what I mean), but with The Hobbit and potentially much wider exposure there stands to be some loss of intimacy, so to speak? That for some, it just won’t be the same so they’re leaving now rather than endure the change? Sounds eerily like the end of a relationship for some.
absolutely, and this is not the first wave of it (there was another one right after he got cast in The Hobbit).
I think it’s inevitable that the fandom will change to some degree as his career continues to evolve. Some people won’t be/aren’t happy with his career choices. You are not going to make everyone happy.
But as long as RA is happy, doing work that satisfies him, and his career trajectory follows the path he desires, including directing, possibly writing and producing, then I am happy (although I hope he never disappears COMPLETELY behind the camera).
It seems strange to me, the “I’m only your fan if you do projects I like” attitude. Nature of the beast I suppose. I agree (I’m sure RA will be immensely relieved to hear this) since it is his career/life he should pursue projects that he wants to without consulting his fanbase. I also concur with your wish that he doesn’t ever go behind the camera forever. Obviously great minds think alike
I think one reason that that sentiment is fairly vehement in his fandom is that he gained his fans explosively, practically overnight, in a very niche genre. In 2010 he admitted that he had been concerned for a while about what his fans thought of his projects, but also that he had decided he had to accept that he was going to do things they wouldn’t love.
I understand people moving on with their lives or loosing interest if they don’t like a certain genre. After all, if you are a fan of a musician, and don’t like the music he makes recently, even if you admit that his technique is masterful, would you really continue to listen to his work?
What I found much more disheartening is fans leaving because they couldn’t stand the lack of quality of his projects and I have seen many leaving for that reason. Many that were ardent admirers of his acting talent. And that is decidedly not a question of the genre. On the German board were several that hated RH but were fans of Merlin, both medieval action-adventure shows directed at a family audience.
Except for a brief period at the beginning of blogging here, I’ve kind of been hesitant to make rules for other fans. That way lies anger and strife. If people need to go, they need to go, even if I disagree with their reasons. My question would just be essentially what it means to that person who’s going — why is it important to you that he do this kind of project (and not that one). I don’t really think it’s about Armitage, in other words, I think it’s about the fan who uses Armitage as a means of bolstering the self (something I do, too, so that’s not a criticism but an observation).
I don’t blame them, I just think it is really sad that some of his shows were so bad that it ultimately drives people away. And that is not the same as not liking a a certain genre. And not not being able to take something for what it is.
I’m just saying that decision’s about *them*, not about him.
I can understand it to a degree, but on the other hand, it also seems somewhat limiting. Since “finding” RA in North&south, a genre that I’ve always loved, I’ve followed him to other things I never would have watched otherwise, and enjoyed them too. I expect this will be the case with future projects…I’d love to see him in a frock coat or leathers again though…imagine Porter’s thighs with Guy’s leathers painted on! Snap
N&S isn’t necessarily a genre I would favor. It’s on my list of possibles, but I don’t specifically seek out that kind of thing to entertain myself. It might be different if I had. I watched a lot more BBC drama than I might have otherwise because of N&S, admittedly, whereas I haven’t watched anymore boys/toys developing world shootemeups (which are definitely NOT on my list) since Strike Back.
I am an admitted sucker for costume (crinolines, kilts, chitons…) drama, and having run out of Jane Austen on Netflix, N&S kept popping up in my “you might like” box. The rest is history
I just like British shows better…they seem so much sharper. Maybe a reflection of my resentment of the dumbing down of American culture?
“Dumbing down of American culture?” The Kardashians? Jersey Shore? Honey Boo-Boo?? Pandering to the lowest common denominator? *deep sigh* I heartily concur, my dear.
It’s kind of depressing…have I become a TV elitist because I just can’t stomach Duck Dynasty and the Real Housewives of Who Cares Where? So be it
Honestly, I do not consider myself to be at all a snob, but some of the shows now just make me groan. How many reality shows can you come up with centered around bounty hunters, pawn shop brokers and people who bid on storage containers??
And how come every reality show based in the south depicts us all as horrible rednecks? Yes, some of us are–but not all. I swear!
My hairdresser said the other day that she thanked God Honey Boo-Boo and family were from Georgia and not Alabama.
I imagine that people from New Jersey are horrified by whatshername.
Ah, yeah Snookie. *shudder* Who is now preggers or has a baby,A new generation. *rolls eyes*
I don’t watch the show and this is the last season. Thank goodness. Perhaps the apocalypse isn’t quite here yet.
I don’t have a TV at home, so when I go on a car trip from where I live to my parents and turn on broadcast tv for the first time in months, I’m always horrified.
Better to look away I think…I’m just thankful the Midwest has not generated anything very cringe-worthy. The sad thing is you don’t even need to ever have seen the show to have some idea who these people are…the power of the media machine is scary sometimes. Thank God the 15 minutes is almost up.
Midwesterners are too boring for reality shows
Thank G-d.
No, it’s not that I have a problem with him filming different kind of genres or him directing (and writing!). I love seeing him with all his facets. For sure I wouldn’t have watched “Strike Back” if it wouldn’t have been for RA. BTW a couple of days ago I randomly came across SB2 on German TV. As I haven’t seen anything of it so far I watched for a short while. The problem wasn’t only the dubbed version (as momentarily mainly RA is of importance for me to hear him with his original voice) but the way and what the two “heros” talked and how they acted really turned me off right away. I couldn’t believe it was somehow the same show as the one with RA. Or did they also talk such a lot of crap and I just haven’t noticed it, as I was so enamoured with John Porter (‘s thighs)??
It is really more the thought of millions of fans that makes me feel a bit uneasy. I was never somebody for mega events, mega shows, Super-BIG concerts, places where one has to go or be, music one has to buy and so on……
Yeah, obviously I have to become a little accustomed to it….
I think the “he was our pleasant little secret” was really important to a lot of early fans — that he was not a big star, that he was relatively close to fans, the messages, and so on. I’ve been wondering about the appeal of all of this lately. Maybe time for a post …
This really does seem central doesn’t it…not so much the genre, but the magnitude of exposure . In the grand scheme does it really matter in terms of why one was attracted in the first place? Interesting questions. I forward to reading a future post
As early as 2006, when he got cast in RH (a show they hoped would be as popular as Doctor Who), fans voiced their concern that they didn’t wanted to share him, feared the influx of a great number of new fans and generally felt uncomfortable because he won’t be their secret any more. Look how far we have come. Even back then, I didn’t understand those concerns. To me greater success and popularity always meant the hope for more choices and better roles.
Oh, that is a delicious thought. Porter’s thighs and Guy’s leathers. *thud*
One thing about Richard is he’s said that he wants to see how far he can go with his relatively limited or small talent, however he put it.
And I think that means he likely didn’t want to play endless variations of romantic hero onscreen (or evil henchman or spy, etc.)
I think he wants to do a variety of roles–period, contemporary, heroes, villains, drama, comedy . . . and he’s a versatile enough actor to certainly do it.
Like everyone else, I am very interested to see what is coming next for him.
My kids (OK fine, I watch it with them) are really into Glee. Am I crazy to think RA would kill as a singing/dancing guest star? Maybe a visiting English Lit teacher bustin’ a move with idk, Jane Lynch. *chortle* I doubt the timing could work, but it would be a hoot.
That would be HILARIOUS. I like Glee, too. Jane Lynch is the bomb.
I also watch Smash and I’d love to see him written into that as a guestsomehow–an old friend of the Brit director of the musical, perhaps. I would love to see him play a character that gets to dance and sing. Too much talent to hide under a bushel!!
I’d settle for him being interviewed on Ellen and just dancing even for a few moments on TV.
That would seem the most attainable wouldn’t it
Ellen would be a great promo interview for him. She’s fun and casual without being overly unctuous
yeah, and he wouldn’t be under pressure to be terribly witty as with Conan or Letterman.
[...] two years, however, and I can imagine that they also emerged a few times before that as well. Jane has recounted one such moment from 2006. And they’ve come up again in the last few weeks and days here and there in different [...]
Losing Armitage? or Thorin aches and pains, part 1 « Me + Richard Armitage said this on October 20, 2012 at 1:54 am |