Me + Richard Armitage
a frequently irreverent and occasionally cerebral feuilleton of richard armitage studies
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Me + Richard Armitage 
Isn’t it Ross? Or have I been wrong all these years. Watched it back in the day and loved Robin Ellis in that role. RA would be great, if he were interested and it worked out scheduling-wise.
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Sure 🙂 Fixed. I’d never heard of this before.
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You were probably a toddler when it aired, that might be one reason. 😉 I ended up getting it on DVD a couple of years ago when it finally came out on that format. Good historical ( late 18th century) drama and Ross is a compelling, flawed hero.
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snort 🙂 yeah, and my folks didn’t watch a lot of this type of stuff or all that much tv, really. Their taste ran to Dallas, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing …
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Your mom doesn’t much care for the British accent, IIRC? That might be why you don’t remember it – we are of a similar vintage and i remember it well. Robin Ellis was an early crush.
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yeah, she / they would never watch a show with all British actors. That comes on top 🙂
But *you’re* my mother’s age? Really???
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I didn’t have a tv as a kid but would go to my grandparents house and remember on the 1 channel they got seeing Dallas, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest and more. They didn’t get the channel with Saturday Night Live on Saturday, after the 10:00pm news they would go to bed and let me watch the tv on low. I think the whole british thing started from watching Benny Hill and his girls at my grandparents.
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LOL, Benny Hill. I remember when that was on Sat or Sun after the local news …
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I’m your age! It’s you and me that are of the same vintage, not me and your mother!
hummpphh…
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I was gonna say. No offense to 72 year olds but you DO NOT READ LIKE YOU ARE 72. 🙂 I messed up the pronoun reference.
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I’m glad I put you straight – I half thought you were teasing me. I’m having a hard time accepting being 46 so 72 was a bit of a choker! 🙂
Not that there is anything wrong with being 72 for anyone reading this who is. Gosh, I hope I’m still lusting after beautiful men when I’m 72- that’s a nice thought.
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Several readers here are 72 or older, so up with 72! Besides, my mom’s 72 shortly to be 73.
I look at it this way: if my mother had gotten pregnant with me when she wanted to, I’d now be 52. Given that, coming to terms w/44 is easier …
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Oh, and my mom is definitely still lusting after Michael Douglas. Especially since she’s learned that he’s not only a fellow cancer patient, but also into performing oral sex.
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That’s good to know. 😉
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*Raises hand timidly* I’d just like to let you know that I’m actually 75 so I hope you find this encouraging!! 😉 For the most part my feelings for Richard are not in the least bit motherly. *blushes*
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You are an inspiration to me Teuchter. 🙂
I have an 83 year old friend who has lustful thoughts about de-robing Judge John Deed in his chambers, having been a fan of the actor who plays him (Martin Shaw) since she was a slip of a 47 year old!
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Thanks Bolly, and I mean that sincerely. I’m always nervous about admitting to my age publicly in case people think I’m rather crazy, or even worse, disgusting, to think like this at my age. Can I just say, Richard brought me back to life, because this is what he did for me.
LOL about Martin Shaw!!! Some time ago when one of my daughters got a bit fed up with me talking about Richard, even though I did it as little as possible, she said in some exasperation, “Can’t you like someone older?” I don’t think she was serious, but I said, “Martin Shaw” as he was the first “older guy” I could think of at the time, even though he does nothing for me. I don’t think it helped! 😦
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Oh i’ve had a crush on Martin Shaw since i was about 10 so i can very much relate to my friend and her fantasies.
Part of what i love about this fandom is that we are all different ages, nationalities, and life experiences but we all have a common interest – and it ain’t motherly!
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Reblogged this on the armitage effect and commented:
Everybody (with the Good Taste Gene) loves Richard . . . and wants him in their dream roles. Used to watch Poldark on PBS back in the day and loved it.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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I have a hard time with re-makes. I loved the original. Loved Robin Ellis. I had read all the books and then watched the mini-series and loved that. Went back to look at it not long ago and eh…didn’t love it. I’m kind of hoping it’s not RA, although I always feel guilty saying that. He can do whatever he wants to and I’ll probably watch it. I just want him to do something new, not a re-make.
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North & South was a remake …
I’m actually finally about to publish something about future roles (I can’t believe it — I must have a fever) so I’ll limit myself to saying here that I hope that if he doesn’t or can’t do it, they don’t resolve to hate whoever ends up doing it. Now whoever does it, if it’s not Armitage, is doing it potentially against the explicit and express will of the most vehement Poldark fans. When I think of the hassle Armitage had from the Hobbit fans after his casting … uch. I wouldn’t want to visit that on anyone.
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I agree! Don’t hate on whomever gets cast.
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North & South was a remake, but I never saw the original. 😀 Also hope no one does any hating.
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The entertainment press in 2004 did not like N&S much, if what I’ve read in remnants is representative at all. They thought it was thin and platitudinous and they didn’t make reference to Armitage’s performance — almost all of that came from the fans. Critics at the time couldn’t compare it to the 1975 version because (as we know) that wasn’t available. But if they’d been able to they might have been damning … (don’t know, I haven’t gotten around to ordering the old DVD yet).
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The original Poldark ran between 1975 and 1977 – it’s time for a remake. The books have been well beloved for generations and to suggest that a 1975 BBC production (which now looks extremely dated) is the definitive one against which no other will compare is just ridiculous. No one under 40 will even remember the original. Not that that will stop the critics, i suspect.
I loved the original – i had a giant crush on Robin Ellis and i have read all the books several times. But it’s time for a new one and i would be thrilled if RA was cast. I’ve long thought he would be great, as long as the budget was good (is 10 million good? i suspect it is, given the nature of the books – no expensive special effects, locations etc..) and the contract was flexible enough not to tie RA down.
But, yes, let’s hope whoever gets cast, gets a fair go. Although i have to say i heard Matt Smith’s name being mentioned which alarmed me. I think if we can’t have RA, i’d rather they cast an unknown.
Incidentally, we are just seeing Endeavour (the prequel to Morse) on TV here. The internet is full of articles stating that would be a disaster as John Thaw was so popular but within 5 minutes Mr Bolly and I were completely comfortable with the actor playing the young Morse, and enjoying the show on it’s own merits. If the naysayers got their way, we’d never see anything new.
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$16M USD for a six part tv series is a great budget. They should be able to get some bang for their pound 🙂
I think the whole remake frenzy, frankly, relies on this feeling that people are going to be cautious about new stuff. It’s the cultural mode of recession on some level for mass entertainment …
[ETA corrected numerical typo]
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A pre-quel is not the same as a re-make. Endeavor was adorable and completely acceptable as a prequel to Morse. Poldark was a moment in time for me, and I have no real interest in a re-make. Just my opinion, and everyone has the right to their own. Maybe I’ve just moved on from my love of Poldark. It was what it was. Just my opinion. There are so many better opportunities for RA, if he’s offered them, of course. Maybe Poldark will be a vehicle for even greater things for him, but to me, it feels like a retreat. Just my opinion. 😀
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Then again, Robin Hood was a remake of sorts and look at what RA did with Sir Guy. 😉 I didn’t see the mini-series, I heard a lot of negative things about it, just the original series when it aired on MT. Of course, I want him to do whatever he wants to do–but I think he’d be fab in the role.
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I think he’d be fab in just about any role. It’s not that he couldn’t do it, but I guess he’s not my Ross Poldark. Eeeks! Guilty again!!
Sorry!!
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I loved Poldark and immediately thought of Richard playing him when I saw it several years ago.
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you and everyone in this society, it seems — great minds think alike? 🙂
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😀
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Loved Poldark back in the day. And Angharad Rees. Ideal Ross in a remake would be Mr. A. Jo Joyner? Only have seen her in N&S; think she could do it, though I don’t recall Elizabeth as funny! 😀 Well, if Mr. Armitage wanted a commitment to another long, costume romance drama? Does it seem likely?
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This is only supposed to be 6 episodes, according to the article.
I had heard before that there was a lot of buzz about this. It also fits Armitage’s statement that the projects he had under consideration involved books …
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Never heard about Poldark, but sounds intriguing. We know how good RA is in costume drama. I just wonder whether he will go back to TV acting?
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My suspicion is that if he had really wanted to go back on UK tv in the short term, he’d have spent the break in 2012 after Black Sky in the UK and not in the US. However, this is only my suspicion. I imagine a lot of this stuff depends on whether and what he’s offered. This is a 10 M pound production, it says …
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My feeling, too. 10 m GBP is impressive though, and a 6-part drama is less “committal” than a 23-part monster. It’ll be very interesting to see where his career trajectory will take him from here. Black Sky was obviously taken on before the release of THAUJ, so he was not yet sailing on the back of an billion grossing movie that had made him an international success. Question could actually also be whether UK TV productions can *afford* Armitage *ggg*…
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my theory is that BS was one thing he “got” in return for signing on for the third Hobbit film — again, only my theory.
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I agree with your theory. I think it was a “bonus” to keep RA on the Warner Borthers wagon and to avoid the sort of fracas that ensued when LOTR took much longer to make than originally expected. I think RA has some pretty savvy people in his team who wanted to make sure he stays on the radar. Plus, a role which loads of people would like to see him play–Matthew in The All Souls Trilogy–is a Warner Brothers property, so the studio may be trying to forge its relationship with an actor it thinks may have the ability to carry another trilogy.
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Yes, I agree, as I’ve said in the past and a couple of times this week — he has excellent management. It’s been the same guy this whole time, but now WME is behind him.
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I’m stunned.
We’ve been chatting a little about this at C19, but most dismissed RA as probably too old, IIRC.
I’m on the fence on this one, as I’ve never seen the acclaimed mini-series. Sounds like it was well-loved, so a re-make had better be good.
Only 500 fans? That’s not quite an army. I doubt still that this is the ‘charming’ book he mentioned. But that doesn’t mean this role wasn’t on the roster of possibilities. If he wants it, that’s great for me. If he doesn’t, what a mess.
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Yeah, you have to wonder exactly what moment inspired this. I wonder if there is any overlap between these folks and our folks whom we could ask? 🙂
But I don’t know that 500 is insignificant. It has to be the right 500, talking to the right person with the right message at the right moment of vulnerability. I mean, when the first group of Armitage fans lobbied the BBC to get the DVD of N&S made, was that substantially more than 500 fans? Also, the article doesn’t say how they voted — did they vote at a mtg with 500 people in attendance? Or did they poll their whole membership and 500 voted? The whole article is a bit vague, I think.
In any case, now if he’s offered it and that becomes public knowledge, and then he doesn’t take it … he’s probably going to feel obliged to make overtures to them just so the next person doesn’t have it worse.
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Exactly. If he declines and they know it was offered, he’s got to make it all pleasant. Which he would no doubt do with his usual grace, but still…
I will have to say that I believe in the power of the ardent fans to make favorable noise in certain directions, but question how much casting decisions can be convinced or swayed by outside wishes for a favorite actor. In this case, they may indeed take some notice, as the article points out unfavorable reactions from the ’96 flop.
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It will be interesting to see if he gets asked “do you want to do Poldark?” in the way he’s been asked “do you want to do Bond?” (which was totally out of reach when he was being asked it, so anything he said was fine, because it was totally hypothetical) or “do you want to do Richard III?” (because he’d said many times that he was interested in it before). He can now hardly say, “no” but he can also hardly say “yes.” It will be an interesting rhetorical problem for him to solve … 🙂
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The age thing is an issue but, like Richard III, i think he could do it. He looks younger than he is and Ross would have looked older – having been through the American Civil war and being severely wounded at Jamiestown (oh, it’s all coming back! The scar, the limp, the sadness..)
TV is no longer film’s poor relation – Downton Abbey was shown in more than 100 countries. If RA wants to build on his international profile he could do worse than a well made BBC production that would be sold world wide.
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A lot of those mentioned for consideration seemed too young and boyish to me. Sort of the same problem I had with Jonas as RH—couldn’t buy him as a battle-hardened war vet.
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This may seem surprising, but the most convincing role I’ve seem him in was in “The Field of Blood,” where he played a jaded, hack newspaper writer with ambitions. It made me realize that he was totally miscast as romantic lead. Had he been able to play RH with a bit more angst / PTSD behind him, he might have been better off in that role.
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That’s interesting to know. Because the way they wrote and directed RH, all smarmy cheeky charmer, made me look askance at the character as someone who’d supposedly been through hellish experiences in the Crusades and go, “REALLY? Him? Don’t think so.” To me JA just wasn’t cut out for heroic romantic lead figure. Certainly not up against Richard Armitage as Sir Guy. Nope.
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Yes – i know what you mean. I think Ross was only 24 in the first Poldark novel but he had been away from home for several years and had seen much hardship. He was no wet behind the ear youth – in my minds eye he looked like a 35 year old today.
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I don’t remember how old RE was when he played the role, but I remember he came across as a MAN, not as a boy. And people certainly aged more quickly back in those days than they do today.
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i’ve just looked him up – he was born in 1942 so he would have been in his early 30’s.
I don’t know how much of the story they are planning to cover in 6 episodes but the books span a 30 year period so potentially the actor cast will have to be able to be able play Ross from his 20’s to his 50’s.
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Lol! And it’s just too funny to think of him in love with his sister! (Jo Joyner) 🙂
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For some reason it makes me think of some of the potential outcomes of the Edwin Drood musical …
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This has thrown me right back to my teenage years- loved all the Winston Graham books and adored the TV series. The sweeping saga and the rugged Cornish backdrop fuelled my imagination at an impressionable age.
If this was remade well I’d certainly revisit it . RA as Ross- sure. There’s plenty of depth to the character for him to explore, and in terms of a career move, it has the potential to find a big worldwide audience.
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This is a good point — in the U.S. we tend to think of British tv as a sort of “insider interest,” but of course that’s not true in the rest of the world, which is very likely to buy broadcast rights for something like that.
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Yes, think Downton Abbey. Phenomenal success in the States. Career-launching success for the stars.
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Hmm … maybe for some. Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern were already quite well known quantities, weren’t they? One reason the story sold so well was probably precisely the fact that they were in it?
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Fabo adds this from Twitter:
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And here’s some more info from Fabo:
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My FB also seems very happy about this news.
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[…] and amusingly: as I write this, the news flashed across my email that the Poldark Appreciation Society has voted Richard Armitage their favorite to play Ross Poldark. I confess that I have no idea what this means. But congratulations, Mr. Armitage! More fans are […]
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Star Trek: Into Darkness, movies these days, and Richard Armitage [almost a conclusion] | Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 19, 2013 at 3:41 am |
I’m really hoping that after the NZ stint is over this summer, he’ll have something he can announce. All this speculation is killing me! Give us a bone, Richard…please!
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well, HE won’t tell us — it will just pop innocently on his agent’s page … I assume. Or maybe he’s planning a birthday letter this year 🙂
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I have never seen the show but for a few years it was in my BBC catalog, I didn’t know much about it, so I never ordered it.
What ever happens Richard will what is best for him. I would think that PBS would pick this up, I would think that they would have aired the one from the 70’s.
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Yes, PBS aired Poldark in the 70’s. It was a very popular program for PBS in the US as well.
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LOVED the books and the series! I think it is why I fell in love with Cornwall and wanted to go there. I finally made it in 1996! I think Richard would be fantastic as Ross and he *has* said he’d like to do another costume drama. I wonder if this would be something he’d be interested in? He certainly has both the looks and the physique to carry off a role such as this which would require him to “age” as the series went on. We have already seen him do this as Monet. It will be really interesting to see what transpires! 🙂
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yeah, lots of enthusiasm here, too.
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