Go ahead and jump. Jump! or: Thorin and Nori are friends
I keep looking at this piece of vlog 11. Caps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com.
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Random question — does Richard Armitage have slightly different boots on here, or is this just the funny lighting thing? It looks like he doesn’t have all the fancy dwarf decoration on the upper. I think I’d want very stable boots on if I were doing this kind of thing.
However, my main thought in reviewing this clip is the kind of trust you have to have to jump.
Yes, I know Armitage is in good shape, and adventurous, and that they practice this stuff all the time, and so on, and that this isn’t an especially difficult stunt. But nonetheless, look at all the people participating in it to get it right, and then, finally, Jed Brophy standing up there at the top to catch Mr. Armitage when he arrives. If you’re Brophy, this big bundle of 6’2″ dwarf is headed right at you and you have to trust yourself to stop his momentum and hold him fast. If you’re Armitage, you have trust that this relatively (in comparison to you) slight man will be able to stop your momentum, hold you fast, and help you turn to catch your balance.
Thought-provoking. You have to trust yourself to hang on, and you have to trust that the person who’s supposed to catch you will do that.
Erik Erikson would have something to say about this.
Me + Richard Armitage 
One more example of that strong bond that has developed between these men, I think–each trusting the other to do what’s needed when it’s needed. Professionals, yes–and friends, too, I think.
That’s kind of beautiful. It’s also super–awesome to watch Mr. A do this stunt. 😀
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Jed’s the kind of guy you’d want as a friend — as it appears, anyway. The sort of New Zealand version of the reliable Wisconsin guy.
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It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s super Thorin in his flaming red dwarf drawers. Can’t really tell what’s going on with his boots. The old ones could be waterlogged from barreling down the rapids and he had to procure new ones. Or they are the same pair he’s had all along. My favorite part is the flowing locks caressed by the wind machine.
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yes, he looks great!
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All dwarves and Bilbo changed dresses and boots in DOS 😀
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OK.
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I was also looking at his flowing hair, more than his boots 🙂 And over the years they have built up a tremendous amount of trust, as you do with good friends and collegues.
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Do you? I don’t trust all my colleagues by a long shot. You have to work at it — as I think they have, of course.
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It is daring and beautiful. And I agree, Erik Erikson would have something to say about this. Thank you for reminding me (and yourself).
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yeah, I needed to send myself this message last night. Thanks.
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Interesting insight about this moment and trust. These guys–Dwarves and men–have been through and “adventure” together. And their bonds of friendship seem incredibly strong–on and off the set.
“Loyalty, honor, a willing heart” may have been what Thorin asked of his comrades, but it is also what Sir Peter Jackson has found in his actors with grueling schedules and exhausting physical demands placed on them. Their prize will not merely be the gold of Erebor and to reclaim their homeland as the Dwarves seek it, but to have brought to vivid life an iconic story for us all to enjoy for generations to come.
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and a lot of fun 🙂
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Actors often speak of the importance of trust in playing opposite another actor, don’t they? I know you’re talking about a different kind of trust here, but it does seem as though this ensemble cast would have developed all kinds of belief in each other based on months of shared experiences, a large part of which would have been the exhausting training regimen.
I wonder how RA would rank the importance to him of the different aspects of filming the trilogy when it’s all over. Where would the friendships he’s undoubtedly made with other members of the cast fit into the grand scheme of things? Is it the finished product, or the experience of creating that product that matters most?
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KatharineD, that’s a very good question. I’d be interested to know, especially as he seems (to me) to be something of a loner by choice. :}
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I think perhaps he’s one of those people who means to stay in touch with his coworkers, but then throws himself into his next project wholeheartedly and loses track of life outside the bubble.
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lol I think that’s probably it. He does seem to really plunge into his work. :}
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Of course that’s not to say that those friendships aren’t hugely meaningful to him, and you would imagine that he will view this experience as one of the absolute highlights of his career for decades to come.
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Yes! Sigh… jealous. I wish I could have found some way to be part of the LotR/TH experience somehow. Not just to meet Richard; but just because it looks like it was *amazing*, and I’m enough of a geek to wish I’d been in Middle Earth somehow.
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There’s evidence he’s stayed in touch with some former co-actors, e.g., he emailed Lara Pulver when she joined Spooks, and that was two years after RH ended. But yes, he creates the impression sometimes that he gets lost in what he’s doing. He mentioned his social life getting messed up by not wanting to skype in the evenings during SB.
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[…] yesterday in the short glimpse of Thorin being hoisted onto a rock (?) where Nori catches him. (See Serv’s post from yesterday.) It is also quite possible or even probable that the scriptwriters were familiar […]
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*ooof*: Hero Worship | Me + Richard Armitage said this on July 2, 2013 at 4:22 pm |
IIRC, Jed Brophy and RA were paired up for training and lived next door to one another, at least during principal shooting. Even though Jed is fit (in the muscular sense as well as the oomph sense of that word), if only we could have seen the look on his face when he was first told that he had to catch Thorin, complete with heavy costume and weapons! Maybe they removed the metal toe caps on Thorin’s boots at Jed’s request to eliminate weight and the possibility of having a tooth knocked out. RA has already altered the teeth of two co-stars–I can’t imagine Jed wanted to be #3.
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I thought I remembered reading that Brophy also grew up on a farm in NZ or something like that — anyway, it made me wonder if he was the one who took Armitage fishing. I’m sure they’re friends. But I agree that wouldn’t mean I’d want him jumping on me. It probably helps that Armitage is jumping up — losing kinetic energy against gravity.
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There is trust and then there is trust. There is the type of trust, I am going to tell you something please don’t tell anyone. Then there is the type of trust where you trust your live to someone else. Both types should not be taken lightly. I think that the guys share the second type of trust with each other. I would also think that since this was such a big project and a lot a time put into it that he will stay in touch with some of the other actors.
My husband likes to ask the the boys to fall backwards and he will catch them, to see how much they will trust him and his word, they are getting better.
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that’s a strong level of trust!
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I think Jed Brophy is worthy of full trust (in all sences) he proved it recenty.
Decent ,likable, unassuning guy…hmmm…it sounds strangely familiar 😉
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Indeed. I agree.
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