Richard Armitage at the movies: How about some headcanon?

Richard Armitage poses for the photographer at the Old Vic theatre in London, Thursday, June 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

This is another exercise in headcanon. We’ve done this before: headcanon on Richard Armitage as sleeper, and headcanon on what we’d fight about with him.

Going off to the cinema on Thursday night to see Alice Through the Looking Glass, I found myself musing on the Armitage’s movie-going MO. These are some things I remember: he enjoys blockbusters and animated films (guilty pleasures); he joked that he missed his scene in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; he has seen Rabbit Hole and liked Miles Teller in it; he occasionally will see films like Into the Storm if he needs to relax or space out (which implies he also enjoys serious films which he would see if in a better mood); he probably saw Prometheus; he enjoyed Interstellar and appreciated Twelve Years a Slave; he recommended Ex Machina; there is reason to think that he’s familiar with some of the great German films of the last fifteen years or so such as Downfall (Der Untergang) and The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen). He doesn’t himself really enjoy rom-coms; seeing a scary film makes him walk faster on the way home; he doesn’t care for horror. There are probably more details I’ve forgotten.

So here are some questions:

–When does he decide to go? — How often? –How does he pick a film? –Favorite kind of film? –Prefers to go by himself or with others?–3D for everything in 3D or not? –Popcorn, soda, or other concessions? Theater with chairside food service? –Where does he sit in the theater? Premium or gimmick chairs? –Talking during the film, ok or not? –Cuddling during the film, ok or not? –Credit watcher or no? –If he goes with others, lengthy conversations about the film? –Straight home, or out for a drink?

This is my headcanon — Armitage is a self-confessed moody guy (and I believe him), which I think would make him a last minute decider on any social or entertainment question that permits it. While he is aware in general of movies he wants to see, he rarely schedules himself far in advance to see one. The exception is when he’s visiting his nephew, which is also the main time that he springs for 3D, mostly avoiding it otherwise as a pointless expense unless the word on a film is particularly good or if it’s an IMAX must-see that requires planning.

Since he lives in a city with a lot of art film theaters and museums with film series, he keeps abreast of this stuff casually but not maniacally (though he will make an effort to see the Oscar nominees if he hasn’t seen them). He goes once or twice a week if he’s not working. He enjoys both the solitude of a matinee and the feeling of watching a film in a big crowd. He has favorite theaters and theaters he avoids. He usually decides to go within two hours or less of the start of the film, which means that on occasion he squeaks in at the last second. This protects him against his conflict (frugality vs oral fixation) over the trip past the concessions stand, where he never buys himself a soda but always thinks about popcorn or candy and decides against it 95% of the time. Late arrival means that he doesn’t always get to pick his favorite seat, which is in the center of the theater or toward the back on the aisle (due to his long legs. No chair loungers or vibrating chairs). Picks film based on mood but he most enjoys science fiction, “concept” film, film with impressive visual effects including IMAX, drama, or film with subtle, suppressed emotion. He will go to experimental films or film festivals if he’s in the right mood. Very occasionally he will cry while watching a film but only very occasionally. He also likes to watch classics but is open to doing that at home on his television. He doesn’t watch film on his phone because it interferes with the grandeur of the visual experience. He tends to get lost in the film (or at least hopes to), but since he’s been on movie sets himself he thinks much more while watching than he used to about how the film was made.

Ideally he goes alone or with one other person, someone with whom he can talk about the movie later. He will go out in larger groups (couples) but would rather not see a film he’s really interested in with a group. He’s a no interruptions kind of guy, so he holds it if he has to go during the film, he doesn’t go to a restaurant cinema, he doesn’t talk during the film, doesn’t use his phone, might hold hands if he can do so without being distracted, but definitely would not neck or grope. He doesn’t leave films early, even ones he doesn’t like. He does not fidget, but if he feels the desire to do so he suppresses it. When other people are noisy, however, he can’t bring himself to “shush” them, either. He definitely watches the credits, particularly if it’s a studio he worked with, to see if he recognizes any names, but not with tons of attention. Since he’s been more well-known, he follows whatever method of leaving the theater that best allows him to avoid detection. If he’s gone with a friend and the movie is worth discussion, he’ll go out for a drink afterwards to talk about it, but he enjoys the feeling of illusion or catharsis that a good film leaves and so typically doesn’t schedule big social events for after film watching.

Obviously I made this all up based on my perceptions about what I know about him — that’s what headcanon is. Everyone has his/her own.

So, have at it: how does Armitage go to the movies? What it would be like to go to a movie with Richard Armitage?

~ by Servetus on May 29, 2016.