This Man Candy Monday is basically because of Richard Armitage’s role in North and South (2004). He is so amazingly hot in that otherwise dreary-looking (but quite expertly told) Victorian story, that I immediately jumped on IMDB.com to find out what other historical costume movies and TV shows I could see him in.
And I was shocked to see that he really hadn’t been in any others! What the frock, Hollywood? Are you blind, BBC? Are you dumb, ITV? Have you no sense, PBS? Give this man another top hat and cravat, stat, and get him in a drawing room behind a film camera — WE HAVE NEEDS.
Hmph. Since Armitage is apparently just fine off playing a Nazi in the Marvel Universe, a Tolkien dwarf in the movies, and a serial killer on TV right now (none of which are historical, ugh), we have to settle with his paltry few period roles in murder mysteries (yawn) and a super-cheesy Robin Hood show (snooze). Oh, and he’s got an upcoming movie set in 13th-c. Ireland (booooring).
I feel like he could have been cast in so many more delightful period dramas for us to lust over. He could have done some Jane Austen or even made me interested in all those Dickens TV adaptions of the mid- to late-2000s. Maybe he could have been a tragic suitor for Lady Edith on Downton Abbey or an actually hot Vronsky in Anna Karenina (2012). There’s just so many possibilities! Â Instead, this is all we got…
Forget about all that nonsense, I’m just going to indulge in these yummy pix of him from North and South. swoon
Are you in love with Richard Armitage in North and South?
In agreement 1000 percent! He was terrific in N&S although I first noticed him in that crappy Robin Hood thing, thought he was the best thing in it then went looking for other works and discovered N&S.
Not period, but I just LOVED him as the Dawn French love-of-her-life in Vicar of Dibley. He was soooo hot and yeah the fat gal got the big prize !!
I’m with you on Vicar of Dibley, and I loved seeing Armitage in a comedy, even if he wasn’t overly funny himself.
This! I love how he was cast as the perfect dreamboat for our Vicar. Also, he was quite good a Claude Monet–I really enjoyed The Impressionists. And he’s pared with Amanda Root from Persuasion.
He’s perfect in the Vicar of Dibley! His relationship with Dawn was amazing and so cute
He looks just the same in an episode of Marple, too.
Yeah, I remember him being all brooding and dark in an episode of Marple, he was a war veteran and in a wheelchair, and was being a bastard to his wife… But was he a murderer?!
It was a good story, that’s definitely worth a watch.
***swoons***thump*
My favorite. I just adore him in North & South. He is the epitome of dark and brooding and oh does he know how to smolder.
I loved him in the 2 episodes of the Vicar of Dibley he appeared in as Geraldine’s love interest and eventual husband. He was the hottest boring accountant ever. WATCH IT NOW. Not necessary for Sean “Bone” Bean to rescue her from that wedding.
Seriously why is he being ignored for more historical roles??! *stampsfoot*
I thought it was such a shame, though, that even this talented, smoking hot man couldn’t make Thorin Oakenshield anything but an ass.
While I would generally agree with you regarding the audio books i did find that he narrated this collection of classic love poems. for that I may have to make an exception. :-) http://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/Classic-Love-Poems-Audiobook/B00TA13B56/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1469462528&sr=1-1
*swooning* as I type this. Yummy!!! Haven’t seen North & South. Unless cheesy Patrick Swayze miniseries. Will have to check it out.
I agree about the level of heat his Thorin brought to Hobbit and persona of an ass. I need to see Marie Lloyd. Have seen the mysteries.
Forget Lady Hexham, he should be paired with Mary.
You know the yucky Robin Hood costumes make me appreciate costumes of The Tudors as *snort* “totally accurate’. Same with War & Peace 2016 version.
You have not lived until you’ve seen him in North & South.
Ummm hmmm, he is hotness on a stick.
I’ve been following Richard’s career for 10 years now. Still in my top 3 favorite actors. And yes definitely needs to do some more historical movies/tv shows.
He did the audiobook for my favorite Georgette Heyer romance, “The Convenient Marriage”. Trust me, hearing his voice means that I can visualize Lord Rule looking just like him, in perfect 1776 finery (yes, that’s the year, another character was in the 10th Foot and invalided home after Bunker Hill, and it’s been some months)! Wonderful.
Yes to Georgette Heyer! I love The Convenient Marriage. I may just have to make this my first audiobook ever.
Thank you so much for pointing this out! I’m going to spend my credit right now…
I’m fairly ‘meh’ about him in Victorian but…
DEARGODHESSEXYINARMORYUM
yes, I’ll take *that*, since you’re not impressed ;)
I seem to be the only one of us who isn’t bored by the 13th century. No doubt I’ll be the one who will tackle it when it comes out, so stay tuned…
I have been studying the 13th century for some time now so I am looking forward to that.
You really should give the audiobooks a go. He is very good reader and his voice is so, so sexy. Something between hot chocolate, warm brandy and silk velvet. You can get pregnant just listening to him.
I wish!!! I would be mother of an entire football team by now! LOL
But this is the best comment I’ve read on a blog in eons! Thank you!!!!
Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes a thousand million trillion gazillion times YES!!!
His eyes are divine.
The rest of him isn’t bad either. ;)
Unfortunately, the way they did his makeup in Robin Hood turned guyliner into Guyliner.
Haha.
Hey, I never knock guyliner. ;)
Like your article, food for thought. I, like you feel his talents have been waisted. Sometimes I think he needs another agent. Maybe it is his decision not to do more period dramas, but it is definitely where he shines. I, too, would love to see him in another period film, or more. Carvats definitely look great on him. I first discovered him on MI-5, liked him on the series. However, I was trapped at my son’s home in Norway with nothing to do so I checked him out on Netflix and found N&S, fell in love with his voice and his appearance is not too shabby either. Love watching his career, wish more of his work made it out of production on to the screen. I am sure Urban and the Shed Crew is a very good film, that needs to be out for the public to know universally the struggles our youth are confronted with daily. No child should be considered a throw away. Our world has become so hard and challenging for them without the tools to handle what at times adults can’t succeed. Well enough said. Really like the guy, he is a quality person in my opinion, and he has much more talent to offer the world, so wake up movie producers, you are missing the best.
RA’s performance as John Thornton in North and South made them my favourite hero, drama and actor. of all time I have enjoyed all his work but as my name will indicate, I thought Strike Back allowed me to see some of the RA I particularly like to see.
Just the MCM I needed to bring the smile back to my face this morning. Loved North and South, (though I thought some of the costume choices were a bit questionable). I also loved the book. The ending, like the costumes, I found jarring though. I much preferred the original, novel, ending.
I would heartily recommend The Impressionists, despite the stringy hair. RA is charming as Monet. (how could he not be? The image above does not do justice to him in that series.) It is also nice to occasionally watch a series where talent and goodness prevail against the odds.
Would definitely like to see him in more costume dramas.
SO MUCH YES; to the whole post and everybody’s comments! There needs to be more Richard Armitage smouldering in cravats in this world!
I call the end scene of North and South his “McDreamy face” because he just does the things with his face that make you go phwoar.
Yes, role of Thorin is very complex one and he did it superbly. He made Thorin the way that this character should have been written in the book, especially since Tolkien did made Lotr after and wrote interesting stuff on dwarves, 99% about Durin’s line. But for those who haven’t read pieces about Thorin and his life, I am pointing them to look in Appendices of LOTR – chapter ‘Durin’s folk’, and in The Unfinished Tales – chapter ”Quest for Erebor”.
I wish Tolkien had rewrote the Hobbit to fit the tone of the LOTR and Thorin to be the figure he deserved to be. (Btw, for those who don’t know, in first drafts Thorin and his nephews didn’t die. And this is another thing I wish it wasn’t changed later.)
What I wanted to say it’s that Richard should have been nominated for Oscar for the role of Thorin, he was the one who brought Thorin to life and gave him depth in every single thing he did on screen. And his dedication to do that, well, is just admiring. I can’t imagine no other Thorin than Richard.
Though I love him as John Thornton, who is my second fave Richard’s character, Thorin is the one who comes out first.
Me neither. I collect reviews of The Hobbit films and majority of the critics have lauded RA’s performance in the three movies. Review after review, critics call him and his work the “dramatic stand out performance,” “dominating presence,” “the brooding center,” “the star,” “magnetic,”ever compelling” “brilliant,” “splendidly conflicted etc. I guess critics have no complaints about his Thorin, too.
I have no complaints about his acting. It’s the character I could leave or punch in the face.
Sorry if I misunderstood. I took your remark to mean that RA only managed to portray Thorin as a one dimensional character. I thought describing Thorin as portrayed by RA simply as an ass is a bit reductive. I understand why you dislike the character, though.
RA is an excellent actor, and I’m convinced he can do anything. I don’t really feel like going into all the reasons I dislike Thorin Oakenshield as a character, either as written by the screenwriter or by Tolkien, so I keep it succinct.
Some men are born to play specific roles, and I think that RA was born to play North and South. But my main reason for commenting, Trystan, is to agree with you about the dippily costumed Robin Hood. After watching a few episodes, I began to wonder if those Merry Men weren’t buying all their clothes at the Sherwood Forest GAP.
Have you ever seen anyone smolder like John Thornton in North & South? RA was amazing in the role and I would love to see him in more period pieces. He would fit so beautifully as and arrogant, strong male lead or a rake who falls in love with an “innocent” like in Heyer’s novel “Venetia”. Oh, so many roles to play that would be perfect for him. With such superior acting …where are the offers? Are we the only ones that see it??
He is completely gorgeous in ‘North and South’
My daughter made me watch both “North and South” and a brooding-Brit-Iraqi-War-veteran series, because she loves R.A. to pieces. But WHY didn’t someone think to cast him as Ted Hughes in that movie some years back about Sylvia Plath? He would have been close to perfect–much better than Daniel Craig–and he reads Hughes’s poetry and letters well:
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqrUnafoR30
(Sorry; YouTube film overflows with bad background music, but the photos of R.A. are pretty fetching.)
And you didn’t even mention the train station kiss! How did I miss this post 1.5 years ago?! You sound like my people! I don’t know anything about costumes, but I like your humor. I’ve been crushing on this gorgeous actor for years. Many of us have. Join us!