Courtesy of deckitout,tumblr.com
Took a muscle relaxer. Getting very drowsy . . . hmmmmm, these look inviting. Especially the one on the left. I think these are cases for those full-length body pillows. I think there could be a definite market for these . . .
I don’t think I will ever tire of this particular photo of Thorin and the many variations thereof I and others have edited. Oh! Those eyes . . .
After three series of RH, little wonder our Richard was deemed “Best on Horseback” in The Hobbit. And he did, indeed, look magnificent!
And I’ve got one in this character–and the man who plays him.
Looking a tad stroppy–and beautiful. *sigh*
Again, I say–oh, those EYES!
*THUD* *WIBBLE* That is all.
Gotta jump in shower and get myself ready for the Honors Program. Catch y’all later!
How about some Wet Thorin? Mmmmmmm. Disheveled locks, angsty looks . . . we LIKE.
Gorgeous, aren’t they? Especially that uncle.
But don’t make Uncle angry, OK??
Turns out the great hair is not just an accident, folks.
I told you there was a bit of rivalry . . .
What indeed? Everybody’s falling in love with the majestic, moody dwarf with the magical mane, that’s what!
And we are all dying for him to take us away, take us to-day . . .
A little gem I found on Facebook. Actually, I think Thorin would make a kick-ass Avenger, too. Just sayin’ . . .
Check out this link to IGN’s latest video with Richard, an interview conducted last week during his stint in Sydney. He looks and sounds sublime. And yes, even if some of the questions are the same ol’ same ol’ he gives his responses a fresh spin. Bless his heart!
There he is, looking fierce and fine, dauntless and determined . . . where is Bechep? Or has Lady Oakenshield already been polishing his sword? It does look terribly shiny . . .
Ah yes, the braids, the beard, the mane, the pelt, the majesty, the smoulder . . . Thorin.
There is just a tad of inter-character rivalry going on here . . . but I think they both are consummate hair actors!!
And a long line is now forming . . . no pushing and shoving, ladies. Those lips have–stamina.
Haven’t we all engaged in this little fantasy? Or a version thereof? *thud*
Happy Thorin Thursday to all!!
Here is Warner Brothers Q&A based on fan questions submitted via Twitter. Thanks to Ali at RANet for the heads-up.
Richard. Thank you so much for taking the time. Thank you for having me.
So we have a few questions from the fans if you do mind. Go right ahead.
Dave Cooper asks: Were you envious of any of the other dwarf’s beards? Um. Yes. I have to say that Jed Brophy’s… because it was just this crazy kind of series of platted snakes and it looked fantastic when it was undone. So yes. Jed’s beard. Nori…. He also runs a sushi shop in Erebor.
Really? <Laughs>
Patricia Ryan asks: Did you agree with Peter Jackson’s decision for your character to leave the burning tree and try to fight the goblins, rather than stay up the tree, like in the book? {Thinks}. Yes. I think it was important to show Thorin, at that point in the story, taking control of the situation and rising to his heroic prowess.You know, this is how the king under the mountain… or the potential king under the mountain… would have behaved so yeah I was in agreement.
Peter Stroud asks: How do you cope with fans obsession with your character and associating your person with that character? I think the fans’ obsession with the character is why the fans turn out to see the movie so… you know… it is every character in the story, um, has their own group of fans and it is when you construct a character based on a beloved book that you have that interest so… I don’t mind the association with myself and the character though I don’t feel I am particularly like him in real life.
Merilyn Wigley wants to know: Thorin is a leader by birth so leadership seemingly comes naturally to him, do you consider yourself a natural born leader or is it something you work at? I am more a natural born listener so I have to work at that kind of leadership but, I think, when you are given the sort of goal that the dwarves have it is unachievable without someone who steps up to the plate. Thorin is that guy.
Blaise Terek asks: How long does it take to get all the make-up etc on each day & did you do your own stunts? It takes about three hours from sitting in the chair to walking on set. That prosthetics for an hour and forty five and then the hair takes about forty five and a bit of beard adjustment. I did most of my own stunts. The only things I can’t really do myself are the big falls which we haven’t seen yet but all the wire work I did myself and the fights I did myself, with the help of the stunt double of course.
Janette Hardy has asked: Did you feel nervous stepping into The Hobbit after the huge success of its movie predecessor The Lord of the Rings? Yes I was nervous, but at the same time it was nervous excitement because I love that world, I love the Lord of the Rings movies and walking into Bag End for the first time was both exciting and exhilarating.
Siobhan Lamerton asks if you could have seven people dead or alive over for dinner who would you pick? Wow. Okay. Um. Well if we stick on a movie theme how about Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Alfred Hitcock, Orson Welles and Buster Keaton. I think they would have a good discussion about film. Or an argument.
Alaya Yu said Hi Richard,My question is: if you were Thorin Oakenshield, would you go to the lonely mountain as in the books and the films or stay in blue mountain creating better life with your people? I would definitely go to the mountain. I think it is very much unfinished business, and I like to think I would set out on the journey with the intention of writing the wrongs of my ancestors… but, I would hope I could resist succumbing to the dragon’s sickness.
Danni Roberts asked: You are such an amazing actor, what was the hardest part of preparing for your role as Thorin? Um, The hardest part of preparing for Thorin was finding the voice for the character and also trying to find his sense of humour. When we meet Thorin he does not really have a lot to laugh about but so addressing that part of his character was very difficult.
Judith Worrall asks – Richard, playing the part of Thorin Oakenshield has obviously been a wonderful experience for you, no doubt there were good days and other days. Can you tell us a little about this experience, in particular what was your best experience and what was the hardest thing you had to do whilst filming? The first thing that jumps out as the best experience was the day we were taken to the top of a mountain and dumped in the wilderness whilst Andy Serkis flew around us taking aerial shots from a helicopter. That was one of the best days. Most challenging… I think the day we shot the escape from the Goblin tunnels because it was so incredibly hot. We were on the sound stage in the middle of summer, in hot and heavy costumes, there were live flames everywhere and an awful lot of heavy fight work to do so that was a difficult day.
Nat Hart asked: Mr Armitage, Of all your acting roles to date, which one have you found the most challenging as an actor? Also which the most rewarding, the most enjoyable? And lastly, of what performance are you proudest? Thank you! Thank you Nat. Um, it sounds like an easy answer but playing Thorin has been the most challenging, if anything just because of the logistics of the shoot, working on the green screen, the weight of the costumes. Then there was the extent of the fight sequences and the fact that it was also different voice and a different face. And it was also the most rewarding. Partly because overcoming all those challenges but also when I sat in the movie house and saw what Peter Jackson had done with the movie, viewing Thorin and not recognizing myself in the role, that was very satisfying.
Catherine Witteveen asked – Which scene was the most difficult to rehearse and then shoot in Unexpected Journey? Why? Well I mentioned the escape from the Goblin caves already but also one of the most difficult scenes was in the prologue when Thorin is fighting at the battle of Azanulbizar, try spelling that one. We had a stunt double and a scale double fighting in the same fight, I had to fight seven orcs at the same time and I hit myself in the face with the shield and put my tooth through my lip but there was not time to stop so we had to keep going and so I did it with a bloody, bleeding lip and that was pretty difficult. Ouch Ouch.
Jenny Lambert wrote in to ask – What ongoing strategies in terms of physical training do you have in place to ensure you protect yourself from injury given the physicality of the role of Thorin? One thing I would do a lot was strap up my ankles with tape, which I think a lot of hikers or runners do. When you are running over uneven ground you can turn an ankle and we were doing that in boots that were very heavy so I did that a lot. We were also in the gym training from January right the way through the shoot and we did a lot of strengthening exercises on our back, lets and arms…
That was for carrying the suit? The was for carrying the costume and also all the fight work. Orcrist is a very heavy sword and I had to have my back and arms working properly to wield it.
Marisa Tintaputra asked – have you ever received any impressive gifts from fans? Um. Its actually not related to The Hobbit but I did receive a pair of boxer shorts with my character’s face on the butt once… which was kind of impressive…, but the most impressive gift I received was not from a fan but from Peter Jackson that was Orcrist… The sword? Really? Yeah. It’s in a bank vault. Really? No. But it should be. Is it the real thing? I mean metal rather than a plastic replica Yes. It is the full sword. It is dwarf scaled as well so it is massive. Huge. Wow. That is impressive.
Oya Yseilada asks: How have you been preparing for part 2 & 3, as your characters role evolves with the story? I made quite a lot of notes before we started so in preparation for two and three I have gone back to the biography that I wrote for the character. We have lots of fight work still to cover as well so I have also stayed with the training regime. Hopefully I will be able to start on day one with pickups with some decent fight moves.
Shelly O’donnell asks What is it that attracts him to film/tv/etc. projects? What sort of projects would he like to be involved with in the future? I like piecing together a character slowly and making adjustments as you go along so projects and crews that allow me a chance to do that are obviously exciting. Great directors make a huge difference, Peter Jackson had such a vision… For future projects… who knows, perhaps a change from such a high tech movie, perhaps something a bit more intimate… something from literature maybe?
Sarah Lees asked which band or artist do you most enjoying listening to? Right now I am really enjoying Gotye. I got to present him with the Aria which was great. I like Radiohead. On set my playlist was mainly Killers and Kings of Leon.
Well Richard, we have loads more questions for you but sadly we are out of time. Thank you for taking the time and we hope you enjoy the rest of your stay. Thank you.
Apparently my ISP had rather widespread issues today. I couldn’t get connected this morning before Spouse left for work and that didn’t change for hours. Color Me Frustrated.
“Naughty, Bloody Internet! You shouldn’t play such tricks on poor fedoralady . . .”
So now it’s back (except when it suddenly cuts out *sigh*) and I am trying to catch up. I send you kisses . . .
Oh, sorry–not the kisses you were expecting? How about this?
Or how about some dwarf dance lessons? One-two-cha-cha-cha!!
Or maybe you’d just like to gaze adoringly at a certain TDHBEW . . . it’s quite a popular activity amongst the AAA.
Whatever the case may be, I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday. Happy Richarding!
I haven’t even read through the entire thing yet, but I wanted to get this up and share it with you all. Thanks, Nadia, for sharing the link.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/05/04/71345-popcorn-taxis-hobbit-qa-with-richard-armitage/2/
The artwork behind Richard is a wallpaper originally created by Bccmee, featuring a quote from Lords of the North.
This is a snippet by Endorwitch from the Q&A with Richard in Sydney. You may have already seen it. Not sure if it will be up long. But until an official video arrives, you might want to take a gander if you haven’t already. Damn, that man looks fine. And sounds just swell. And . . . *sigh* *thud* *melts into puddle*
Richard Armitage with Alice Tynan in a photo she tweeted a short time ago.
Oh, those poor AAAs who are attending the encore Hobbit screening and preceding Q&A session with Richard in NSW this week. This is what they will have to look at, the vision above and of course, the awesomeness of Thorin Oakenshield. Don’t you pity them? 
Yeah, riiiiiight . . .
Last night I watched “Snow White and the Huntsman.” What can I say, I liked the villain of the piece best of all–Charlize Theron as the mad evil Queen lusting after the heart of her stepdaughter to provide her with the immortal beauty and youth she craves. Snow White was OK, but I certainly am glad Bilbo beat her out for Best Hero. She just didn’t–inspire me. I wasn’t particularly rooting for her.
As for Snow’s dwarves, well, they were a rather crotchety, crafty bunch, played by a cast of familiar Brit character actors given human dwarf bodies through the magic of CGI. Good performances, but they just weren’t Bilbo’s dwarves. And not a Thorin amongst them to put inappropriate thoughts in a girl’s head. They didn’t have his romantic mane of hair, his noble profile, his soulful, beautiful eyes, his deafening roar, his majesty. *sigh*
So, as more and more folks get their TH DVDs, the continued thudding, squeeing, drooling and sighing over a certain vertically-challenged hottie takes place around the world. Wonder how many DVDs/Blu-rays have almost been paused and rewound and slo-moed to death already?
Did we ever think we’d feel this way about a sweaty, hairy, almost 200-year-old dwarf? No, we didn’t. But we DO.
I found a few GIFs on Twitter I thought I would also share with you. Oh, the joys of Thorin smiling!!
Someone suggested RA was doing his John the Baptist imitation here with his attire. Whoa–a bit wobbly, are we?? From PJ’s sneak peek of the second film.
Bilbo, that’s just what so many of us want to do–leap into Thorin’s strong arms!
Thanks to RANet for the heads up on this in the wee hours, a video shot in Toronto during the Hobbit press junket:
Yep, 18 months of fierce, dour, burdened Thorin with his DEEP gruff voice and his sturdy dwarf’s walk. Your efforts paid off in spades, my dear RA. I hope those dreams were pleasant ones . . .
Thanks to RANet for the link to another RA goody.
This BBC lXtra Radio interview which was also videotaped (yes!), doesn’t cover a great deal of new ground but it’s interesting nonetheless–well, there’s the sight and sound of the lovely Richard, sure to brighten anyone’s Friday morning!
I even forgive Sarah-Jane Crawford for asking THAT question at the end. You know, the one about the C-I-R-C-U-S. He manages to laugh at it–even as we roll our eyes and sigh loudly.
And I am now entranced by the idea of wrangling Thorin’s rampant locks. I do need a job . . . and I always wanted to see New Zealand. 
A behind-the-scenes screencap I edited from the treasure trove at Heirs of Durin. From the Best Buy bonus doc. Love all these ladies clustered around him. I know they are just doing their job. Still . . . as requested, here’s the original.
I was up in the wee hours working on some RL stuff in Photoshop (yes, something other than RA) and then never got going with much of anything today. FMS, some of Bechep’s doubt fairies, allergies, feeling dumpy and old, all conspired against me, I suppose. More work to do tonight, but at least I know where I am going with it. I think . . .
Someone else who dealt with self-doubt and feeling burdened is our own hero Thorin Oakenshield. I do love a hero to whom I can relate, and to an actor with whom I equally feel a certain kinsmanship, although I have no royal blood flowing through these veins.
Now, back to the salt mines . . .
Nimue kindly shared some of her HobbitCon experiences with us in the comment section of a previous post, and I enjoyed them so much, I felt they deserved a post of their own here on Thorin Thursday. It certainly sounds like it was a fabulous event for fans of the film and has whetted my appetite even more to see the next installment in December! Thanks again, Nimue, for sharing highlights of this fab experience with us here at TAE. I have used some of DarkJackal’s screencaps from the film and from the Best Buy doc to add some more Hobbit-y dwarfy goodness.
I was at the HobbitCon -it really was such an amazing and unforgettable experience! I’m still over the moon! The actors were so nice and approachable-they mixed with the normal people, often sat amongst us in the audience during each other’s panels, listening and sometimes intervening ,-). It could happen that you found yourself next to one of them in the lift or at the breakfast buffet, which I found kind of surreal sometimes, but great nevertheless!
They even were at the parties and told us beforehand that we could ask them questions. Really and truly very fine guys- each and every one of them! In their behaviour to each other you could see and feel, that they are not only colleagues but have become close friends.
Most of the time they needn’t to be asked about Richard, but mentioned him on their own. And their great admiration, respect and friendship for him was so sincere and really palpable I sometimes was nearly moved to tears. You could virtually feel the waves of affection all over the place! Goosebumps moments! My impression was that Richard was especially close with Graham (who mentioned that he auditioned for the role of Thorin as well) – a true gentleman like Richard himself.
BTW- as to one of your quotes above, concerning the mail exchange between RA and Adam ( so funny and cute- the poor guy was kind of shaky at the opening ceremony)- Richard wrote that he couldn’t answer him right now, as he was “on top of a mountain” . Mount Everest/Machu Picchu – mountaineering or skiing ?
Anyway, we got such a great amount of information, I’m still processing! According to their behaviour and their tweets, all of the actors enjoyed the experience as well ( the Gameshow they did- ” Tossing the dwarves”- was a hoot, I think for them and the audience, we nearly died with laughter). They said they’d like to come back- maybe persuading Richard as well
I really grew very fond of (the actors). Liked them all before, but having met them in person is something completely different. The word “fellowship” comes to mind when you see them in each other’s company. It was e.g. really cute seeing Dean and Adam walking around the lobby, Dean having his arm over Adam’s shoulders. Sylvester McCoy also is one of a kind- very charming and extremely hilarious- I was in stitches. A bundle of energy like Jedi (Jed Brophy)- always on the go. He also is a very good-smelling wizard. I know now the eau de parfum he uses- and it is not ” Eau de dwarf” .
Graham said that Richard took great care that they all were very well looked after on set (enough time in the cooling tents etc.) like a good leader would. He told us about the rings they all had made- each one has a special, individual engraving and a picture on the inside to remind them of the bond they formed. At one point I even saw him wearing the ring. He said that in a way their role in the movie corresponded to their real-life position in the group- Adam being the “baby/youngster”, Richard the leader who inspired utter loyalty. etc.
There really were a lot of highlights. The boys seemingly all like dancing- I remember Adam doing some Beyonce dance moves and allegedly some (funny) dancing was sometimes going on behind the scenes on set as well Jed and Mark did some dancing on stage. For PJ’s birthday calendar, Aidan and Dean did the Tango together, with Aidan dipping Dean, who had a rose in his mouth. Sir Peter is said to keep the “naughty calendar” in his bathroom. The guys are all starting or ramping up their training again. Jed in particular is very athletic, always doing cartwheels, splits etc. Mark was full of praise for Richard’s fighting and riding skills.
When asked what was especially funny, they mentioned the barrel scene. They weren’t allowed to talk about it yet, but we are in for a treat when we can watch the behind-the-scenes special on one of the next DVDs. I wonder if it has got something to do with Richard’s fish throwing .
Probably we will also see more of the dwarven underwear in the next two films 
. “The Adam Thing” is also one of the mysteries that only will be solved when we’ll get to see the material for the next movie.
It was my first Con experience and I was surprised how lovely and kind of intimate the atmosphere was. I’ve been told by more experienced RingCon visitors, that the HobbitCon really was very special in that regard.
