How exciting to think that in a few short days we will see a NEW interview with Richard! (I must say, all those we got during the big Hobbit press junket and series of red carpet appearances really did spoil me.)
RA’s slated to appear with Lorraine on ITV in England on Thursday, and Ali at RANet promises to have the segment posted ASAP. Of course, with roughly two-and-a-half months to go before shooting resumes on The Hobbit films, there’s a good chance Richard will have also resumed growing out his facial hair.
And I say–bring it on! As much as I looked forward to seeing Richard’s beautiful clean-shaven face after his long sojourn in New Zealand, I also found myself actually missing the beard. It really had grown on me . . . so to speak.
The truth is, Richard Armitage is one of those rare guys who can pull off a variety of looks–scruffy, clean-shaven, bearded, long hair, short hair, et al.–and look great no matter what. But I have developed a genuine affection for The Beard. Found myself pining for it just a bit.
As some of you may recall, I even celebrated it in a poem a while back. Thought it might be time to share it once more with you all!
The Bearded Beaut
(written after the very first Hobbit press conference)
There are some who eschew guys who pass up a razor,
Preferring a clean-shaven face.
As for me, I don’t agree.
I don’t think it’s so weird to fancy a gent with a beard;
Facial hair—oooh, that air of masculinity!
That alpha maleness lurking in the vicinity
Of a handsome hirsute face
makes one’s heart quicken its pace . . .
(Downy-cheeked lads just lack a certain—virility.)
And when the beard that’s sprouting out
Graces not some average lout
But Our Man who outshines all the rest of ‘em. . .
Hip, hip hooray! Oh, glorious day!
Mr. A, you rock that beard, I have to say.
When we first caught a glimpse of The Hirsuteness
Bearded Beauty extraordinaire,
what gorgeousness was there!
What a sexy, sexy beast we saw in you, my dearest Armitage . . .
At that table you dominated,
For your words our breath was bated,
as we waited, anticipated the Bearded Beaut.
(You sexy brut!)
Still, just watching gave us pleasure—
The Little Black Shirt encased our Biceped Treasure
Sitting so still and so attentive as others chattered.
And when your question came,
(darling girl, why a query so—lame??)
Sexy Rich, you did not disappoint us.
Deep blue eyes flashed ‘neath bold brows
Deep, dark voice, tinged with a growl!
White teeth gleamed–that wolfish smile–
Crinkled brow, that teasing style—
Hearts palpitated for quite a while . . .
The Bearded Beaut, a bit flirtatious,
a bit sarcastic, a little dang’rous,
You proved your point, proved it so well—
Such gravitas! Such—regal-ness—
You owned the room,
You wowed the geeks! They must confess . . .
That PJ’s Pick has the finesse
To strut his stuff (OMG, you’re really BUFF! But I digress . . .)
As alpha dwarf, you’ll reign supreme!
The finest dwarf Middle-Earth’s ever seen.
O Bearded One, you I adore,
And when you shave that chin once more
And bid farewell to your lovely beard,
Many will likely feel a little blue, ‘tis true,
For the beard has grown on us,
As well as you.
(But it looks better on you . . .)
So, dear readers, how about you? Looking forward to the return of plentiful facial hair, or dreading it? “Meh” about the whole thing or happy to see him in any state of hirsuteness (or lack thereof)? Do tell!
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the armitage effect 
Oooohhhh ! I’m so excited about the interview i’m not sure i can have any coherent opinions!
I do hope Lorraine lets him get a word in edgeways though. Weirdly enough i once went to antenatal classes with Lorraine Kelly and she is very nice but i still want to gag her whenever she gets on the sofa with RA. I think she gets a bit overwhelmed but sadly her response is not stunned silence but babbling..
Onto the matter of The Beard. This is a win/win situation. I have never been as moved by a beard as i was when it was originally unveiled in March (?) 2011. That photo of him at the press conference is still one of my favourites and has me weak at the knees every time. I grew to love The Beard. But then it came off and I was in a puddle – i had forgotten how beautiful RA’s face actually is. He looked so young. Being clean shaven gave opportunities for The Stubble to make appearances (although i still think The Stubble should have stayed at home on the night of the London Premiere but that’s just me. I was putting myself in Mrs A’s shoes and wondering how tempted she was to tell her son to shave before he met royalty.) So, in conclusion, i wouldn’t throw him out of bed whatever was going on in the facial hair department. Unless, that is, he grew it really long and it started to get food etc.. in it. That might be a deal breaker. I have my standards.
What would it take to stop Lorraine babbling, do you suppose? If he kissed her?
That just might do it. He could probably say whatever he wanted while she struggled to regain her coherence . . . 😉
I remember being just blown away by that press conference. My gosh–the beard. The Little Black Shirt. The biceps. That deeper voice. The whole alpha male aura coming off him. *thud* Unforgettable.
I do see what you mean about the royal premiere. I thought he looked gorgeous, but you might think the best time to go for a clean-shaven look would be at such an event. 😉
LOL about the deal breaker!
I must confess that after the initial excitement (palpitations!) about seeing him again in the ITV interview, my very next thought was about how much facial hair he would be sporting. He has said it will take about ten weeks to grow Thorin’s beard so I daresay he will have stopped shaving by now. Better too much beard when the time comes to start shooting again than not enough!
I love the beard too, he can certainly carry it off, but that gorgeous manly stubble has the edge if I had to choose between the two looks. For some reason I love seeing his jawline and mouth properly! 😉
He has such a lovely jawline. And mouth. And good lord knows, the man knows how to work the stubble. I love his beard growth pattern. Really accentuates the planes of his face.
well, as you know, Im a bit partial to Thorin/Richard and his facial hair so Im crossing all things for a bit of a beard on that oh so delicious jawline!!
Yes, I had some idea *cough* of your affection for a certain sexy hairy dwarf prince. 😉
OK so you inspired me to pen my own poem Angie – i just wrote it quick on the spot so its no masterpiece or anything but might give you a laugh!
so Richard we’re wondering
if you will be sporting a beard
we quite fancy it on you
it doesnt look weird.
Clean shaven or no
you look handome its true
but a glimmer of Thorin
is nice shinning through
so how ever you look
we will love you the same
but consider the beard
its part of your fame
and if you need help
to keep it neat and tame
give me a call
I’ll be on the next plane!
*applauds*
Excellent! I love it. Isn’t it nice how we inspire each other, too? 😉
Richard is the only man on whom I find a beard appealing. I know he will have started growing it by now if he has to play Thorin in less than two months. I hope he took tips from Ms Lane on how to keep it the right shape, how to trim and so forth. Then there’s Ilaria Urbinati who will be on his case if he starts to look like Robinson Crusoe.
I suspect he will be paying more attention to keeping his beard well-pruned and his overall look sharp. 😀
To tell the truth , thanks to Richard I started to notice bearded men …beards are good.. I mean even Ben Affleck seems more intelligent with beard 😉
And more interesting, although looking more intelligent makes a fellow look more interesting, too, I suppose. 😉
Oh YES 😀
Beard, no beard, or even stubble, it’s all good. After all, variety is the spice of life! (And our fella is quite spicy!) I Love the poetry, ladies! You gave me a good giggle this morning! Thanks!
What a creative lot we are! 😉 And I agree, Laurie, when it comes to RA, It’s ALLLLL Good.