The following is the opinion of the proprietress of this blog and do es not necessarily reflect the views of her readers, fellow bloggers and assorted and sundry members of the Richard Armitage fandom. Because she doesn’t speak for anyone but herself. And she’s pretty tired of all the angst.
Some people still want the shy, boyish, slightly awkward fella in the N&S interview. And I don’t think he’s entirely disappeared, either.
But that was nearly a decade ago, and there’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then for Richard Armitage. I am not the same person I was ten years ago—for better or for worse—and I doubt many of us are. Human beings are a bit more complex and complicated than that.
The circumstances and situations in which we find ourselves require us to adjust and to adapt. Richard’s been involved for an extended period of time in the making of not one or two, but three blockbuster films in a faraway land. He’s been to Comic-Con and on multiple press junkets requiring endless interviews and articles, and he’s made several red carpet appearances, facing a barrage of microphones, camera flashes and eager fans.
Shy, awkward RA has adjusted and adapted and done it beautifully, in my humble opinion. He’s grown in confidence, gotten more comfortable in his own (really lovely) skin. Yes, RA has expressed some personal political opinions. He’s made jokes and goofed around.
Along the way he’s said and done things some fans have found offensive or objectionable. Well, you can’t please everyone and I, for one, am glad he seemingly has stopped trying, stopped worrying so much about making “the Army” happy at all time.
He’s 42 years old, all grown up, hard-working, smart and ambitious in his chosen profession. I think he’s fully entitled to have his own opinions and to express himself and to maybe blunder now and again. He is human, after all. He’s learning as he goes along. Aren’t we all?
I still like and admire and enjoy the heck out of the guy, and not just because he seems to get more attractive by the hour. I still find a lot to appreciate here–his work ethic, his sense of camaraderie, his sense of humor, his love for his family, gentlemanly nature and more. I really like the man I perceive him to be–as someone commenting at Den of Geek said, “a pretty nice bloke.”
Personally, I don’t feel the need to try to scrutinize every single word, glance or minute bit of body language he ever displays. Good Lord, I certainly don’t want anyone to do that to ME! I am only a flawed human, too.
It’s one thing to study and critique his performances; he is an actor, after all, and that is to be expected. For an actor who works at getting all the details right, I am sure it’s something to be appreciated by this dedicated actor.
But surely it’s another thing to think we’ve got to glean something significant from everything else he ever does or says in an interview or a candid moment caught on video.
There is still an air of mystery about this very private man and that’s just fine with me. He’s more interesting, more appealing that way. I don’t need or want to know everything about him (frankly, there are some celebs I know way more about than I want to. TMI).
Nor do I need Richard Armitage to be my reflection.
I don’t require his political or religious beliefs to always mesh with mine, or his sense of humor, for that matter. Hell, my husband, over-sized kid that he is at times, thinks stuff like “Jackass” is funny, while I—don’t. Still love that man to pieces. We are soul mates, but we aren’t the Bobbsey Twins. We each have minds and opinions of our own.
Richard Armitage has been a positive force in my life, although that nice bloke has no idea of it. He brought me some really good, true friends along the way I would never have otherwise met, which is the greatest benefit.
He inspired me to stretch my writing muscles and tackle fiction. To overcome my fear of computer technology and start making fanvids and fanart. Now a lot of what I learned along the way is going to good use in our video production company. Fan activities translating to RL benefits that actually bring in income! He’s brought me a lot of satisfying moments as a viewer who enjoys seeing a really talented actor bring his best to the table, no matter how small the role or how dodgy the script.
And yes, gosh, he’s just a treat to behold. *sigh* With a lot going on behind those long-lashed blue eyes, stunning cheekbones and dazzling grin. He’s matured into a truly stunning specimen of masculine beauty. And I like looking at him and admiring all that deliciousness. Won’t apologize for that.
Because I never forget he’s also a fellow human being.
He–his face, his voice, his performances–have also helped get me through some pretty difficult passages in my life–personal and family illness, loss of loved ones, unemployment, battles with depression and more. I will be forever grateful for that.
I don’t put him on a pedestal or look at him as a plaster saint. I do see him as a lovely and benign “presence” in my life and I wish him only and always the best in his own life, both personally and professionally.
I still want to have fun in this fandom. I want my readers to feel comfortable and safe here and to have fun, too. I want to be a positive force, not a “negative Nancy.” There are enough of those out there in the world in general. I dealt with them enough for those ten years I worked with the paper and have no desire to behave like one now.
So I am going to try to avoid the drama, and just enjoy the ride . . . come with me if you wish.
All photo edits and fanart are my own. Screencaps snaffled from various pages on FB . . . and from Me + Richard Armitage.
the armitage effect 