My Account of Richard Armitage in Conversation at The Old Vic

When I first heard Richard was going to be doing a special event at The Old Vic, I was very excited. I had wanted to see him talk for a long time, and this was my chance; he was right on my doorstep! So when I turned up at the theatre, I was full of anticipation and excitement. Excited to see him as 'himself' (out of character), and in anticipation to discover whether the real Richard met up with my previous perceptions of him from interviews, and also my hopes of what I wanted him to be.

I had got myself a ticket in the Upper Circle of the theatre, so sadly I wasn't able to see Richard's responses up close, but I had a clear view from where I sat and luckily he had a microphone so I could hear him perfectly.

I waited eagerly. "Where will he enter from?" I wondered; the play is in the round and characters entered from several different points throughout the play - which would Richard enter from? In the middle of the stage were two plush red velvet chairs and a small round side table - they looked very chic and elegant in the middle of that round stage and old embellished architecture. Then, he entered...

A Cheeky Pic from inside the Theatre - Richard sat on the right hand side *points*...

He wore an outfit pretty similar to one seen here on his appearance on The Andrew Marr show, and looked lovely in it too :). He entered from (our) stage left and immediately the auditorium rung out with applause. I have to say, I was anticipating to cringe a little and hear whooping and wolf whistles, but the response he received was surprisingly civil and measured!

Richard at the Andrew Marr Show

What struck me first was Richard's considerateness; as soon as he entered, he looked up and around at the auditorium, then straight up at us in the Upper Circle and gave a pleased and flattered smile and a big and enthusiastic wave! His eyes, even from "up in The Gods" sparkled freshwater-blue under the stage lights. We all waved back, very honoured and flattered too :). He seemed to glow and filled every corner of the space with affection and friendliness. I saw a positive and engaging spirit, who wanted us to know he was grateful we were there, and that we were very much a part of the conversation that was about to occur, not just observers of it. I loved the inclusive feel this established right from the start.

First Impressions

What struck me first was Richard's considerateness; as soon as he entered, he looked up and around at the auditorium, then straight up at us in the Upper Circle and gave a pleased and flattered smile and a big and enthusiastic wave! His eyes, even from "up in The Gods" sparkled freshwater-blue under the stage lights. We all waved back, very honoured and flattered too :). He seemed to glow and filled every corner of the space with affection and friendliness. I saw a positive and engaging spirit, who wanted us to know he was grateful we were there, and that we were very much a part of the conversation that was about to occur, not just observers of it. I loved the inclusive feel this established right from the start.

Also what was noted was the effort, thought, and conviction he put into his answers. His answers all felt very well thought out and full of substance. He brought along a copy of the play with him to reference, also a letter from a well-wisher which had particularly moved and inspired him, which he shared with us at the appropriate moment. I think Richard, in making such effort with his answers in this way, and making us feel included in his thought processes, brought a really warm and comfortable feel to the theatre - it really did feel like a conversation, between all of us. I remember at one part he got so engaged what he was talking about he had to stop and say "was that your question?!" in a light warm manner, and chuckled. That was so lovely to witness, and in those moments I felt my reasons for thinking so highly of him as a human being were expressed at their full magnification.

There is, however, definitely an intensity and mysterious reservedness to Richard's character and composure. Not that he was being evasive, indeed I found him very open, but I did feel like he was, at times, making the decision to hold things back, which I can totally understand. It's something everybody does. Why, because he is an actor with a new found celebrity, should we expect differently of him and for him to give everything away?

There was also an intensity to his answers; he used beautifully vivid and powerful language at times, which to me expressed how very deeply he felt things. When speaking about his work, he spoke in a very passionate way - we saw his ambition, and a love for what he does, shine through in those moments. He spoke about things in a way that very much came from his soul; there was real conviction there, and a real love of what he does, which was great to see.

I have always admired Richard's measured demeanour; it's something I aspire to myself, as I am the type to get very emotionally - almost hot-headedly - passionate about most things and run away with myself. He sat with very open body language; his leg folded across him, like seen in the picture I included above, for some of the interview. He used his hands and gestures to express himself throughout, which brought his words to life. His voice was calm and softly spoken, but he expressed himself clearly and confidently enough so that you could every word. He constantly looked up and out and around at us in the audience, keeping us enthralled and engaged. The lights in the auditorium were up, so to see all those adoring faces must have been quite intimidating and nerve-wracking, but he coped with it with grace. Richard seemed very self-composed.

Channelling Proctor

When speaking about The Crucible, what struck me how how much of an effect the play had seemed to have on Richard. He spoke about not being able to let John Proctor go at the Stage Door at night, which I had experienced first hand. He spoke about how he would prepare for the role; by listening to music in his corner of the dressing room, to gear himself up for what was about to unfold. I loved getting this insight into his craft, and also admired his methods in themselves. Coming from a creative background I understand the importance of immersing yourself in your craft, of really going to "that place" in order to express what your creative urges are telling you needs to be said. On hearing how Richard prepared for Proctor, and how he felt the character, within himself, very much explained the power behind his performance. 

He was almost like a medium, a man possessed; not by the Devil, but by John Proctor, himself...

A Man Possessed - Richard clearly became Proctor,
through the processes he used in his craft

"It's not funny the second time, either...sorry"

In an interview between Richard and Martin Freeman, I remember Richard mentioning that he couldn't tell jokes. Now I can't say I've ever heard Mr Armitage tell a joke, other than in this scenario, so who knows if he really can, but from watching this clip, and others in which Richard mentions how is 'not very funny' (I hope I'm accurate in my perception of this!), I expected the talk to be a very solemn affair.

But it was far from solemn. That's not to say it wasn't serious at times, because it certainly was; but what I loved most about the talk was that we really got to experience Richard's natural humour. It might not be joke telling, but I think having natural charm and wit is a much harder thing to have and/or perfect, and this just oozed naturally from him. This is something I think was very much missing from what I've seen of the transcripts. He made charming comments and cheeky asides throughout the talk, which, apart from "carrot-gate", I don't think were really mentioned.

Examples of this were found in little remarks he made in his answers. When referring to his preparation for Proctor's voice, he mentioned visiting an old mentor from his RSC days, and recounted him asking her for help, and ended with something like: "And then she said, come and lie down on my sofa" *audience giggled*...

Another occasion was when he spoke about his days at LAMDA and having worked in the round. I laughed at a part when he mentioned studying the Greek Classics: "and I remember there being lots of sand...." and he paused at this, as if to emphasise his bemusement in this.

There were also great moments of banter with the audience, like on one occasion when Richard was asked about whether he would do any more theatre work, and he said "Not Musicals... Which one of you suggested that?!?!" and he turned behind him in his chair at looked up and around us, playfully :).

Perhaps this humour shone through due to the circumstances of the talk. He knew he was in a place amongst people who admired him and his work; so perhaps he felt he could trust us enough to speak and behave in a more relaxed way? It was so lovely to see; I felt like I was, in those moments, getting a sense of 'the real Richard'....

Politically Aware

Another thing which came across vividly in Richard was his engagement with politics, and his passion for the importance of being engaged in this way, in the world we live in. I know this is an area which has caused friction in the fandom before, but for me it was a wonderful and commendable side of Richard which I thought was lovely to see. Perhaps this was because he shares views similar to my own on the issues he spoke about, though I think even if I had disagreed with them, I would have admired the confidence he had to share his views so openly and articulately.

You see so many actors talk about their work without even the slightest consideration of a shred of context or deeper meaning in it; as though politics or philosophy scares them or is not a 'cool' enough subject to be interested in. This was absolutely not the case with Richard. What came across loud and clear, watching him in conversation, was that he cared about the world and what went on in it, and that he had opinions on it which he was not afraid to share. This was a really wonderful side of him to see.

I noted upon reading the transcripts, that several moments in which Richard got a little political were actually omitted from them. I thought this was a shame, but could understand the reasoning behind it; perhaps those who compiled the transcript wanted to remain impartial on that front, or maybe there are rules about not including those sorts of comments?... Who knows.... All I can say is that was one thing I noticed to be missing from the transcripts which surprised me. I'd be happy to go into the details of what he said in these political moments, (though there were only a couple, really), but I feel their content is not so relevant as the fact these statements were made in themselves.

Passionate Artist, Funny Chap, Politcally Engaged

As the talk ended, I found myself impressed with what I had witnessed. Richard was everything I had hoped he would be, from what I'd previously seen of him in interviews, and more. His wit was great to experience in person, he was just charming and lovely. His articulate answers demonstrated his desire to want to become a more knowledgable person and try and understand better the world around him. His considered answers and warm rapport with us in the auditorium showed he was a man who was very much in tune with the feelings of others, and one who wished to embrace them.

I left the Theatre once again in awe of 'The Armitage'. It was over so quickly; too quickly for my liking! After his bold and beautiful closing statement, Richard was on his feet as we thanked and applauded him, waving once more in acknowledgement of us all, and slipped off backstage again, with a quick hoisting up of his trousers as he went ;) ...

" I suppose I already feel changed in that I think I have opened a part of myself, or Proctor has opened a part of myself, or somehow I have opened a part of Proctor, I don’t know which part of that is, but it had frightened me before and I guess I am no longer afraid."

I hope that in exploring my personal experience of my perception of Richard, I am able to give those who were unable to attend the talk a more personal view of what went on that day. Combined with the actual words he spoke at the talk expressed in the transcripts, I hope to try and share a more rounded experience for those of you who couldn't make it.

This has also been a great way for me to analyse my own reaction to the event, and what I opinion I formed of Richard's character from it. As for the 'real Richard', well who knows, and I don't claim to know it here, I only wish to describe the perception I got of him, even if it was his "public persona" (though in my gut, my instincts tell me he was being as much himself as one can in such a situation).

Here is a link to the transcript from the event and the live tweets, for you to combine with my account of things, if you'd like :)...

Richard Armitage In Conversation - Transcript (Part 1)

Richard Armitage In Conversation - Transcript (Part 2)

Richard Armitage in Conversation - Live Tweets from The Old Vic (Storify)

Until Next Time :)

Antigone x