Thursday Thirteen - 224 - 13 Ways Richard Armitage Serves as My Muse

On Monday, the actor who serves as muse for my Scorpius character will turn 40. To mark this illustrious milestone, here is a series of 13 screencaptures from several of his projects that stand in for my own fictional character, Scorpius, featured in my Tuesday/Wednesday serial feature. You can CLICK HERE to read the boyhood backstory so far.

I wish Richard Armitage a very happy birthday with much gratitude, as he has given me a character whom I have grown to love deeply.

The synopsis for the adult Scorpius storyline:

Scorpius is freed from captivity and torture when the noble he serves is ransomed. Delivered to the service of the Lady Elysande, he rises to become Chamberlain of her Keep, just as the wars between the houses become secondary to a series of dragon sightings and attacks.

Elysande is an adept who works in secret to draw the essences she needs, in order to create enough power to summon a dragon. The terrorizing beasts will be the deal-breaking weapon that will end the wars and restore peace. But she requires pain and suffering in order to draw the right essences.

In Scorpius,she discovers a kindred spirit – but does he truly understand the limits to which she must push him?


















































Screencaptures from:
North & South
Spooks/MI-5
Strike Back
BBC's Robin Hood

Poetry Train Monday - 114 - Would Not Speak in Haste

I've been watching clips from British miniseries North & South over the weekend, and thought I'd turn the opening shot from the proposal scene into a found poem, using the text from Elizabeth Gaskell's novel.













Would Not Speak in Haste


Thornton stood by the window
Back to the door
Apparently absorbed in watching something
In the street

Apparently

In truth he was afraid
His heart beat thick
He could not forget the touch
Her arms around his neck

Her arms

Her clinging defence of him
Thrilled him through
Melting away all self-control
His heart throbbed quick

Her defence of him

Strong as he was, he trembled
Anticipating what he had to say
How it might be received
She might flutter to his arms. He feared a passionate rejection

He trembled

The idea withered up his future
He refused to think of it
Startled
He turned round

Withered

She had come in so gently
He had never heard her
Street noises more distinct than her slow movements
In her soft muslin gown

She had come in

She stood by the table
Her lids half over her eyes
Her lips just parted
All wan and pale to-day

She stood pale

Dark hair brought down to hide all sign
Of the blow she had received
Head thrown back, in the old proud attitude
She looked like some prisoner, falsely accused of a crime

A crime she loathed and despised

From which she was too indignant
To justify herself
Thornton went with quiet firmness to the door
And shut it

Too indignant

He came back, stood opposite
Receiving the impression of her beautiful presence
Before he dared disturb it
Perhaps to repel it

Before he dared

He was on the verge now
He would not speak in haste
He would weigh each word
He would

On the verge

His hot passion
Weigh each word
His will triumphant
He stopped in mid career

Stopped

- Elizabeth Gaskell, 1855

Ride the Poetry Train!

Through the Opera Glasses - 23 - First Kiss, Destiny and Meeting God

Michelle Johnson over at Poefusion takes part in Manic Monday, hosted by Fleur de Lisa - and for today's Through the Opera Glasses I thought I'd focus my sights on her prompt.

As you may recall, I'm taking part in Kim's Blog Improvement Project, and the latest challenge is to once again shake up our normal offerings. We're encouraged to post as many different types of blog posts as we can by July 24th.

"It’s easy to get into a pattern of writing the same kinds of posts over and over again," Kim reminds us. "But sometimes it can be fun to spice it up."

Here are Michelle's prompts:

When and with whom was your first kiss?

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

I'm going to put an arts twist on this prompt, since this is my arts feature.

First kiss - My own first kiss was with my first boyfriend, Philip. For more details, check out my story in my Naughty Meme of Firsts.


When I think of a perfect depiction of a first kiss, I can't help but think of the final scene in 1995's Persuasion.

It occurs at the 5:50 mark in the clip below.





But of course, I can't rule out the kiss in North & South.


Warning ladies - watching this scene may turn you into a puddle of goo...





Does everything happen for a reason? - Well, let's see. When I first moved to Toronto 23 years ago, I worked as a live-in nanny in the west end of the city. I went over to a movie theatre to fill out an application for evening and weekend work - at the Humber theatre - and began walking east along Bloor Street. Not west. East.

I wanted to start meeting people with similar interests to mine. I figured movie theatre people would be a good start.

Not too far along I saw a sign for psychic readings. I thought, what the heck? So I went up. I didn't keep going along the storefronts as I normally did.

The young woman read my palm, and among her observations she was adamant that my soul mate was very near. She mentioned that he wore a uniform. Since I was brand new to the city with only two friends from home also in Toronto, plus the family for whom I worked, I thought, don't know how that can be.

When I was done, I went down the stairs to the street. I kept walking east along Bloor Street until I got to another movie theater I hadn't even known about. It was the Runnymede Theatre. So I went in and applied.

I was called to start work there not long after. One of my co-workers was a very handsome usher named Brad Smith. To whom I'm now married.

I absolutely think everything does happen for a reason. In the same way that thousands of people gather for a performance at the same place at the same time, the universe arranges significant events in order to facilitate each person's potential for growth. The universe has the ticket with the date and time. It's our job to sense when the curtain is about to go up.


A wonderful film with this outlook is Serendipity.





What would I like to hear God say when I cross over? - I would like to hear: Rest, now.



A truly chills-inspiring meeting-up-with-God scene for me is the ending of The Fountain. The music really thrills me.



So... What about you?

Thomma Lyn Grindstaff says I had fun reading your Naughty Meme of Firsts. :-D

Ms Snarky Pants says I love how you met your husband! That's a great story!

Michelle Johnson says I can't believe you worked at a movie theatre growing up. I did too. But, I didn't meet my second husband there.

Thursday Thirteen - 61 - 13 Truly Marvellous Things About Richard Armitage

I'm in celebration mode this week, and what better way to rejoice than to devote this week's Thursday Thirteen to one of my favorite British actors - Richard Armitage. If he isn't already on your inspiration radar, he soon will be...



1 - 37-year-old Richard Armitage grew up in a village outside Leicester in England. He's already had an extensive career in theatre and British television, with a few film roles to round things off. He studied his craft from a young age, attending Pattison College in Coventry, a performing arts boarding school. Eventually he graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.











2 - He first came to my attention as John Thornton in the BBC miniseries North and South.


He plays a Victorian cotton mill owner who tries to resist his attraction to a woman from the aristocratic south of England.


Be well-warned: if you haven't seen this miniseries yet, there is only one reaction to it. BRA and ARA - Before Richard Armitage and After Richard Armitage.





Here's a clip from the series when John Thornton and Margaret Hale first meet. Their opening scene runs to 1:45.







3 - It's no secret I'm a rabid fan of BBC's Robin Hood. Richard plays Sir Guy of Gisborne, an extremely complicated character who serves the Sheriff of Nottingham and counts Robin Hood as a bitter rival.



Make no mistake - Gisborne dishes out cruelty with the best of them.



He also weathers many heartbreaking blows dealt to him. Seasons 1 and 2 have already aired in England and on BBC America. Season 3 is now shooting in the forests of Hungary. Ask me if I'm constantly trying to work out what is in store for Guy. If I'm on the right track, he's heading for a complete meltdown.






4 - For a stretch and a change of pace, Richard played Harry Kennedy in the 2-part finale of The Vicar of Dibley. Closing out a hugely-successful 12-year run on British television, The Vicar of Dibley starred Dawn French as an extremely non-traditional village vicar.





Harry Kennedy is a London accountant who moves to Dibley to get away from it all. Vicar Geraldine Granger is positively certain that he'll be just like all the other townies who are merely weekend residents who don't give a fig for the village. She loathes him until he opens the door to her welcome visit.

Harry's attraction to the far-from-size-6 Geraldine is pure magic for women everywhere!


You gotta love a guy with a sense of humor. "I was sitting on a train," Richard said, "reading the scripts [for Dibley], and crying with laughter, and all these businessmen were turning round tutting at me. You don't often read scripts that make you laugh out loud."


Richard in rehearsal for Dibley.











5 - If you were gravely injured, regaining consciousness to this sight might cure a heck of a lot.



Richard played Dr. Alec Track from the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service in The Golden Hour for British television.





The title refers to the critical first hour after traumatic, life-threatening injury. Treatment given during the golden hour greatly increases a person's chances of survival.














6 - Who can resist a man who tells bedtime stories for CBeebies on BBC?




Richard reads I'm Not Going Out There by Paul Bright and Ben Cort.



7 - I really love how Richard wields a sword.


And his stunt fighting in particular - really, Richard, can't you put some effort into it...?


No wonder he's so great at stage combat. He was gunning for his Society of British Fight Directors qualification at one point.


“In reality they’re really heavy," Richard points out. "But we have lightweight versions, obviously, because we’re not strong enough.”








8 - What could be better than a sword-swinging hottie? For me, a triple-threat trumps even the swordsman. Early in his career, Richard played Macavity and Admetus in UK touring shows and West End productions of Cats.








Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square -
But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there!











He also appeared in a UK touring production of 42nd Street.






He's got a trained baritone voice as well as the moves. Oh, to see him in action...








9 - If that weren't fabulous enough, he also plays guitar.















Oh yes - and he also plays cello.





Photo by Pat Tinkley






And flute - did I mention flute?



















10 - Having been trained in dance and movement, Richard puts a great deal of physicality into each role, I've noticed. His posture and gestures change according to the character he's playing, more than most actors I've seen. Here as John Thornton, he's literally dashing to secure his mill against striking workers.


In Ultimate Force he plays Captain Ian Macalwain, a stuffy officer overwhelmed by the true leader of the unit, the working-class soldier carrying the ball at right. Even in this rugby scene, Richard uses his body language to show that his character is in over his head.


As painfully shy John Standring in BBC's Sparkhouse, Richard curls into himself and tries to shrink his 6'2" frame when speaking to the woman he fancies.


Here as Guy of Gisborne, though he's been pinned to the wall by a knife thrown by Robin of Locksley, his body language continues to transmit a threat.


And he looks magnificent on a horse.

“You just have to keep on top of it physically," Richard says, "because you'll do three or four weeks without doing anything. And then all of a sudden you're into a really big fight sequence. So if you don't train properly you can injure yourself. The same with the horse-riding as well. If you suddenly get on a horse after three weeks of doing nothing, you really cannot walk the next day so you have to keep your body in shape.

“I run and go to the gym quite a lot. The scripts come in quite late - you open a script and realise you've got to be seriously fighting or naked from the waist up and you've got to be ready for it.”




12 - As he did several times in Cold Feet, playing flirty lifeguard Lee Richards.




"I was nervous as hell at my audition," Richard says. "When they handed me the script at the door, the first thing I saw was 'and he took off his top to reveal perfect abs'. I spent the whole time in agony, convinced they were going to make me strip and throw me out the door."







It's tough being a nasty piece of work - but Richard makes it hurt so good.
















"I wanted people to be repulsed by this character," Richard says. "And so part of me feels like I’ve failed in a way [due to Guy's huge popularity] because I wanted people to squirm and feel uncomfortable when he was doing his dealings. But I kind of understand why it’s gone in this direction. And I think it’s because there’s a bad character who’s shown evidence that he’s redeemable. But I think there might be some unwinding of that feeling in the second series.”



11 - I really love Richard's come-hither gaze. Here he plays Paul Andrews, a youth probation officer married to a sex therapist in Between the Sheets.



Here he flirts away as the lifeguard in Cold Feet.


My absolute favorite is the way he looks at Margaret Hale in North and South.






13 - Richard gets the award for Most Romantic Kisser Ever.


Sigh.