This is the photo Warner Bros is using as background for the Countdown Clock (link below)Dec 1, London premiere of The Hobbit:Battle of the Five Armies
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At 43, Richard Armitage thinks he’s too old to be a pin-up. Fans who have seen his brooding John Proctor on stage and his handsome Thorin in The Hobbit might disagree, says Ed Potton
What do Adolf Hitler, Alex Salmond, Richard III and Iron Maiden have in common? No, they’re not guests at Piers Morgan’s fantasy dinner party. They are all inspirations for Richard Armitage’s portrayal of Thorin Oakenshield, the exiled dwarf king in Peter Jackson’s blockbusting Hobbit trilogy.
We already knew that Armitage was an intense, visceral actor, with a strong scent of The Method about him, a gutton for authenticity....
...the 43-year-old Armitage is also a practitioner of a technique that you might call “mixtape method acting”. Before he plays a role he compiles a selection of music that helps him get into character. So what was on the Thorin playlist? “Philip Glass, some Iron Maiden, Arvo Pärt, Kings of Leon,” he says. A combination of melancholic, fierce and hairy — sounds about right.
...the 43-year-old Armitage is also a practitioner of a technique that you might call “mixtape method acting”. Before he plays a role he compiles a selection of music that helps him get into character. So what was on the Thorin playlist? “Philip Glass, some Iron Maiden, Arvo Pärt, Kings of Leon,” he says. A combination of melancholic, fierce and hairy — sounds about right.
Armitage is more affable than Oakenshield, less fierce and hairy and, at 6ft 3in, considerably taller. His height, he says, often surprises those expecting someone of dwarven dimensions. Many of the people who saw his much-praised performance in The Crucible “were shocked that I was about a foot taller than the rest of the cast. They thought were going to see a little person toddling around the stage.” roadway World Website - West End Awards:
Best Featured Actress in a New Production of a Play - Samantha Colley - The Crucible
Best Leading Actress in a New Production of a Play - Anna Madeley - The Crucible and Gillian Anderson - A Streetcar Named Desire - The Young Vic http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/BWWUK-Awards-2014-MISS-SAIGON-Sweeps-The-Board-20141127
Thorin Oakenshield – Richard Armitage
New Line Cinema
Thorin is the most important dwarf character in Middle Earth. Gimli may have been a key member of the fellowship but it is Thorin who leads the quest to reclaim Erebor, a quest that enlists Bilbo Baggins, who in turn discovers the one ring. The rest is history. The film adaptations needed an actor who captures his nobility, commanding presence and arrogance and Richard Armitage certainly met those requirements.
Thorin’s ability to lead the Fellowship, to stand head to head with Elrond and demand the respect of Gandalf is unquestionable. In the films he comes across as a dwarf with the weight of the world on his shoulders; in fact the guilt and despair over the destruction of Erebor is perhaps more keenly felt in Armitage’s Thorin than it is in the books. There is also a dangerous and selfish edge to him too; he carries the arrogance of his forefathers and his obsession to find the Arkenstone and restore his kingdom should make for an interesting final act in next month’s film.
While some of the dwarves remain somewhat forgettable in the large mix of characters, Thorin stands out as the key that holds everything together.
http://whatculture.com/film/11-characters-the-hobbit-trilogy-nailed.php/8http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201412
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