RA at the DoS Madrid Premiere
Oh, remember? He was weary from the Desolation of Smaug tour by the time he got to Madrid. After reading so many accounts of his weary (but willing) greeting of fans each night after The Crucible, I have to ask:
Do we expect too much of him sometimes? After an emotionally and physically grueling four-hour performance, should we expect him to come out every night to meet and greet us? Is his performance not enough? Has he set a precedent he can’t rescind?
I’m not judging, just asking.
This issue worries me. The play runs through mid-September, and they haven’t even gotten into matinee days yet, when he’ll have to achieve this level of performance twice.
I know that this kind of selfless commitment to us is one of the reasons we love him so.
But I wish we could ask him: RA, some nights, would you just like to walk out of the stage door and keep walking?
And, as a follow-up: If you would, how can we help you do that?
<ducking now>
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About Richard Armitage US
Richard Armitage US is a respectful blog with a sense of humor (and a point of view) for fans of British-born actor Richard Crispin Armitage.
Armitage is star of – among other productions – North & South, The Vicar of Dibley two-part series finale, Robin Hood, Spooks (MI-5 in the US), Chris Ryan’s Strike Back (Strike Back: Origins in the States),and his chilling portrayal of Francis Dolarhyde in Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal. Most recently, he has been seen in the popularly and critically acclaimed series Berlin Station, the third season of which is currently being shot in Budapest and Berlin, and will air in the States on EPIX later this year, with a slight delay in other international territories.
His film appearances include starring roles in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, as Thorin Oakenshield; Into the Storm, as tornado-beleaguered Gary Fuller; and other films, including Urban and the Shed Crew (awaiting release), Sleepwalker (available on iTunes and Amazon Video in the States); Pilgrimage (available on DVD in the US and the UK); and Brain on Fire, based on Susannah Cahalan’s best-selling memoir now streaming on Netflix; and Urban and the Shed Crew, coming soon on DVD.
He was nominated for the 2015 Best Actor Olivier Award for his portrayal of John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible, directed by Yael Farber at The Old Vic/London in-the-round. In 2016, he starred in Mike Bartlett's Love, Love, Love, directed by Michael Mayer, at New York's Roundabout Theatre.
His current film project is Julie Delpy’s My Zoe, in which he co-stars with Ms. Delpy, who also directs, and Daniel Brühl. It has been shooting in Berlin and Moscow.
His voice-performances of audiobooks are numerous, and range from Georgette Heyer to Charles Dickens, and characters ranging from Hamlet to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... to name just a few. See Audible.com for more.
Although this page is US-based, we welcome RA’s fans from across the globe to join us here, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Richard Armitage US 
This is a very interesting dilemma to talk about, and implies two different variables: Richard and his well-wishers. On one hand he stops to take pictures because he wants to; I guess that due to the fact that if he has needed almost twenty years to finally do what he wants (it’s very interesting in this sense the interview to The Telegraph) it is because of that people waiting outside to take a picture with him, many of them long-term fans. And, tired as he surely is after a so demanding show, he does it willingly.
On the other hand, the well-wishers. I was just talking about this with a friend a couple of days ago, telling her that, should I had the opportunity to watch him in The Crucible I would not go to the back door to steal him five minutes of his deserved rest. But I am talking about what I think, I understand also perfectly well my friend’s motives to go to the stage door had she been there: If someone literally crosses the world and spends a thousand dollars just in the plane ticket to go to see him, it’s stupid not going to the stage door, given that he is already there greeting other fans.
It is something quite complex the relationship between celebrities and their fans. We would like to have an equal relationship with the object of our admiration but it is something literally impossible to achieve due to a simple fact: he is one, we are thousands. It is human the need we feel (I include myself also) to want him to know us as individuals as we know him (but we do?), to tell him personally how much we appreciate him. Some fans try to fill that gap assisting to red carpets, stage doors or meetings with fans in Comic Con. I (once again, personal opinion) have assumed that that gap is impossible to be filled, and, frustrating as it is, I have chosen to “keep the distance”.
Sorry for such a long comment!
Love long comments! Especially one as thoughtful as yours.
I think my main worry from RA’s end is that he has said in the past that he is a “pleaser” and has a hard time saying no. I think he is such a nice guy, that it isn’t in his nature to walk past a “well-wisher.” He knows so many have followed him on this journey… Yes. He does it willingly. But at what cost?
Thank you so much. After seeing the picture you have retwitted I repeat what I wrote in my comment: “he is one, we are thousands”.
I worry about this as well. Richard gives so much of himself to his performances, and he has such a grueling schedule. I do want to tell him to take care of himself. But I would be inconsolable if I went to a performance and didn’t get the chance to meet him afterwards. A catch-22, isn’t it?
TOTAL catch-22!
Does anyone remember Richard talking about filming The Hobbit? He said he was so tired he literally fell down. We don’t see it but I think they have grueling days when filming. The days are much longer and if I remember correctly they worked six days a week. At least the actors with the bigger roles.