Credits: @221braggadocio

Richard Armitage (R)

Sean Harry (S)

Question (Q)

S: Part of the appeal of Hannibal as a show is that it’s all about making connections. And also Bryan Fuller’s visual genius. What drew you to acting?

R: As a child I was always inside reading, so the storytelling aspect. The most exciting work that I’ve done has come from literature. That’s also one of the reason I love doing audiobooks.

S: You went to RSC, so you have a theater background. But you’ve done work in many mediums, how do you feel about them? Is there one you prefer?

R: I don’t really have an answer. I apply the same laws to approaching all mediums. The different thing about theater and things like this [cons], is that you can feel feedback from the audience. You really feel the audience breathe with you. I did a comedy in New York maybe 3 years ago [Love Love Love], but you never really know how funny the script is until you perform it and see how the audience reacts. With film and TV, what I like is that you can piece the character together slowly. With theater, you have to bring the character from the start because you only have one night to get it across. But with film and TV, you have longer to get used to the character you’re portraying.

S: You’ve been very interested in Shakespeare’s Richard III.

R: You just reminded me that I was supposed to read a script on the plane and completely forgot about it. The play [Richard III] is fascinating, particularly because it was made as propaganda, so likely everything about Richard III in the play was actually the opposite in real life.

S: How did you approach the villain character in Robin Hood? Did you have to focus on the good points of the character?

R: There was only a page mentioned about the character, so that had to be expanded to make a full character. The thing about that character is that it’s a story of everyone starts somewhere. The villains that I like are ones that try to be good but fail, or are pulled in two different directions. It’s for that reason that I like characters like Richard III and Macbeth.

S: You next worked on the Hobbit, which was a big scale production. How was that? You worked with the crew for so long, it was almost like an acting troupe.

R: It felt like an acting troupe. We got to know each other very well. When we first got to New Zealand, shooting was supposed to start in 2 weeks, but it got postponed so it was 6 weeks until we started. Some people went off to Bali or somewhere else for a quick vacation, but I stayed around and got to know the crew. The dwarves troupe had a very military feel to them, so we practiced things like studying military marches and how they move, and by the end of shooting we all kind of thought like one person.

S: How did they make such tall people into dwarves?

R: My dad still jokes that I’m the “tallest dwarf in the business.” It turns out that if you just shrink a person down, they don’t look like dwarves, they look like shrunken people. So to get the proportions right, they made us bigger with padding. Then when they digitally shortened us, you got the dwarven stockiness. And everyone was measured because the dwarves’ heights and such were very specific, so we were measured to the millimeter almost.

S: Did you feel a lot of pressure being in such a big franchise as Lord of the Rings?

R: Lots, but I wasn’t on social media so I think it was much better than it could have been. We were very isolated while shooting, but there were still paparazzi early on after we set up the production camp. I think they were hoping of getting shots of us coming out to shoot, so to get around that there were curtains where we changed and tunnels to go through to keep out of the paparazzi’s eyes. I think they were paid off because they disappeared after a while.

S: Compare working with Peter Jackson and Bryan Fuller. How was work with Bryan?

R: Both of them are unique, but they do both have a childlike fascination and a meticulousness about their work. Peter Jackson was in both the digital and physical world, so he’d have an image that he couldn’t say in words, but then he’d go and make it digitally. Bryan Fuller was much more in the physical world. He was particularly detailed about things like Dolarhyde’s kimono, which was painted. It was color tested many times until he okayed it. Also the tattoo had to be tested a lot. Bryan set the bar high, because when the show runner has such attention to detail, everyone else has to think closely on detail to keep up.

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S: How aware of Hannibal were you before being cast, and how was the casting progress like for you?

R: I knew the material- I’d seen Silence of the Lambs, and it was the first movie that I really was gripping the seat and wanted to get out of there. I remember it very clearly, it was a theater in South Hampton. And then I saw Manhunter, and at that point I had read the books. And I knew about the show happening because I saw Hugh Dancy’s face on buses in New York. But I hadn’t watched any of the show, only saw the marketing. And I got a phone call from Bryan about the role. I wasn’t familiar with the Red Dragon book, so Bryan said he couldn’t explain the character well, and to read the book. I got the book and just disappeared into it, and loved the character. I did some research on Thomas Harris, and he was one of the earliest people I think that really analyzed the serial killer mindset. You start to empathize with the character of Dolarhyde.

S: Do you prefer a character that has some history you can research, like a book or a real life historical character, or do you prefer one that just lives in a script that you bring life to?

R: I like the direction given with something to research. Literature tells you what a character is feeling, and then I could just evolve Thomas Harris’ character into one that fits the TV show. But I like the bit of guidance.

S: In Manhunter, they cut out the tattoo because it was too imposing. How was the tattoo process for you?

R: It started with them taking a photo of my back, and then they started the design digitally. They also improved my body slightly. I was working out but hadn’t quite got the body I wanted for it yet. Then the tattoo was printed on tattoo paper in 5 parts and the gaps were airbrushed to fill it in. Those scenes had to be filmed right away, because the body changes after many hours and the tattoo would flake or not stay right. I think the scene the tattoo really came to life was the scene with the guy in the wheelchair where I stand in front of a projector and get the painting projected onto me. And that’s what it really felt like to Dolarhyde. He really felt like the tattoo was a new life on his back. The character himself wanted to shed his skin.

S: (on the William Blake painting)

R: I was familiar with William Blake’s work before for another show I did, Spooks, but I was very focused on the Ancient of Days and so the Red Dragon imagery was new. Harris clearly saw something in William Blake’s work. I went to the museum in character to see it, and got an appointment, because they don’t show it, and they took me to the room and brought it out with white gloves, and looked really nervous. It looked tasty.

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S: Rutina Wesley’s character Reba is very important to showing the humanity of Dolarhyde. How did you work together?

R: It’s always an experiment, when they tell you to “go make chemistry” with another actor. It’s really like a lottery, but she’s amazing. I enjoyed her company, and we had many fun scenes together, including the pie eating scene. Bryan was very specific on how the pie cutting should look, but Rutina had shaky hands and it took a lot of takes. We also had a freezing day at the zoo where we had a scene in the car. That was lots of fun too. I’m happy that she’s been successful.

S: Speaking of, you got a Saturn award in 2016.

R: I did? I don’t remember that. Are they supposed to send those to me? I don’t think I have it.

S: Can you talk about Berlin Station?

R: It’s on season 2 here right now. The show moved to Budapest, which was confusing because we were shooting in Budapest but were supposed to be Berlin. I was only in 4 episodes, but it was lovely to work with Michelle [Forbes]. But I worked in Budapest on Robin Hood, so that was nice.

S: And you have a new series coming out, The Stranger? Do you think streaming is going to be good for getting TV audiences?

R: I hope so. They definitely have the money for content. I also started a production company, and I’m trying to create more shows from literature. The Stranger is surprisingly a stand-alone 8-episode season. I suggest reading the book, though maybe not the last two chapters, because that would be spoilers for the show. It’s tricky to tempt me with a bingewatch, because I’ll just keep going until it’s 4am, and then feel bereft that it’s all been finished in one night. But the system, they just press one button and it’s available everywhere. What they measure isn’t how many people watch the second episode, it’s how quickly they watch it. If a lot of people keep watching immediately, they know they’ve got something good. Harlan [Coben]’s novels are like that- there’s always something so you can’t put it down at the end of a chapter, you have to keep reading into the next. I met Harlan before Christmas last year, but I hadn’t read the book. So I picked it up and before I knew it it was 4 am and I was 2/3 of the way through and had to get some sleep before meeting with him. But I read enough that I could talk about them with him.

Q1: Do you have any book recs?

R: Right now, The Stranger.

Q2: The Lodge seems like arty horror that I might like, can you speak on it?

R: It might actually appeal to this crowd, it’s shot like a Kubrick film. It’s very atmospheric, I think it’ll come out in cinema.

Q3: At the San Diego ComicCon, you seemed very bemused. What’s your experience with fan culture like?

R: I’m still bemused. It’s amazing really, kind of like book fans. I was trying to find something to compare it to earlier. But even before social media, people found ways to connect over common interests. I thought about football culture, but football fans don’t stay in contact all year like you guys do. I think it’ll grow, and I do think that Season 4 will come, because of you guys.

Q4: Your experience in stunt work in Robin Hood and LotR?

R: Robin Hood was actually when I properly learned how to ride a horse. They gave me a racehorse and whenever we started up he would just start running. They ended up switching it out for a more docile horse by the end. But I loved riding by the end of it.

Q5: I liked the audible book you read by Joy Ellis. Is there a possibility of TV adaptation for the character Jackman?

R: There are talks on.

Q6: Do you remember any dwarvish from the Hobbit?

R: No. But I will see Peter Jackson this week.

Q7: Your character survival rate is not great. Any thoughts on that?

R: I’m always cast as someone who either has violence inflicted on them or get killed.

Q8: Have you heard any of the Thorin survives theories and do you have any?

R: I haven’t heard any, but my theory if he survived would be that he hands the mantle off to his nephews and becomes a recluse. It was an epic death, I was acting knowing there was a great scene to do there.

Q9: Was it difficult to shed Dolarhyde’s skin after playing him?

R: Dolarhyde was always trying to shed his own skin. I think the movement he did was from the discomfort in his body. I was concerned at first that I’d have to do the scenes where he inflicts violence, but you never actually see it. Just see the aftermath and not him inflict it. I might have had different thoughts on accepting the role if that hadn’t been the case.

Q9: Was it hard to leave that persona?

R: It takes a little time. I had to get painted every morning and would listen to freaky music to get into the mindset. It’s weird playing a damaged character, the crew thought I was antisocial because I’d be in character and just sitting alone in the corner.

Q10: About the Castlevania series?

R: I loved that character. Trevor’s personality is like someone who always has a hangover, and just drinks more to stave it off. He’s a good guy, a dork, but always irritable. There’s not a lot of fun stuff like that for adults. I’d love to do a live action for that. I’ve never played the game though.

Q11: Will you direct or do any behind the camera stuff with your production company?

R: I wouldn’t be a director, I’m not smart enough for that. And maybe when I’m older I’ll do behind the camera stuff, but right now I’m of more use on camera.

Q12: Please talk about Thorin’s goal- the treasure.

R: He’s one of those characters you can never quite figure out. His motive and intentions are definitely good, but as he gets close to the mountain it changes him, and he recognizes that change, but can’t go back. That’s what makes him a tragic character.

Q13: For the painting scene, how many did you eat?

R: Not too many- we had been shooting all day, we did the scene where I threw Hugh Dancy, I think they put him on a wire. It was made of rice paper, and it wasn’t a pliable material, so it had a weird consistency and kept breaking. Finally, just a few minutes before we had to quit for the day, I said I’d just eat the paper. Some people were worried because the paint wasn’t edible, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t eaten paper before. But the teeth they put in really stretched my mouth, so when I went home after my mouth had cuts on it. It was tasty though.

Q14: The hardest character you’ve played?

R: I wouldn’t say there are any that have been hard, but they’re complicated. It’s a bit hard playing someone close to myself, I don’t like it as much. But that’s more an American approach to acting.  

Q15: Would Trevor or Thorin win in a drinking match?

R: Trevor.

Q16: Red Dragon had such a short run on the TV show. Was there anything cut that you wanted to see, or anything from the book that didn’t make it in that you wanted to see?

R: I thought 5 episodes was plenty. Most of the stuff we shot got into the show. But I did request one scene to Bryan- the scene of Dolarhyde as a child at the dinner table- and Bryan loved it and worked with it, which is rare. Usually you just get told “you’re an actor, follow directions.” But Bryan really absorbed ideas from everywhere.

Q17: Anything you can say about Castlevania Season 3?

R: It exists.

Q18: Any Shakespeare play you want to see on stage?

R: Winter’s Tale and ???.

Q19: In the pie scene, why does Dolarhyde eat the pie like that?

R: I think it came from his speech problem, how if you’re eating you can get away from speaking.