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EDIT: Artikel ist nicht mehr Online, hier der Text. Maike
Armitage loves being hateful as 'Robin Hood' bully Sir Guy
Posted at 1:45 a.m. Monday, April 27
Here's a clip courtesy of BBC America featuring Richard Armitage as Sir Guy of Gisborne in a future episode. Read my review of "Robin Hood."
Jonas Armstrong may play the legendary thief on BBC America’s “Robin Hood,” but Richard Armitage can lay claim to an army of followers.
Armitage plays baddie Sir Guy of Gisborne in the adventure series and still inspires devoted female fans that call themselves the Armitage Army.
“What’s good about it for me is you get a bit of a feedback,” Armitage told me during a phone interview from London. “You get a genuine response—albeit they tend to like my stuff. But it’s nice to see what they’re making of it and if I’m doing my job well—because they will tell me if I’m not.”
In the Season 2 premiere of “Robin Hood,” which aired Saturday night (8 p.m. Saturdays), Guy and his boss, the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, expand their sinister plots from Season 1 by creating an army to take control of England.
Armitage said he has a great time playing a bad guy—named Guy.
“Baddies are always the most fun to play because you get to be rude and aggressive and you get to do things that you can’t really do in everyday life,” he said.
Armitage promises that this season, Guy will become even more despicable—especially after his one true love, Maid Marian (played by Lucy Griffiths, right), rejected him at the end of last season.
Although he wouldn’t go into much detail, I was able to wrestle this much out of him about what happens in Episode 13: “He does something sort of to himself but through another person. He goes to the brink and does something so appalling that he’ll never be able to come back from.”
Sounds deliciously evil, no?
Even Sir Guy’s costume, all leather from head to toe, is imposing. And despite how “hot and sweaty” he gets in the costume while filming over summers in Budapest, Hungary, Armitage wouldn’t trade it for tights.
“I would gladly stay with the leather rather than go into a pair of tights, ever,” he said, laughing. “It just really wouldn’t work.”
I had only a few minutes with Armitage, who is busy filming Season 7 of the amazing spy series “MI-5” in London, but we talked about his new character on that show, his appearance on “The Vicar of Dibley” and riding elephants in the circus.
“Robin Hood” has done well in the States. Are you surprised? No, I was less surprised actually because the style of the show is very eclectic and there are a lot of modern references. I think sometimes the British can be quite stuck in their ways and they want to see a more traditional Robin Hood.
I knew that America would probably embrace [the show] with more, kind of, ease. And I think I was proved right—the relaxed nature of the show and the fun elements are something that Americans have really enjoyed.
You don’t get any of the funny lines as Sir Guy. No, I think Gisborne takes himself very seriously and there’s not room in his life for any humor. But it’s great fun working with Keith [Allen, left], who plays the Sheriff [of Nottingham]. They sort of become a bit of a double ax and I’m the whipping boy. I think it’s appropriate really.
It looks like this season Guy is doing a little plotting against the Sheriff. Is that what’s happening? Yeah, I think that definitely in the second series [Brit for season] Guy goes off; he’s not so bound to the Sheriff. I think he starts to become a little bit more independent and have ideas of his own. I think he realizes what his position is in the world and being bound so completely to the Sheriff is ultimately going to be a problem.
It does pan out over the whole of the 13 episodes—that relationship.
How is it playing the bad guy? I have to say I think baddies are always the most fun to play because you get to be rude and aggressive and you get to do things that you can’t really do in everyday life. We have to be civilized and nice and polite.
And when you play the bad guys you get to play all those notes of your personality. There’s a little bit of me in Guy, I think, sort of the aggressiveness. No, it’s great fun; I love it.
Were there any concerns that Guy would become just kid of a one-dimensional baddie? When I first read him I thought this has the danger of turning into just the man that turns up and does the beatings. I was really adamant that I didn’t want him to do that.
We sort of worked on an inner and outer life. The outer life is very aggressive and hard and he has a job to do. The inner life is something quite the opposite. It’s the outer skin allowing that inner man to come through and that’s what sort of happened over both the series.
The human side of him has gradually come to the surface. And, actually, by Episode 13 of Series 2 it has some serious consequences.
Any hints? He does something sort of to himself but through another person. He goes to the brink and does something so appalling that he’ll never be able to come back from.
Is Guy still pining for Maid Marian this season? It’s turned from being—his relationship with her, which was initially about wanting a beautiful girl on his arm, sort of like he would have a nice, fast car—it’s gone beyond that now. He genuinely has started to feel things for her.
I think initially he wanted anything that Robin Hood [played by Jonas Armstrong, right] had; he wanted ornaments. It’s run a lot deeper now which, in a way, is worse because her rejection of him is great. It hurts him more. The love triangle is just confused with much more, um, gravity.
Tell me about the Armitage Army. [Laughs.] Well, it started quite a while back with some of the first work that I did. I did a period drama called “North and South” and a small group of ladies got together and sort of expressed how much they liked the show. And they started following my work. It’s gradually grown from there.
It’s just a forum and they kind of get together and discuss things. They’re very faithful to me and they follow my work. I try to have contact with them so that they feel there’s a personal relationship.
But it’s great. Sometimes they will go off and do bits of research, which is quite useful. I can go to my own Web site and pick up tips.
What’s good about it for me is you get a bit of a feedback, which isn’t like a television reviewer. You get a genuine response—albeit they tend to like my stuff. But it’s nice to see what they’re making of it and if I’m doing my job well—because they will tell me if I’m not.
So do you think “Robin Hood” will get you a couple Armitage Army chapters in the U.S.? Well, we’ve got a few members out there already, but yeah, hopefully. Anything that expands my popularity has got to be a good thing.
Do you do your own stunts on "Robin Hood"? I do most of them yeah. Some of the riding is a bit too dangerous so there are riding doubles. But most of the stuff [I do myself], yeah.
The fighting—there is a double there if you need one—but I tend to do it myself just because I don’t trust the stunt doubles to move in the way that I want to move. I try to do everything I can within reason, you know, if it’s not dangerous. It’s great.
That seems like the fun part of the job.
It is like a bachelor party—all the lads going out into the forest to play with bows and arrows and swords. It’s the best part of the job.
So you did get training on the sword fighting and riding and all that stuff? We all do everything, so everyone learns every discipline. So we all do the riding and even thought I don’t use a bow and arrow in the show so much, we all do the archery. We all had a go with a sword, the dagger and the broadsword. And the unarmed [fighting] as well.
Have you suffered any injuries? I had a bit of a shoulder injury last year but luckily I managed to stay on the horse the whole time. But yeah, I suffer with my neck and shoulders but apart from that I’m pretty healthy. I do a lot of training I have to say. I get into the gym most days because you need to stay pretty strong for the role.
Are you happy that Guy’s wearing leathers as opposed to tights? [Laughs.] Yeah, it gets a bit hot and sweaty I have to say. Last year it got about 40 degrees [Celsius—104 degrees F] in the summer. But I would gladly stay with the leather rather than go into a pair of tights, ever.
It just really wouldn’t work.
You film in Hungary, right? Yeah, Budapest.
I hear you’ve been there before? I worked in a circus when I was 17. Those were the days when you needed an Equity card to work. So I went off and did three months in a circus to get a card.
What did you do in the circus? I was riding on an elephant and juggling and throwing Hula-hoops at skateboarders. Yeah, really mucking in, to be honest. It was quite a low point in my career.
It wasn’t fun? It was fun. I just didn’t want to be—I wanted to be, you know, in movies. But there I was in the circus. But hey, it did get me a card. So it did the trick.
Your guest spot on ”The Vicar of Dibley” played her PBS. How was it working with Dawn French on that show? That was such a brilliant show and so much fun. Especially after spending a year as Guy of Gisborne frowning and snarling. It was really nice to do something as genuinely a warm character.
We really spent the six weeks we worked on that just laughing. Yeah it’s a great show.
How was it working with Dawn French? It was brilliant to come in and be welcomed. And, to be honest, I did spend the whole time crying with laugher because Dawn is so funny—in fact all of them are.
And that was the first time I ever got to work with a live studio audience. I really enjoyed that. I can’t wait for the day I can do it again because to feel that immediate response was spectacular. I loved it.
Was it like working in theater? It is. It’s really similar, but it’s OK to make mistakes. And the audience is in on that. When you make a mistake they love it. It’s a really great atmosphere; it’s like a party.
And you’re filming “MI-5” right now? How’s that going? Brilliant. It’s really exciting. It’s completely different than “Robin Hood” so it’s been a great adventure for me to do something with so much contrast.
You’re not playing a bad guy on “MI-5,” right? (Armitage plays Lucas North, an MI-5 agent recently released from an 8-year Russian jail term.)No, no. He’s definitely a good guy, but there’s an element of mystery concerning who he’s really working for.
They’ve shown only to the fourth season in the U.S., and BBC America will be showing it soon too. But you’re filming the seventh season? We’re filming Series 7. Yeah I don’t know. I think they’re going to be playing catch-up with the last three series.
Series 7 has a very Russian flavor to it and it has a re-emergence of the cold war. It’s slightly retro; there’s a hark back to the old spy-espionage thrillers of the ’60s. I think it’s something that Americans would really enjoy. So I get a feeling that they’re going to be getting those other series out so they can play Series 7 for you guys.
That’s cool. I’m very excited to hear that. And how is it going? There’s lots of old-fashioned trade craft going in there. He technological side of it is still there but there’s lots of the old-fashioned, you know, lock picking and putting a hair over the door to see if people can get in—that kind of thing.
Do you have any final thoughts or anything you’d like to add? I think we’ve covered it all. Just be prepared for a bit of a shock in Episode 13. [Laughs.]
Are you working on anything else that we might be seeing here? Not at the moment. That’s taken up pretty mush all of my year. I’m back to do Series 3 [of “Robin Hood”] in two weeks time.
So you’re wrapping up “MI-5” and going right back to “Robin Hood”? I’m sort of doubling up really. I finish on a Sunday and I’m filming “Robin Hood” on a Monday morning.
That’s crazy. How do you manage to pop out of one character and into the next? We’ll, because Gisborne is already established I sort of have to just … I get a weekend to prepare for “Robin Hood” so I’m just going to have to swap overnight. [Laughs.]
https://www.tvequals.com/2008/05/02/interview-richard-armitage-from-robin-hood/
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Und was er über downward spiral, neuen Charakter und "making it to the end" gesagt hat, läßt mich vermuten, daß es definitiv keine vierte Staffel mit Guy geben wird und er spätestens zum Ende der dritten das Zeitliche segnet... 
