here For parts one and two of Ma Vie En L’air’s interview ( credit toAmanda Aayusya/All Film Magazine) with Richard Armitage discussing his role on Hannibal, I reblogged. But in this latest short piece is an answer to question about social media which elicited, I thought, an odd response from Richard Armitage.
excerpt:
You joined social media last year. How are you enjoying it? Meanwhile Hannibal has a very huge, loyal and active fanbase in social media. Have you heard from them?
Yeah. I mean, one of the reasons why I think I’m enjoying it is because I know at some point, for me, it will all come to an end. When I’m not an actor anymore, I will no longer be on social media. So it does have a finite kind of time limit…
What struck me about this answer was that he states that he’s enjoying being on social media – sort of. Why does he enjoy it? Because, according to Armitage, he won’t have to be there forever. He’s enjoying it because it’s temporary? Is he enjoying it at all?
But then, the whole answer falls apart, because Armitage’s presence on social media, according to him, will end when I’m no longer an actor.
In just what time and place does Richard Armitage think he will no longer be an actor? A stunning answer I think.
And anyway, even if he were to give up acting for directing or producing, the way things are, you still gotta be on social media – ask Bryan Fuller.
Armitage Agonistes 
Thanks Perry for your analysis of this remark. I agree with much of what you say.
In my opinion, he will always be an actor since his work will live forever through the media and has been archived in the vast library of film and television. His work does not simply disappear. He will be remembered by his roles even when he is physically gone.
Also, I could not picture him retiring from the work he claims to love very much. He has probably given up so much to be where he is today.
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I know. Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee are coming to mind, though they have different sorts of CVs.
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I think the basic meaning is that he uses social “only” for his work, once not an actor (or any other kind of job involving an audience) he will no longer use them. He’s not interested in social per se, only to promote his job. Once he has no more need to relate, “talk” with fans, he will stop using twitter.
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Yeah, he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth, is the way I see it.
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Perry – This is a very provocative comment. Richard has been clear about his intent to keep his personal life separate from his professional life. I don’t understand why anyone would suggest that he is less than sincere when he states that he uses social media as merely a tool for his profession.
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I think he’s being insincere when he seems to agree with the interviewer that he likes it. I think he is completely truthful when he says, as you read into it and I did, that he uses it solely for professional reasons – I think, rather reluctantly. I’m not suggesting he use social medial under his current Twitter account to tweet about his private life, and I think we all have come to agree that he is using it solely for professional purposes. But, on the one hand, he sort of says he likes it, and on the other, he makes it sound ( and I’ve always thought he felt this way) that he’ll be happy to not need it anymore.
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I agree with Perry. To me he sounds like a politician speaking from both sides of his mouth. Nothing against him as a person. Except, he should realize regardless if he does it intentionally or not, he is sending a very mixed message to his fans when he tells interviewers how much he likes social media then the next moment he says he wants to quit it when his career has ended. Also, he likes showing his fans his support for personal causes he’s interested in and garners their support. Many of his fans follow all the accounts he follows regardless if they understand them or not.
When I saw he was following CyberSmile, I thought great he supporting cyberbullying. Eventually, I quit CyberSmile when I realized the unpleasant part of following an organization blindly I didn’t fully understand. When I read into what they were really about, I thought it was a bunch of BS. I almost think many of his fans have become the same way. They act more like lemming following the man’s lead. If he asked them to jump off a bridge he ‘d probably let them go first and walk away.
At this moment, I am strictly following the man for his work. I have witnessed some very unsettling things about being an avid fan of Richard Armitage. Much of which I really can’t go in depth about without slandering him as a person outside of his work. I want to let it be known I have nothing against him as a person. I just don’t love him as an obsessed fan since I don’t know him personally.
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I’m hearing an agenda in these comments. Sad.
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Look, there is no agenda. So please don’t look further into them, where there is none. These are just personal comments, not trying attack anyone.
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I don’t see your comment as an attack on Richard Armitage or anyone else ( well, maybe Cybersile, but hey, they can take it). We’re all free to be fans in our own way.
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I agree with Duke. There is no agenda here. Just a lively conversation, and your opinions and thoughts are as valuable and interesting as everyone else’s. If you’ve been following here or elsewhere, there is plenty of discussion about Richard Armitage and his use of social media – including the CyberSmile connection, which many fans, including me, have some issues with – or issues with what he says and how he uses it. This blog is a Richard Armitage fan blog – but it doesn’t mean we all have to agree with or approve everything he says and does outside of work.
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Thanks Perry for you are open-mindedness on all issue regarding Richard Armitage.
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In my opinion, social media is a splintering mess, often projecting the worst possible reflection of its participants. In RA’s case, in the past year, “experts” have weighed in with high praise and then suddenly switched to damning negativity like scorned lovers. Interviews and tweets have been picked apart ad nauseum. Bloggers who once held him up like a god who saved them from themselves now assign motives to his every move. I say ENOUGH already! RA works at a rapid clip, moving from project to project, researching his roles and preparing his body and mind to deliver his best. He appears to seek only the satisfaction of a job well done and the respect of his peers. I vow to stop reading most fan sites and all posted comments. I’ll continue to follow Richard’s work and his tweets, but I hope he ignores what the fandom has to say. It’s just too crazy.
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What I’m reading in your comment is that you think, or wish, fans, and bloggers in particular, would stick to judging, blogging, writing about only Richard Armitage’s acting performances, or if not, then at least to stop criticizing what he does on Twitter, in interviews or elsewhere. This seems to be your opinion because of what you deem negative writing. You don’t appear to object to any of the positive stuff, and you haven’t weighed in on objectification, since we’re not discussing that. You’re also tired of what you see as nit-picking analysis, dissection of his interviews and tweets, i.e. his fan communication.
There many ways to be a fan. You , as a fan, may be frustrated with and dislike other fans criticizing Richard Armitage, poking fun at him or questioning some of his choices, on Twitter and elsewhere – all work related. I am talking of everything being work-related, because it is. It’s promotion, or exposure, interviews may be performances of a sort. I’m not referring to anything about his personal life – well may some discussion on his wardrobe choices or he spends free time – which we know about because he told us.
But mostly, it’s all work-related, and therefore, I think fair game for commenters and fans to discuss and analyze.
Many fans associate their admiration of Richard Armitage to his work *and* their vision of him as a man, a person, with characteristics and qualities. Therefore, his actions, which may change a fan’s vision or construct of what he is like as a person, is relevant to them and worthy of discussion.
Some of his Twitter activity falls into this category. If an actor publishes a blog post, I see no reason why the content is off-limits to bloggers or critics.
There must be something to this close analysis and nit-picking that appeals to bloggers and some fans, because posts that touch on these issues, including posts that are critical, elicit vigorous discussion and numerous comments, many of which agree with or expand on the blogger’s point.
These are the same people who admire, who live for, his work and think, rightly so, that he is a supremely talented actor, a hard worker, a genial and helpful colleague, an asset to every venture he joins, and a caring, charitable person.
These posts are not written for Richard Armitage. They’re written for a different audience, or no audience at all.
So, there’s a niche for all.
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As far as i understood it he’s expressed an interest in maybe directing, etc. He has probably already considered this alternative should the offer of acting roles become unsatisfactory. And maybe he thinks he himself will no longer have to do so much social media himself. He’s obviously very comfortable with just forgetting about it from time to time at least, which i can fully understand as i do the same 😉 I think he knows/thinks it’s the thing to do and since you do say you like it, or that it is a good tool, whatever positive version of the involvement with it. But when he starts really talking about it it becomes clear for him as a person it is not all that important.
I sort of understand it as i know and respect the importance of it professionally and mostly dislike it personally 😉 But at least i don’t have to say publicly i enjoy it :-p
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