Richard Armitage And Those Sex Scenes BTS

Richard Armitage as Paul Andrews in Between The Sheets (2003)

The inspiration for this blog post came to me after I read a post on another blog called (R)Ailment.  Apparently there are Richard Armitage fans who have been chastising other fans for ogling him.  These people seem to believe that ogling RA's body is reducing him to body parts and is very disrespectful to him.  Richard Armitage should be seen as much more than a symbol of sex.  RA is a very talented British actor and with that comes a certain distinction.  Well, I do agree that Richard Armitage is a very talented British actor and should be seen as much more than a symbol of sex.  However, I think these accusations are unfair.  

Richard Armitage is obviously a very handsome man from the top of his gorgeous head to the tip of his toes.  Who in their right mind would not love looking at such a superb male specimen?  I mean really; lets be serious here for a minute..  It is natural for both men and women to admire beauty when we see it.  It does not necessarily mean that we are being disrespectful.  Since the subject was brought up though, lets go over a few facts that the "moral minority group" seem to be overlooking.

Exhibit A, B and C are screen caps from a miniseries called Between The Sheets that Richard Armitage performed in back in 2003.  The screen caps show Richard Armitage playing the role of Paul Andrews having sex with his screen wife Alona.  I have not seen this production.  Well, let me clarify.  I have seen bits and pieces of it on You Tube, but not the whole thing in its entirety.  In Between The Sheets, there are scenes containing complete nudity as you can see from the screen caps.    

You can actually see what is going in on this scene by clicking HERE and scrolling down.  I have seen these screen caps before but before today, I never saw this scene in action mode.  I admit that my eyes got real big when It saw. 
 

This screen cap shows "Paul Andrews" getting his ass massaged during a sex scene.  Remember, this is Richard Armitage's ass.  

(source)

Here is a screen cap of Richard Armitage playing Lucas North in Spooks.  I have seen all the episodes of Spooks that Richard is in, so I did see this scene.  Lucas North is stripping down completely and you get a full body length view of Richard's back completely nude.  This scene is quite alluring.  I will leave you to wonder if I hit the replay button.   

I do not take Richard for a fool.  This proper British actor is a grown man who knows exactly what he is doing.  RA obviously consented to do these scenes and I am sure he is well aware of the kind of thoughts these actions will illicit in the minds of some people.  It is also very possible that Richard does not mind being thought of in a sexual way.  The fans do not know him personally, but we tend to project what we want onto Richard.  Many of his fans conclude that RA is shy and bashful, which is something I never assumed about him.  A lot of fans prefer to see him as being a bashful bloke who needs protecting.

Now, I have to admit that I wish Richard never did those scenes in Between The Sheets, but he did, I accept it and do not admire him any less.  Generally speaking, I am not thrilled about a few of his past projects because it seems like he was accepting any role just to get acting jobs.  Acting is a burning desire within Richard and I have not walked in those shoes, so I will not judge.   I know that I couldn't have done it though.  Can you imagine being completely nude and simulating sex in front of an entire film crew?   

Anyway, like other fans of Richard Armitage, I have my own ideas of how I view him.  To me, Richard is not bashful at all, has been well brought up by his parents so he possesses impeccable manners and doesn't brag about himself.  He is charming and has a "Presence" about him that draws people to notice him.  On his own Richard does not seem to have a good sense of fashion, therefore he has to be shown how to put clothes together well.  Apart from being an actor, I see a man who is a loner who prefers solitude when away from his craft.  This need for solitude could make being in a relationship a challenge for him.  Women need attention and lots of it when we are in a relationship.     

To me Richard Armitage also has what it takes to be a legend in his own time.  Richard has got to make sure that he chooses his roles wisely from here on in.  When I think of actors like Cary Grant and Gregory Peck I would love to see Richard gain the same type of timeless respect. 

I wonder what Richard thinks now of his earlier roles before he did North & South.  If RA had it to do over again would he appear in Between The Sheets?

  The Divine Miss M - Better Midler

I remember Bette Midler being interviewed many years ago on television.  Midler had just given birth to her daughter Sophie, and I remember her saying that she would not want her daughter to see some of the work she did in her early years.  When you have a child some of your views change and you think back on some things that you did realizing you didn't make the best choices.  If Richard has children would he be comfortable with them seeing his earlier work?  Would he be more selective in choosing roles if he does have a child?  I feel that Bette Midler has risen way above anything she may regret doing in the past because she is so talented.   

Sharon Stone

                   

 I don't think that Sharon Stone ever shed her "Basic Instinct" image.  Her name for years was synonymous with female genitalia.  Who does not remember her crossing her legs in the movie Basic Instinct,  revealing that she didn't have on any panties.  That one scene reverberated around the world and maybe was far reaching into her personal life as well.

Richard doesn't need to be naked to be thought of as a symbol of sex.  Millions of women fell in love with Richard Armitage fully clothed and wearing a cravat.  To me John Thornton has way more sex appeal than Paul Andrews.   I didn't even find those sex scenes in Between The Sheets particularly appealing.  For me it is more like soft porn.  The kiss at the end of North & South held a lot more bang because it was romantic and about two people deeply in love finally connecting on a soul level.

    

Then She Found Me

Then She Found Me is not one of the movies for my period drama challenge.  This movie was released on September 7, 2007 in Toronto, Canada and then on April 25, 2008 in the United States.

Then She Found Me stars Helen Hiunt as April Epner, Colin Firth as Frank, Bette Midler as Bernice Graves and Matthew Broderick as Ben Green.  The movie was directed by Helen Hunt.

The ending was very sweet and touching, but overall this movie was very disappointing to me.  The only bright spot in the entire movie for me is Bette Midler.  I loved Bette's character and Bette performance of the character.  I loved Helen Hunt when she co-stared in Mad About You on television back in the late 1990's.  In Then She Found Me I did not see Helen Hunt's real acting abilities.  I know that Helen can do better than she did in this movie.  I could not care much for the character of April Epner because all she did throughout the movie was frown.  The dialogue was also lacking which made the characters looks like they could not express themselves well in simple conversation; except for Bernice.  

 April cannot seem to smile on her wedding day either.

The movie begins on the wedding day of April Epner to Ben Green.  April and Bedn are school teachers who I assume met at work.  April was adopted and has a tense relationship with her mother who seems rarely has a kind word for anyone.  April is 39 and desperately wants to have a child of her own before it is too late.  From the time April and Ben become husband and wife April tries to get pregnant.  

Shortly after April gets married her adoptive mother gets ill and passes away.  At this time Ben announces to April that he cannot continue being married to her and wants out.  Ben is actually a mommas boy and really is not marriage material.  Ben prefers to live with his mother and have no adult responsibilities. 

       
April's biological mother Bernice Graves decides to go looking for her and April finally meets her.  Bernice Graves is a well know talk show host that April never heard of before because she doesn't watch TV.  Bernice is so excited to meet April and wants to make it up to her for putting her up for adoption.  Bernice is very proud of April.  

 

I understand that April was dealing with a lot of issues at the time, but I was turned off by how she treated Bernice.  Bernice clearly wanted to get to know her daughter and was bending over backwards to try to have a relationship with her, but April was not willing to at least meet her halfway.  

 

Granted Bernice did tell April a few lies such as her father was Steve McQueen and that she was given up for adoption three days after she was born.  Bernice did not want April to know the truth, but as in all movies April found out the truth in ways that were not the best.  Still, overall you could see that Bernice did love and care about April.  

In the meantime, April begins having a relationship with Frank, the father of one of her students.  I don't know what possessed Colin Firth to accept this role, but to see him in this lame movie with these lame characters knowing that he is the much loved Mr. Darcy in the 1995 British Adaptation of Pride & Prejudice makes me shake my head in disbelief.  Colin is still handsome as Frank though and even his rumpled appearance in this movie could not hide that fact.  

   

April introduces Frank to Bernice and she is very happy for her daughter. 

April nearly messes up things with Frank when she takes a phone call from her estranged husband while she is out with Frank.  

Frank's wife ran off and left him with their two children to raise and it has not been easy.   

The day after April and Frank sleep together for the first time she finds out that she is pregnant with Ben's baby.  April informs Frank and Ben.  Both men say they will be there for her.  
 

 

Frank and Ben show up for the first sonogram.  All three gets to see the baby growing inside of April and hear the baby's heartbeat.  It is a very touching moment that brought tears to my eyes.  

What I found really weird is that after leaving the doctor's office April makes out with her estranged husband and they try to do it in her car with the doors opened....huh?  This made no sense.  April is supposed to now be in love with Frank.  

Frank finds a sign that April is still seeing Ben and they have a huge argument.  Frank tells April to get out of his life.  

April feels so alone now.  She knows that she messed up things with Frank and that he is the man she has been searching for her whole life.  In desperation April tries to get pregnant again via artificial insemination and asks her mother to finance it.  Everyone keeps telling April to adopt, but April wants her own biological child.  

The movie comes to an end shortly after April is artificially inseminated, but I won't spoil the ending for you in case you want to see this movie.  I will say that it is time for April to eat crow and try to get back the man who is right for her.  I did not sense any chemistry between Helen Hunt and Colin Firth.  I did not sense any chemistry between Helen and Matthew Broderick either.  

 

  

This movie could have been great.  It has so many talented actors in it, but their talents (except for Bette Midler) was not up to its usual speed.  The script was awful, it is a depressing movie and the worst was when Bette Midler's character said Jesus f**king Christ.  I was offended and could not believe a phrase like that was allowed to be spoken.