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Richard at The Bookshop Orell Füssli Kramhof in Zurich, Switzerland. (May 25, 2024)

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Richard at The Bookshop Orell Füssli Kramhof in Zurich, Switzerland. (May 25, 2024)

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Richard at The Bookshop Orell Füssli Kramhof in Zurich, Switzerland. (May 25, 2024)

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New photos of Richard with Jemma Moore, Mido Hamada, David K.S. Tse, Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp on the set of Red Eye.

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New interview with Richard for The Sunday Times Culture (April 21, 2024)

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Richard on books that changed his life.

Woman & Home UK Magazine (December 2023)

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Richard chooses his six favorite books.

The Week UK Magazine (October 28, 2023)

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Richard at the Strand Book Store in New York. (October 20, 2023)

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Richard at the Strand Book Store in New York. (October 20, 2023)

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Richard at the Strand Book Store in New York. (October 20, 2023)

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Richard at Off the Shelf Festival of Words in Sheffield, UK. (October 13, 2023)

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IG Stories shared by Off the Shelf Festival of Words, Zaffre Books and Lynne J McEwan.

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New interview with Richard for Crime Monthly Magazine. (October 2023)

[riepu10]

~* Happy 52nd Birthday Richard Armitage *~ August 22nd 1971

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New photos of Richard as William Farrow in Obsession by John Stevenson.

[piggledy-higgledy]

As anyone who’s been looking at my page semi-frequently will have noticed, I am a big Richard Armitage fan. Mostly in love with his portrayal of Gisborne in BBC’s Robin Hood, but I also enjoy most of his other work and consider him a very talented actor (and a very sweet person from what we can tell.)

There has been a lot of furore lately about his latest project, “Obsession” (a series unfortunately promoted as an erotic thriller by Netflix), which is a remake of 1992 film “Damage” (with Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche) and based on the book by Josephine Hart. He portrays William Farrow, a married, middle aged, successful surgeon, who has an affair with his son’s fiancé, Anna (Charlie Murphy) -an affair so obsessive that it costs him everything: his career, his family, his son’s life, even his own self (more on that later.) The series features a lot of sex scenes, very light BDSM elements, and a LOT of nudity from RA on a level most fans never thought we’d see (RA being famously private and modest.) The fandom has been divided over this, with some looking forward to it and some being sure it’s not for them at all. From what I can tell (and I might be wrong) most people were put off by either the copious amounts of sex (and the trailer leaned very heavily on that) or the unsavoury morals of the main characters. Which is fair, if it’s not your cup of tea, don’t watch it.

I *did* watch it, and because opinions have been so strong, I wanted to share my thoughts. No disrespect if you prefer to pass. I hope it might be helpful for anyone on the fence and still making up their mind whether to watch or not. Happy to chat more about it if anyone likes! There WILL be spoilers.

Before watching it

I have personally felt very intrigued about this series and I was excited about watching it. Not so much because of the nudity or explicit scenes -or, rather, because of them, but not in the way you might think. Richard Armitage has played very, very few roles where he was primarily the romantic lead, and none later in his career. He tends to be cast in active roles, a lot of dark, violent characters, tense action. When there is romance it’s not the main aspect being explored. And he has NEVER (with the notable exception of Between the Sheets, which was so early in his career I doubt he necessarily had much choice to turn down work) done anything close to this level of sexual screen time. Why now? What made this different? I really wanted to know.

There was another reason I really wanted to watch Obsession. What Richard Armitage does best, in my opinion, is give characters depth (even characters that were clearly not written that way *cough* *Guy* *cough*). He is an incredibly detailed actor and uses his face and eyes to a stunning degree to convey things that go far beyond the dialogue. He has spoken about how he creates complete backstories for all his characters. This project is literally made for his type of acting. There is hardly any action, and leagues of unspoken material. RA called it “one of the most fulfilling pieces of work he’s ever done”. I needed to see why.

After watching it

I binged all 4 episodes in one night. And then again the next morning. And again today. I finished the first episode and thought “Yes, I understand why he wanted to do this.” (He also said in an interview that there was a moment in one scene that he’d never achieved before on film. Having watched this, I believe him.) Is this the kind of series I’d normally gravitate to? No. But I’m glad I watched it. Every single actor was incredible. The filming was beautiful. I just… don’t know where to start.

The story:

In my opinion “Obsession” is not about infidelity or sexual exploration -it’s about William and Anna’s experience with obsession and addiction. Anna isn’t just having an affair. She is addicted to being in control and to using sex as a means of asserting that control. (We learn that she had a brother who sexually abused her for years and committed suicide when she finally put a stop to it. And throughout the series, she reacts to strong emotions by initiating sex. Charlie Murphy described the character as a “dominant submissive” and that’s spot on, not just in the way that she sets the rules and boundaries of their sexual relationship, but in the way that, having been abused, asserts her control on the situation she had to submit to as a young girl by controlling when and how she submitted). William is not just having an affair. He is obsessed and addicted to Anna to the point that it completely deconstructs him as a person. He is the counterpoint to Anna’s character, in that he has no control. He doesn’t initiate, he doesn’t resist, he can’t or won’t control his reactions or his impulses and he completely loses control of his life as a result of his actions. In the final episode Jay, the son, discovers the affair and in shock, falls off a railing to his death. There is a scene where William faces his wife after everything is revealed and watching Richard Armitage convey all those emotions without saying a word is some of the best acting I’ve seen in my life. I don’t know what part of himself RA drew from to act the guilt and grief and absolute devastation in that scene but it was… amazing and heartbreaking. Even then, the obsession wins. When Jay dies, we see Anna walking away while William cradles the body of his son, paying her very little attention. I completely believe that he is broken in the scenes that follow. But after a few days the addiction takes over and he still seeks out Anna, convinced they can now be together (“there’s no version of this with just you,” she’d told him earlier on, but he clearly thinks otherwise). And we get the following:

W: … I let uncertainty in. (NB: What is uncertainty but lack of control?)

A: And look what happened. I don’t think… we can ever separate who we are from what we’ve done.

W: But… we can’t let it all be for nothing either (NB: William’s voice breaks here. He’s lost everything he ever cared about, she’s the only thing left. Does this phrase mean he thinks there was depth in their affair? Or does it mean that he is looking for meaning and depth so that he can cope with the fact that he sacrificed everything for an obsession and an addiction?)

A: Jay died because of us.

W: Still I wouldn’t change it (TNB: THIS! This phrase upset so many viewers! And of course it did, it was supposed to. The acting is, again, amazing. This isn’t said to Anna, this is introspection. William is looking inside himself, realises he wouldn’t change it, realises how much of himself he’s lost.)

A: You don’t regret it?

W: How can I?

A: We caused so much pain

W: But it’s done now.

A: I am so sorry for what happened. But I wish we’d never met. (She walks away, leaving William sobbing. Because there. is. nothing. left.)

The sex:

I hate that this was marketed as a sexy series because it created all sorts of hype and expectations that were misplaced imo. The story was never about the sex. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm said a couple of days ago on Twitter that it’s about “sitting in the discomfort of human behaviours” and that is spot on. Like I said above, this is a story of addiction. Anna is not addicted to the sex -she is addicted to using sex for control. That’s why Anna and William never kiss (she is the one controlling their physical interactions. William leans in to kiss her in many scenes, she never lets him.) That’s why the music is so jarring in all the sex scenes. That’s why there’s no foreplay, that’s why William never lasts long. That’s why they only ever have sex on the floor or in public, never in a safe, comfortable place like a bed. They are not comfortable. This is not a comfortable situation. We, as viewers, are supposed to be uncomfortable. The infamous hotel pillow scene was meant to demonstrate the turning point in William’s addiction, the complete loss of control, I think. It was never supposed to be funny or sexy -it was meant to disturb us because this intelligent, cultured, previously collected man becomes completely animalistic. Which is why he sobs afterwards -I think this is the point when William realises that (as Ingrid puts it later) “he is lost to her”. William’s face after their first sexual encounter is the face of a man under the influence. When she gets up to leave he makes this movement with his fingers like he is trying to hold on to her, but only grabs air. It’s just a twitch -but it’s Richard Armitage and we know how detailed he is in his acting, and I am sure it was a gesture with meaning.

The intimate scenes in Obsession are sometimes sensual, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes genuinely hard to watch but never gratuitous.

Why a fan of Richard Armitage or anyone writing for his characters should watch it:

Again, you do you, but hear me out: This series is a veritable treasure trove of body language, voice/cadence, facial expressions that you can then apply to your favourite RA character. The longing. The conflict. The loss of control. The vulnerability. The eye contact. The fact that the lover’s name is Anna, which is also my name. Also, I’m being completely serious when I say that this is some of the best acting I’ve seen him do *ever*. If you can only bring yourself to watch parts of it, do that. There were some scenes that genuinely made me tear up. Look after yourself, respect your boundaries, but sample what you can because it’s a veritable banquet.

PS: I am focusing on Richard Armitage for this review because I came to Obsession from that fandom. But every single actor gives an amazing performance. I especially adored Charlie Murphy as Anna, Indira Varma being astounding as Ingrid and the criminally underrated Marion Bailey as Anna’s mother, Elizabeth, who packs SO MUCH into so few scenes.

[astrovian]

Interview with Richard Armitage on Obsession in TV Guide

"I had been approached quite late in the day, and, I think, a little nervously, because it was going to be quite a challenging role, emotionally and physically," admits Richard Armitage about starring in this erotic thriller alongside Charlie Murphy and Indira Varma.

"That made it more intriguing. When people go, 'We're not sure whether this is going to be a bit risqué for you,' I'm like, 'Bring it on'."

Full/continued transcript under cut

"I read the scripts and the book [Damage by Josephine Hart, which was adapted for a 1992 movie starring Jeremy Irons] and thought this is a psychological journey that has a kind of human quality to it, which is the thing that you can't imagine yourself doing. Yet if this does happen to you, what choice do you make?

I don't think I ever experienced that kind of intensity that this character is going through. I don't have an answer to how I would respond. So I thought, 'Oh, that's a really interesting role to take on'."

We're meeting Richard at Netflix's London HQ to discuss the four-part series about erotic obsession.

He plays famous paediatric surgeon William Farrow, who's happily married to successful lawyer Ingrid (Indira Varma). But sparks fly when he meets his son Jay's (Rish Shah) fiancée Anna Barton as they embark on a forbidden affair which increasingly involves BDSM (Bondage Dominance Sado-Masochistic) sex. Anna sets the rules and is convinced she can keep both relationships going, while also harbouring a secret from her own past.

"It's a mutual obsession - she's very much in control. Anna's the one who sets up the game. She is the one giving permission for everything that happens between them.She is presenting a roadmap of how to escalate their physical relationship, because it goes on quite an intense journey. She's in control, but he is a willing participant."

Richard didn't know Charlie, who plays Anna, beforehand, and the pair spend time with an intimacy co-ordinator working on their characters' erotic encounters. So were the love scenes some of the toughest in Richard's career?

"I have to say, my fear of water probably peaks everything else. So the underwater scenes in Captain America and the waterboarding in Spooks, they're moments where you are physically terrified.

This was different. Being on a closed set with a screen partner naked, the first time you do it, it feels a little bit unusual, but you become used to each other. And of course, that's the job of the intimacy co-ordinator, to make it all work well and everyone feel comfortable. So after a while, you're just working without clothes on. But making sure you're focusing on the what the two characters are doing and how they're doing it - you're finding a pathway through a complex map, I suppose."

Meanwhile, playing a husband who betrays his family had a lasting effect.

"There was a real overwhelming sense of guilt that I was carrying around with me for quite a long time. After filming, I went to see Indira in a play, The Seagull, and I could hardly look her in the eye when I met her for a drink afterwards. I still felt the shame of what William had done to Ingrid, to the point where I was going red in the face.

It's weird how you can carry that around with you because you've been invested in a character, and you've tried to become them, so I felt as if I was still the person having this illicit affair."