New interview with RA on MTV site - The evolution from Actor/Person to Thorin Oakenshield, Son of Thrain, Son of Thrór, King Under the Mountain.

I'm very late in posting but I wanted to acknowledge the latest interview with Richard Armitage on the MTV site.

FROM THIS:

TO THIS:

What is learnt of Thorin from the texts:

"Your own ideas are those of a King, Thorin Oakenshield; but your kingdom is gone. If it is to be restored, which I doubt, it must be from small beginnings. Far away from here , I wonder if you fully realise the strength of a great Dragon. But that is not all: there is a Shadow growing fast in the world far more terrible. They will help one another.

.... Open war would be quite useless; and anyway it is impossible for you to arrange it. You will have to try something simpler and yet bolder, indeed something desperate." (Gandalf. "Unfinished Tales" p 429-30. J. R. R. Tolkien).

THE BACKSTORY.

From reading The Hobbit, and also his backstory in "Unfinished Tales" and the Appendices of Return of the King, the character of Thorin evolves for us as follows:

1. As a young lad he was witness to the invasion of his home, Erebor, and the massacre of many of his kin.
2. He was courageous and a good fighter as has been seen in the battle of Azanulbizar where he gained his name "Oakenshied"
3. He lived most of his formative years in exile with his father and grandfather.
4. He lost both his grandfather and father in tragic circumstances. Both had been killed attempting to reclaim their heritage, birthright and wealth which had been taken from them.
5. When Thorin became heir of Durin's line after the death of is father, he was still relatively young for a dwarf. He was a dwarf in exile but despite this, he managed to build a home for his people in Ered Luin, west of Eriador. Many of Durin's  folk who were wanderers learned of Thorin's halls and decided to join him. His people prospered and were comfortable but they continued to remember and sing of the good days of Erebor. 
6. Thorin was hard working, and traded successfully with the people of Eriador. He was considered a "great dwarf of proud bearing". He never forgot his noble heritage and became more dissatisfied with his peoples' situation in exile as the years went by. He felt a strong sense of injustice on behalf of  his people, and a sense of duty to restore them to the Lonely Mountain by defeating Smaug, the dragon. Through this defeat, he would reclaim Erebor and the treasure of his forefathers; and avenge the wrongs brought on his House.
7. He is angry ........

"The years lengthened. The embers in the heart of Thorin grew hot again, as he brooded on the wrongs of his House and the vengeance upon the Dragon that he had inherited. He thought of weapons and armies and alliances, as his great hammer rang in his forge; but the armies were dispersed and the alliances broken and the axes of his people were few; and a great anger without hope burned him as he smote the red iron on the anvil."J.R.R. Tolkien: "Return of the King Appendix A: III: Durin's Folk" p 358.

As I mentioned in a previous post, interviews with Richard Armitage have been few and far between over the past 12 months. I guess he takes the confidentiality surrounding the movies extremely seriously. This is a good thing I think as it will make what we see when Unexpected Journey is released all the more special. I think we will be impatient to see the sequel, "The Hobbit:There and back Again" just as we were impatient to see the Two Towers and Return of the King after watching Fellowship of the Ring.

The MTV phone interview was a treat (apart from the occasional word used that made me cringe i.e. "gotten" - surely RA never said that! Perhaps this grammar snobbery comes from my British/Australian background). I hate being interviewed, but I would imagine it would be so much harder by phone long distance. Grammatical errors can be excused in this case I think.

The points in the interview that stood out for me (I have not managed to read any posts about it yet, so what I have to say is quite possibly repetitive to the reader).

1. RA is clearly enjoying, and making the most of, the experience. (Who wouldn't?). 
2. He is appreciative of the sets and designs, Peter Jackson's vision, and the country that is a temporary home (or will it be a place he returns to once this is all over?).
3. He appreciates Tolkien and knows the text. Guaranteed he has read his way through the Appendices of ROTK, Unfinished Tales, probably The Silmarillion and parts of the History of Middle earth just to get a grip on who his character is, and what background he has come from. 
4. He lives his character as soon as his costume is on. This will make Thorin come alive for us as viewers.
5. He enjoys the ensemble environment, he gives the impression of enjoying team work and the company of his fellow actors. He is no primadonna. I liked this comment:

"There's great camaraderie among all the guys. There is such a diversity of culture and background. We're working with a lot of Kiwis, and there's real mixture of British actors who come from television and theater and film. It's exactly as the dwarves are. When Thorin assembles the quest, he pulls dwarves from all different places to go on this quest. That's mirrored in who we are as actors." Richard Armitage - MTV

Interesting point - all the dwarves have come from Ered Luin, but as refugees, they have varied backgrounds. I doubt if we will get to see the Halls of Ered Luin, but I have to wonder what they might have been like.

Clearly, Richard Armitage's Thorin will not be an archetypal gnome-like character with a long white beard seen in many illustrations - he will be a noble, brave, warrior leader, and an angry, displaced King, as portrayed in much of the original text, and later texts written by Tolkien. (See appendices of ROTK and Unfinished Tales)

Filming recommences at the end of January/first week of February it seems. This speculation is based on the comments made in the media by RA and other actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Martin Freeman.  

There are now 346 days left until the release of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' in Australian cinemas.