Richard Armitage at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA
This is my favorite picture of Richard Armitage at WonderCon so far. There have been lots of pictures posted, but this one..!
I am so happy for Mr. Armitage. This was a big deal. Lots of big names attended the Con to promote their movies, including Gary Oldman and Sean Bean. Two of my personal faves. Also Andy Serkis! Seemed like there was not a “The Hobbit” presentation at the Con. Richard was promoting Into the Storm and Andy was promoting the latest Planet of the Apes installation. The One Ring. net presented a panel about The Hobbit, but Warner Bros. apparently did not.
What question could he be answering here??
My thoughts following the WonderCon? Sounds like Mr. A. had a great day. Lots of fans expressing their excitement at seeing Richard Armitage in Into the Storm! He is a STAR!! Whoever the industry peeps were who were watching – keep an eye on this guy!! He’s got IT!!
When Hugh Jackman appeared for the first time on Broadway in The Boy from Oz, he had some reputation from the first X-Men movie and a critical approval and a theatrical community buzz for his appearance in the Rodgers & Hammerstein’s revival of “Oklahoma” in London.
Hugh Jackman as Curly in Oklahoma
His next move was to appear as Peter Allen in the Broadway musical The Boy from Oz.
Hugh Jackman as Peter Allen
At that time, 2003-4, Hugh was far from a global star. Most people (outside of Australia) had never heard of him. Very similar to Richard Armitage, who until The Hobbit was known only to British television fans. When Hugh Jackman appeared as Peter Allen on stage in The Boy from Oz, though, all that changed. He was such a dynamic force on the stage that the industry took notice. Every night of the show there were celebrities and industry executives watching. I heard many stories where executives went to see him on stage and came away with the idea that they had to cast him in….something. He made a great reputation for himself.
RA at WonderCon
I think that this year could be RA’s year. He has the, so far so good, movie Into the Storm coming out in August. He has The Hobbit: There and Back Again (or whatever they decide the name should be) coming out at the end of the year in December. He is appearing on stage in The Crucible from June through December in London. That opportunity can prove to be his boost to superstardom, as The Boy from Oz was for Hugh Jackman. The press was amazed at what a force of nature HJ was on stage. I’m hoping The Crucible will provide a similar platform for RA.
Obsessive Behavior 
It’s been a slow build up of recognition in the US, but it seems as though RA is finally being spoken of as a leading actor worth making mention of- if today’s panel caused some people to sit up and take notice, then the trip has certainly been worthwhile.
Hope RA has time to catch his breath before becoming Chop again.
I just don’t know how he does it. Chop doesn’t seem like the kind of role that he has to go into deep character for, like he did with Thorin. Or Chop is a happier person. RA seems happy! 😀
I remember when I first saw HJ- he was hosting a televised Christmas concert in 1998. I was newly arrived in Sydney and was blown away by his stage presence. I couldn’t believe I had never heard of him before when he was clearly so talented. I then saw in in A Boy from Oz and it is still probably one of the strongest performances I have ever seen live.
I think the HJ and RA comparison is a good one, Marieastra. Those who are familiar with RA cannot understand how he has slipped under the radar for so long but it feels like he is on the cusp of something big right now. Fingers crossed..
I saw a video of that Christmas concert! It was very exciting. I am hoping RA gets more publicity in the U.S. People still don’t know who he is. Like you said, fingers crossed!