I included Paul from Between the sheets, because Richard played the role so well the ending couldn't be guessed.
Noemi - 11 years ago
I've chosen John Standring, Lee Preston and John Porter. The difference between JS and Lee are blatantly obvious: John is painfully shy that he doesn't even dare to look at Carol, whereas Lee, well, he would flirt even with the broom if you put a skirt on it!! John is loyal, strong and hard working, Lee hasn't done a hard day's work in his life... They are complete opposites and Richard played them both fantastically. And then there's John Porter: JS and Lee are not particularly violent characters, however Porter is described in Strike Back as a killing machine (although always for good reasons), and again Richard plays strong characters like this so well!! I could go on with the list but I'm only allowed to choose three. IMHO Richard always disappears behind the roles, and for me the perfect example of that is John Mulligan: I love Richard to bits, but he played this baddie so well that he had me hating his guts and wanting to punch him... Mulligan, that is, not Richard, obviously!
bollyknickers - 11 years ago
Unfortunately i haven't seen John Mulligan, Claude Monet, Ian McAlwain or Percy Courtney so had to rule those out immediately. I've seen bits on Youtube and think John Mulligan has potential to be the ultimate bad boy though. I've had one only partially successful viewing of Thorin (3D which i had some problems with and caused me to miss many of the finer details others are squeeing over) so he's on the reserve list too.
I chose John Porter because i thought what RA did with the character was extraordinary. Never in a million years would i have thought anyone could have brought as much depth and humanity to a Chris Ryan creation.
John Thornton - no CV would be complete without him. In my experience it is JT most fans fall for initially - there is something so charismatic about RA's performance and that will, i feel, stand the test of time.
John Standring - i don't think this performance has ever gained the attention it deserved (although maybe it influenced the decision to cast RA in N&S?). To me it was astonishing. JS could have been a sleazy character - a socially inept loner who marries the down trodden heroine because he wants sex and a farm - but he was, in fact, the most decent person in the whole story. He was the hero - the man who loved Carol despite her antisocial behaviour and who was probably the best hope of a normal life and stability for Lisa. The audience watched JS blossom - i swear JS became more and more handsome with each episode. Does RA have a charisma dial he can gradually crank up?
To be honest, i think all actors bring a bit of themselves into all their roles. I can't think of anyone that i could say is completely different in every role. Even if they play a hero in one thing and then a psychopathic murderer - there's still a bit of a crossover.
I included Paul from Between the sheets, because Richard played the role so well the ending couldn't be guessed.
I've chosen John Standring, Lee Preston and John Porter. The difference between JS and Lee are blatantly obvious: John is painfully shy that he doesn't even dare to look at Carol, whereas Lee, well, he would flirt even with the broom if you put a skirt on it!! John is loyal, strong and hard working, Lee hasn't done a hard day's work in his life... They are complete opposites and Richard played them both fantastically. And then there's John Porter: JS and Lee are not particularly violent characters, however Porter is described in Strike Back as a killing machine (although always for good reasons), and again Richard plays strong characters like this so well!! I could go on with the list but I'm only allowed to choose three. IMHO Richard always disappears behind the roles, and for me the perfect example of that is John Mulligan: I love Richard to bits, but he played this baddie so well that he had me hating his guts and wanting to punch him... Mulligan, that is, not Richard, obviously!
Unfortunately i haven't seen John Mulligan, Claude Monet, Ian McAlwain or Percy Courtney so had to rule those out immediately. I've seen bits on Youtube and think John Mulligan has potential to be the ultimate bad boy though. I've had one only partially successful viewing of Thorin (3D which i had some problems with and caused me to miss many of the finer details others are squeeing over) so he's on the reserve list too.
I chose John Porter because i thought what RA did with the character was extraordinary. Never in a million years would i have thought anyone could have brought as much depth and humanity to a Chris Ryan creation.
John Thornton - no CV would be complete without him. In my experience it is JT most fans fall for initially - there is something so charismatic about RA's performance and that will, i feel, stand the test of time.
John Standring - i don't think this performance has ever gained the attention it deserved (although maybe it influenced the decision to cast RA in N&S?). To me it was astonishing. JS could have been a sleazy character - a socially inept loner who marries the down trodden heroine because he wants sex and a farm - but he was, in fact, the most decent person in the whole story. He was the hero - the man who loved Carol despite her antisocial behaviour and who was probably the best hope of a normal life and stability for Lisa. The audience watched JS blossom - i swear JS became more and more handsome with each episode. Does RA have a charisma dial he can gradually crank up?
To be honest, i think all actors bring a bit of themselves into all their roles. I can't think of anyone that i could say is completely different in every role. Even if they play a hero in one thing and then a psychopathic murderer - there's still a bit of a crossover.