Time for a few more answers to Guylty‘s 2018 Fan A to Z Challenge. (Continued from here.)

B. Which of his chaRActers do you think RA is most like? Which is he most unlike?

Richard Armitage has recently talked about being quite like Rowan Jackman, the detective in his latest audiobook project, Their Lost Daughters by Joy Ellis. “…Jackman feels quite tailor-made for me,” he said. “He’s a sort of loner, he’s quite a quiet man but he has an aggressive side to him, he lives alone, he’s a thinker, he’s contemplative, he’s kind of thorny, and there’s something a little bit wild about him which I really liked.” In the book, he even has a nephew that he dotes on, similar to RA with his own nephew in real life.

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However, I really think that the Jackman character is missing some of the infectious humour and quick wit that Armitage displays in his interviews. I have an idea that he is more like Harry Kennedy in The Vicar of Dibley. Harry also lives alone and is a great reader. He’s very serious and yet enjoys a good laugh. The performance in VOD always strikes me as very natural, with Armitage reacting to Dawn French perhaps more than acting. He seems not to be able to help laughing and showing how funny he thinks French is and how much fun he’s having.

C. Name a book that you think RA should star in a film in.

I would love to see Armitage star in an adaptation of Tana French’s Faithful Place, a book I really enjoyed. Frank Mackey is an undercover police detective in Dublin from a very dysfunctional family who he now keeps in contact with only through his sister. His life was forever impacted by an event nineteen years prior when his girlfriend Rosie didn’t show up to run away with him and was then never heard from again. Suddenly, Rosie’s suitcase turns up and Frank must go back to the place he came from to try to make sense of the events from so many years ago.

Mackey is a complex character with current and past family troubles. He’s of an age that Armitage could play easily, there is a full cast of characters, and it would be fun to hear Armitage using the Irish accent throughout.

D. Which of his selfies is your favourite?

The selfie that most recently had my heart beat faster was his Valentine’s picture, with those blue eyes looking right at the camera. And what a technique to smooth out the lines — lying on the floor! Unfortunately, I tried it and it didn’t do much for my poor face.

I also really like the selfie he took outside the Audible studios when he was recording The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He just looks so pleased with himself.

E. Which of RA’s audio chaRActers do you think he should play in a film adaptation?

Well, top of mind of course is Their Lost Daughters. I think it would translate well to a TV series. I could see it having a similar appeal to David Tennant’s Broadchurch. I wonder if it would be too similar to be picked up by a TV network, though.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde could be an interesting challenge, especially with the current interest in horror films. But it is hard to do without it being a caricature or seeming dated

I would have said The Lords of the North, but the character in that book is too young. Plus Netflix has already done it with The Last Kingdom.

Maybe one of the Heyer novels would be a good idea, although again the characters are younger than him. Venetia could work, though, since Lord Damerel is in his late thirties and Armitage could play that age. I wonder who would be a good Venetia? How about Daisy Ridley? She’s around the right age, has the acting chops, and gives off that free, indepdendent spirit vibe. I’d love to see Armitage in another period piece playing the romantic lead, and this just might do it.

Armitage as a drunken rake with a good heart? I’m in.