Ok, no fnarr-fnarr answers here. I am not talking of physiological incidents. This is serious, people. What do you consider a highlight of a chaRActer arc, story line, even RA’s career?
The obvious answer is this:
Well, at least in terms of any character/story arc. A happy ending. And quite climactic in many ways.
Career-wise I have always thought this was an amazing highlight:
The Crucible was a fantastic achievement – loved by audiences, highly rated by critics. 3.5 hours every night, 13 weeks. RA can be really proud of this. I think it is one of the highlights of his career so far.
Guylty Pleasure 
Yes and yes. Of course it helps that he didn’t die in N&S… 😉
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Apart from a temporarily broken heart he wasn’t even wounded in NS. = best show ever!
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Yes! Both are absolute career highlights!
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I find it hard to imagine other highlights after these, actually…
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I used to think that about Colin Firth and then he did “A Single Man”, “The King’s Speech” and “The Railway Man” and even “Kingsman” and the latest “Bridget Jones” and I figured there are always new big highlights to be had. 🙂 I’m still rooting for that Oscar for Richard one day… 😉
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The Hobbit trilogy was the highlight for me. No happy ending there, though.
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I have to say that I found Thorin, particularly in BOTFA, a definite acting highlight of RA’s. That character – and the gruelling shoot – was a huge achievement.
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I agree on both counts!
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I just hope that there isn’t another 10 year gap between 2014’s Crucible and the next highlight…
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Fingers crossed!!!
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I have to agree on The Crucible. An unbelievable performance which must have been the definition of grueling. He played the character to perfection, but much acclaim needs to go, as well, to the cast surrounding him. This production was acted to perfection; there was not one single mis-step in passion, precision or beat.
Happy endings are all well and good, but when a person can watch a performance on a 15 inch laptop screen and have the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand at complete attention…THAT is art at it’s finest.
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The Crucible was an amazing achievement. Just playing Proctor in a once-off performance would have been a highlight, but playing him for three months, week in, week out, in front of a live audience, “living” the harrowing tale every night, was absolutely amazing. And as you said – the whole ensemble made this particular iteration of the play as good as it was. Unforgettable.
And yes, even if the immediacy of experiencing a play in a theatre is lost on screen, the recorded version balanced that out by giving us a closer look at the players. They pulled that off very well – which isn’t necessarily a given because theatre acting relies on other gestures than screen acting. Top marks.
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Career-wise, The Crucible is my choice too, a huge achievement, I wonder if he will ever have a similar opportunity! Hope he will! And the kiss is the highlight of all highlights! Speaking about a character arc, a highlight for me it’s Thorin’s decision to let Azog’s sword run through his chest, that moment of pain and all that followed, brilliant and emotional acting.
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Thorin’s death – and the preceding fight with Azog – are a definite highlight, agreed. I am glad that PJ gave Thorin that much time (even if he skipped the funeral).
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All started with N&S, of course. Then his role in Spooks is for me a highlight. Maybe because I loved this series and he was the dot of the i. In his career was the Hobbit a great peak to my mind. All what I have heard about the Crucible was so positiv so it must have been also a highlight in his life
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I do agree that the final moments in Spooks are a highlight, too – at least acting-wise. (I am still unreconciled with the character revelations.)
I wish someone asked him what he thinks his career highlights have been – he’d probably not say publicly, though, just because he mightn’t want to alienate those collaborators whom he *isn’t* naming…
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My favorite climax was that train station kiss between Thornton and Margaret. Wow!
I agree that his roles as Thorin and Proctor were career highlights. Same with Dolarhyde. Noonan and Fiennes never brought Dolly’s humanity out, but Armitage did. He made us care for the serial killer. But these were fantastic performances not favorite climaxes because they all died in the end.
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Dolarhyde had so many little moments that were noteworthy for Richard’s portrayal of that character. Not a favourite character or climax at all, but certainly a great achievement.
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N&S – best scene ever ❤
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Unerreicht. Ja.
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Amen!
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