RICHARD MADDEN
AUGUST 2021
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What’s new this month? |
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Xxx - date |
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Thursday 19 August
2021 |
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As
predicted by a number of sources, the final Eternals trailer was released
early today … and here is a link to it on YouTube: Marvel Studios’ Eternals | Final Trailer - YouTube |
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Wednesday 18
August 2021 |
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Today, social media was on ‘fire’ as Entertainment Weekly published a couple of digital
articles about Eternals, and here is our beautiful Ikaris:
Extracts
from the first article: Each
Eternal is ageless, but all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Madden's
Ikaris, for example, can fly and shoot rays of
light from his eyes, while Hayek's Ajak has the
ability to heal, Henry's Phastos is a brilliant
inventor, and Keoghan's Druig
is a cryptic loner who can manipulate others' thoughts. One of the
last roles to be cast was the film's emotional center:
Chan plays Sersi, who — unlike some of her
Eternal cohorts — has a soft spot for humans. In the present day, she works
as a museum curator in London and is dating human Dane Whitman (played
by Game of Thrones alum Kit Harington). She's
particularly close to Sprite, and she has the ability to manipulate inanimate
matter around her. "She's
not the most obviously impressive Eternal in terms of her powers," Chan
explains. "She's not the strongest, and she's not the best fighter, but
her power really is her empathy." Feige and Zhao almost immediately gravitated toward
casting Chan, but there was one hitch: She was already part of the Marvel
universe, playing the blue-skinned Kree sniper Minn-Erva in 2019's Captain Marvel. "I
had bumped into Kevin Feige on the awards circuit
[when] I was promoting Crazy Rich Asians," Chan remembers.
"He very kindly came up to me and said, 'I loved your work, and we would
really love to work with you again.' I just thought, 'Oh, well, that might
mean sometime in the future, who knows when? Maybe he's just being nice.' I
was really not expecting to be back so soon!" "It
would have been shooting ourselves in the foot," Feige
says of potentially not casting Chan. "I can go back to Chris Evans
being on the list for Captain America, and some people said, 'Oh, well, he
played the Human Torch [in 2005's Fantastic Four]. Maybe we
shouldn't consider him.' And we said, 'No, that's okay,' and the rest is
history." For Chan,
the major perk of returning was not having to spend four hours every day in a
makeup chair this time, painting herself blue every morning. "I have to
say that was somewhat of a relief," she says with a laugh. "It was
nice not finding blue paint in my crevices weeks later." Much of
the film centers on the relationship between Ikaris and Sersi, who have a
long romantic history through the ages but have since drifted apart. Adding
to the awkwardness is the fact that she's currently dating Dane, making for
an uncomfortable love triangle. (It also marks a Stark family reunion for
Madden and Harington, who are reuniting for the first time since
playing brothers on Game of
Thrones.) "You've
got to have this huge compassion for the human beings you're with, but then
also, you've got this huge disconnect from them because you've lived through
all of this time," Madden says of his and Chan's star-crossed lovers.
"That's what is so good about Sersi and Ikaris together, that they are two opposing sides of how
they connect with the world. That's what balances them." Fortunately,
Madden and Chan have off-screen chemistry, too: They've been friends for
years, ever since they first met as young actors — but Eternals is
their first time working together. "I'm
spoiled, in a way, of having 10 years of trust with her," Madden says.
"We know how to make each other laugh, and we know how to push each
other's buttons, and we're very comfortable in each other's company because
we've spent so much time together over the years." "We've
been through a lot of ups and downs together," Chan adds with a laugh.
"We've gotten drunk together, and we've consoled each other when we were
broke." Here is a link to the complete article: Get an exclusive look at Eternals, Marvel's upcoming epic |
EW.com There is
also an overview of the characters … the two most important ones (to me) are
detailed here: Sersi (Gemma Chan) Much
of Eternals' story centers on Sersi, who has the ability to manipulate non-sentient
matter. "She can change things, and she's sort of helped humanity along
the way, in little ways," Chan explains. Unlike some of the Eternals, Sersi has a real love and respect for humanity, and in
the present day, she's working as a museum curator and dating a human (Dane
Whitman, played by Game of Thrones' Kit Harington).
She also has a long romantic history with Richard Madden's Ikaris (more on him below). "She's
interesting because she is this immortal being, but she's very
grounded as well," Chan says. "She's a little bit of a free spirit
and just loves being amongst humans." Interestingly,
this isn't Chan's first appearance in a Marvel movie: She previously starred
in 2019's Captain Marvel as
Starforce sharpshooter Minn-Erva.
"The obvious difference is that I didn't have to do four hours every
morning, getting the blue makeup on," she says with a laugh. "I
have to say that was somewhat of a relief. It was nice not finding blue paint
in my crevices, weeks later." Ikaris (Richard Madden) Madden's Ikaris is one of the most powerful Eternals, with the
ability to fly and shoot beams of light from his eyes. He has a special
connection with Sersi, but they don't necessarily
see eye to eye on their approach toward humanity. Still, they have a
complicated, on-again off-again relationship that's stretched throughout the
centuries. "There's a deep level of romance in two people that have been
around for thousands of years and yet still choose each other," Madden
says. For
the Game of Thrones alum,
one of the biggest challenges of playing an immortal superhuman was figuring
out how he's evolved over the last 7,000 years. "I had to work out, how
do you play someone who's seen everything and done everything?" Madden
explains. "How do you play them to not be bored of everything because
you're seen it and done it?" And if you wish to find out more about the other
Eternals too: Meet the Eternals: A guide to Marvel's 10 newest heroes |
EW.com And there
is also a very strong rumour that a new Eternals trailer will be released
tomorrow, Thursday 19 August! |
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Thursday 12
August 2021 |
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This recent video is very amusing … and Richard receives
a couple of mentions too; although I’m not sure about the ‘eyebrator’, to
be classed as one of Gemma’s family/loved ones is lovely! I’m looking forward to seeing Eternals, featuring
Sersi and Ikaris’ love
story over the centuries … Gemma
Chan: In The Bag - Episode 51 - British Vogue The CK
Defy advert video has been playing in Piccadilly Circus: |
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Sunday 01 August
2021 |
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Richard Madden Defies the Odds for Calvin Klein's New Fragrance Scottish star Richard
Madden speaks to L'OFFICIEL about fronting Calvin Klein Defy
with a campaign that shows off the actor's daring attitude. 01/08/21
by Sophie Shaw There were
a lot of odds to beat this past year, and Calvin Klein’s new men’s fragrance
is dedicated to those resilient moments. The American brand’s first men’s
fragrance in nearly 10 years, Calvin Klein Defy channels the spirit
of risk-taking and confidence in oneself. Tapping award-winning actor Richard
Madden as the face of the fragrance, the campaign speaks to the
boundary-breaking ethos of the scent. “We came
up with this concept of defying your own boundaries and self-doubt and
limitations, which is something I've engaged with throughout my career and
I'm sure will continue to,” Madden tells L’OFFICIEL. “As an
actor, you can go for five job interviews a week and not get any of them, so
you can have a lot of self-doubt creep in. The whole concept behind this campaign
is this idea of overcoming that self-doubt, of pushing past that, exceeding
your own limitations.” In
Madden’s career, the Scottish star’s big break came when he was cast as Robb
Stark in Game of Thrones. Since then, he’s been one of film
and TV’s favorite leading men in international
series like Medici and Bodyguard, as well
as critically-acclaimed blockbusters such as the 2019 Elton John biopic Rocketman, in which he plays music manager John
Reid, and the war drama 1917. Perhaps
the role that will speak to defying the odds the best, however, is in
Madden’s upcoming superhero flick, Eternals. Directed
by Oscar-winning (and history-making) Chloé
Zhao, Madden will be indoctrinated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ikaris, the leader of the immortal, cosmic
energy-wielding Eternals, alongside an A-list cast featuring Angelina
Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, and fellow GoT alumnus Kit
Harington. The film, releasing in early November 2021, takes place after the
events of Avengers: Endgame and will follow the superheroes
as they protect humanity from the evil Deviants. While we can expect to see plenty of
gravity-defying movie magic in Eternals, Madden also got to
exercise his stunt skills in the new Calvin Klein campaign. “I got to be on a
rooftop in central London, I got to hang off a crane upside-down over a
lake,” Madden shares. “These are all unique perspectives that you wouldn’t
normally be able to get.”
Behind-the-scenes of
Madden's Calvin Klein Defy campaign. As the
actor explains, these daring shots connect back to the fragrance’s main
message—there’s no obstacle too great to overcome. “There’s the
visual metaphors of climbing to the top of something, taking the leap, or
looking at yourself in the mirror and having a smile, not taking yourself too
seriously,” he says. “I like that moment at the start of the commercial where
the character does that. He has that dialogue in the mirror, he wakes up with
this feeling and then can push it away and shrug it off and push forward.” In his
real life, Madden also finds that like other areas of one’s wardrobe, scent
can affect your mood. “It’s about feeling good, the kind of feeling you can
get if you use a bit of aftershave and you feel good about yourself,” he
explains. “It can be a little confidence booster. I always enjoy that, like a
treat to yourself.” As for
Calvin Klein Defy, its star ingredient of vetiver
oil conveys a delicious earthiness that speaks to a modern sense of
masculinity. Complemented by bright opening notes of bergamot and lavender
absolute and settling into a base of amber notes, the fragrance is strong and
unexpected, living up to its namesake. “I love
the undertones of the vetiver oil and the amber, so
it's got this beautiful woodiness without being too heavy and this kind of
lightness with the citrus on top,” Madden says. For the actor, it’s the
perfect daily option. “I can wear in the morning and feel fresh or wear in
the evening and feel kind of warm.” And while
the fragrance is marketed for men, Madden suggests that it is just as
alluring for women. “I don’t feel like there’s this binary [for
fragrance] anymore,” he says. “I’ve already got friends of mine who are
girls that love wearing the scent. It’s about one’s sense of enjoyment and
how it makes you feel.” Just like the scent’s name, “There are no rules when
it comes to it.” |
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