'Hannibal' Season 3 News, Update: Richard Armitage Talks About Francis Dolarhyde
NBC's hit (recently-cancelled) psychological horror TV drama series "Hannibal" has just introduced one of Thomas Harris' menacing characters on his novel into the show's current third season.
Played by Richard Armitage, the actor revealed his apprehensions on taking the role of the murderous Francis Dolarhyde.
"The idea of taking on a character that does such appalling things has always been a worry for me," the "Hobbit" star explained to TV Line. "I'm very conscious of what we depict on television, and it would've been a deal breaker had I been asked to actually commit those crimes on film, to portray those scenes in the graphic detail that Thomas Harris describes in his novels. Had that been the case, it would've been someone else playing this character."
Convinced later by series creator Bryan Fuller, Armitage also told the media outlet the things he did in preparation for the role.
Aside from reading the "Red Dragon" book which described Dolarhyde as a body builder, the 43-year-old English film star has to go to the gym to do "intense workout sessions." The actor also incorporated a "Japanese form of physical expression" called Butoh, a.k.a. the Dance of Death.
"It's a biological observation of the body in extremis, which I thought was perfect for this scenario," Armitage told TV Line. "I also used some stress positions that I'd been working with previously on The Crucible, because I felt like the character was putting himself through something rather than changing himself for vanity sake. He's wanting to torture his own body."
Speaking about the upcoming development of his arc in the series, Armitage teased that fans of the Mads Mikkelsen-led show will see "the full extent of that love story" with Reba (Rutina Wesley) and Francis.
"Dolarhyde and Reba represent a tragic, romantic love story, which really doesn't end well and escalates into a Shakespearian opera of the proportions that Thomas Harris really explores in the novel," the actor explained.
"Hannibal" Season 3 airs Saturday, at 10 p.m. on NBC.
