This page lists all the promotional events that Richard attended during the five premieres held around the world for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
In chronological order: Wellington, Tokyo, Toronto, New York and London.
World Premiere and Press Conference, Wellington, New Zealand
28 November 2012, Embassy Theatre, Wellington, NZ
In attendance: Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood and director Peter Jackson. Sir Ian McKellen is not able to attend.
Stuff.co.nz reports that stars of the film will arrive at around 4.30pm and will walk along 500 metre red carpet through Courtenay Place. 3news.co.nz states that 10 of the remaining 12 dwarves will attend and Wellington.scoop.co.nz lists those 10 dwarves. Stephen Hunter (Bombur) and Ken Stott (Balin) are omitted from that list, however Stephen Hunter confirmed on twitter that he will be there. Ken Stott will not be able to attend as he is currently playing Uncle Vanya in London’s West End.
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Preparing the Embassy Theatre Our local Wellingtonian, Pamela, has taken some photos outside the Embassy theatre where The Hobbit premiere will take place on 28th November in Wellington, New Zealand. You can see the construction of a Bag End facade complete with a giant Gandalf. Her collection on Flickr also shows posters around the town, bunting inside the Wellington visitor information centre and plenty of Hobbit/Lord of the Rings memorablia in various locations. For details, click on a picture and see the description underneath each one. Many thanks Pamela for these excellent photos. |
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The finished Gandalf statue outside the Embassy theatre, Wellington. Tweeted by @embassytheatre 21 Nov 2012 |
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Wellington press conference, New Zealand museum, Te Papa, Wellington.
A press conference with Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and many of the cast took place at 11.00am on Wednesday 28 November. Here are some video clips and reports:
- New Zealand Herald – a 12.5 minute video showing the beginning of the press conference. Richard doesn’t get to answer any questions in this clip, but lots of interesting answers by Peter Jackson, Cate Blanchett and Martin Freeman and a bit of Barry Humphries too.
- link on Stuff.co.nz. Peter Jackson talks about the comedy in The Hobbit. Some nice shots of Richard in this video.
- Maori welcome for Hobbit stars on OneNews (video).
Pictures from the Hobbit Press Conference are in the gallery. Thanks to Cesta for some of these.
The World Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey red carpet event in Wellington, NZ.
Cast and crew from The Hobbit walked the red carpet in Wellington on Wednesday 28 November, meeting and greeting fans for around two hours. All the main cast members attended except Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Ken Stott (Balin).
First two interviews with Richard from the red carpet in Wellington were posted on youtube, courtesy of RACentral. First one here – Second one here
Pictures from the Wellington Premiere: a new gallery has been created – the Wellington Premiere gallery – with images from press sites posted on the internet. With thanks to Cesta for her help. This picture from Glamour magazine UK’s site is included in the gallery – note the option to vote!
A few screencaps (click to enlarge):
Picture courtesy of @MsBeeton:
Final speeches at the end of the ceremony on youtube: the Mayor of Wellington, representatives from Warner Bros. and Peter Jackson gave speeches at the end of the red carpet event on a specially-constructed stage, which resembled Bilbo’s hobbit-hole Bag End. Peter introduced all the actors playing dwarves on stage, who all entered via the hobbit-hole’s door. I’ve uploaded the entire stage event on to youtube.
Articles in the press about the red carpet event:
- The Daily Mail (UK) has a write up about the event and two fantastic pictures of Richard.
- The Daily Telegraph (UK) photo gallery of cast and others attending the premiere.
- TVNZ OneNews ‘As it happened: The Hobbit World Premiere’. A timeline of events in reverse order, starting with the press conference that took place at 11am.
- TVNZ OneNews ‘The Hobbit’s journey continues with world premiere’. Quotes about making the film and living and working in Wellington by Peter Jackson and other cast members including Richard Armitage.
- NYDailyNews estimates there were 100,000 people surrounding the red carpet.
Audio and Video interviews with Richard Armitage and the cast in New Zealand
- Audio of Richard from the Wellington red carpet is here, in which Richard successfully avoids answering the question thanks to his modesty.
- A short clip of Richard on the red carpet at 0.36s in this video on youtube by NewZealandMedia. Thanks to Arfan for the heads-up.
- In this interview on youtube, Richard says at the end that he would love to play Richard III. The original source of that clip was this video on OneNews. Thanks to rbb.
- A video clip here on 3News: ‘A sit down with Bilbo, Gollum and Thorin’ with Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage. Richard talks about how he felt when he first watched the film on Sunday, the fact that Thorin was a character with ‘big shoes to fill’ and what an amazing experience filming The Hobbit has been.
Warner Bros. have posted highlights from the Wellington red carpet in this 4.5 minute video on youtube.
More interviews from Wellington are on the Hobbit Video Clips and Interviews page.
Japanese Press Conference and Premiere
1 December 2012, TOHO Cinemas, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan
In attendance: Richard Armitage, Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Hugo Weaving and Elijah Wood. Details on ameba.jp. An English version of events can be found on Middle-earth News.
Prior to the screening, there is a red carpet event scheduled at the “Event Arena” at Roppongi Hills from 17:00. Details here (English translation).
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Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Elijah Wood attended the Japanese premiere press conference earlier today in Tokyo and RichardArmitageCentral captured the whole thing in great quality and uploaded to youtube. There were some extremely complimentary remarks made about Richard as an actor and a person by Peter and Martin, particularly in part 4. Watch the clips here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 There is a very good English translation of the Japanese press conference here on Google News Japan. |
Peter on Richard: “I look on the characters of Bilbo and Thorin as the heart and soul of the story really. Iif Bilbo is the heart then Thorin is the soul. Richard…we auditioned the role, saw many, many actors and Richard really managed to capture for us the very important sense of nobility, because he is essentially playing a king, but also the conflict as to whether or not he has the ability to lead these dwarves on this very difficult quest, a small number to fight a dragon, to reclaim a homeland, that’s a very noble thing that he’s trying to do and yet he doesn’t really have the resources, if you like, to do this. And also with the character, there’s a sense of honour that Richard…a sort of quiet honour that Richard carries, which I think is absolutely superb and as an actor Richard is one of those very rare actors in which he uses stillness and he uses quiet to draw your eye. There can be a lot of things happening on the screen, there can be many characters on the screen, and yet Thorin in his stillness draws your attention. It’s a very, very rare skill…he’s somebody when he’s on screen that your eyes go to, that you want to watch.”
Martin on Richard: “It was very easy, actually, working with Richard. He is …what Pete said actually about what he brings to Thorin is partly what he brings just as a person, which is, he has quiet determination, he respects himself and others and he respects other’s way of working but he holds on to this very strong core of himself actually, he’s about the least arrogant person you could wish to meet, he’s very self-deprecating and he’s always up for… I don’t know, he’s just up for what you’re going to bring to the scene. I remember I went to the gym with him once, and there were a few of us there and we had to do these circuits around the gym with this insane psychopath of a gym trainer, and I was busy dying about half way round, and I nearly did pass out, I genuinely nearly…it was only a sports drink that stopped me from falling on the floor. I looked over and Richard had quietly completed the entire circuit, sort of slightly breaking a sweat and he sort of admitted that he was…you know, he found it hard and he was finding (feeling) tired, but what I really admired about that was that he wasn’t being macho and he wasn’t being butch, but he just quietly got on with it and that’s kind of how he treated the 18 months of the job really. You know, all the trials and tributions that inevitably come with just the day to day making of a film, it’s tiring, you miss home, etc. He was very stoical about it, which again is a great thing for Thorin. So I think there was a good marriage of Richard and Thorin there and yeah I enjoyed working with him very much. What I always think about Richard is he is essentially a decent person, and I can offer no higher praise to someone, I think he’s a good human being and I like being around them.”
Here are some pictures from the press conference online:
Yahoo news – Yahoo news #2 – Yahoo news #3 – Daylife.com
Here’s a fantastic picture of Richard and Martin posted by @Ievrem on twitter. Scroll down for four more pictures from the stage at the Japanese Premiere.
In the evening, the cast and Peter Jackson attended the Japanese Premiere at TOHO Cinemas in Tokyo, signing autographs for fans and being interviewed by the press. JasRangoon has captured Richard Armitage’s red carpet interview and the parts of the live streaming feed showing Richard signing autographs for fans. Watch on youtube here.
At the end of the event, the Hobbit stars appeared on stage and each of them spoke to the crowd. The whole event on stage has been recorded and uploaded to the RichardArmitageNet channel on youtube, part 1 here (part 2 will start automatically). This was recorded from live streaming, hence the sound is sometimes out of sync with the picture, apologies for that.
A HD version of the Japanese Hobbit premiere stage event has been found on youtube by Mia – all dialogue from the Japanese translators has been removed but subtitles have been added. Change the settings to HD and watch full screen for the best quality.
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Pictures of Richard at the premiere and press conference are now in the Japanese Premiere gallery – nine more pictures just added.
Click the image on the left to enlarge. |
More interviews from Japan are on the Hobbit Video Clips and Interviews page.
Toronto promotion and premiere
3 December 2012 Several appearances in Toronto
Pictures of Richard in Toronto are now in the Toronto Hobbit Promotion gallery.
1. Richard appeared at Union Station at 7.00am where an installation for the film was be unveiled. KISS radio was there to hand out 100 passes to attend the premiere that night. More information on this celebrity site.
This video by Warner Bros. Toronto shows how The Hobbit has taken over Union Station, Toronto and there are clips of Richard Armitage plus dramatic music! Watch on youtube.
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Lots of pictures of Richard were posted on twitter from Union station, Toronto as it happened: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13 and pictures from a celebrity spotter.
Tweets and pictures from Warner Bros. Canada: here showing Richard at Union Station and again here.
‘Hobbit’ star causes a ruckus at Toronto’s Union Station by Yahoo News Canada.
This ‘headcam’ interview in Union Station by Kiss 92.5 radio presenter Damnit Maurie. Richard’s tells us that he was given several gifts from The Hobbit: Orcrist, the Oakenshield, his map to Erebor and Thorin’s key AND a little Thorin lego minifigure!
2. Here is a tweet from Warner Bros. Canada showing Richard Armitage talking to @MTVMovieNight, after the Union Station event and prior to the Marilyn Denis show, about playing Thorin Oakenshield.
3. Richard was interviewed on the Marilyn Denis show on 3rd December. The show is taped live at 10.00am in Toronto.The show is now available to watch online here or you can watch the clip I have uploaded to youtube.
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@sajak551 on twitter has provided a live update of Richard’s interview and tweeted this collage of pictures. Richard was asked questions about how he was made to look like a dwarf, his experiences in dwarf camp, what the NZ World Premiere was like, what he thinks of his fans the Armitage Army AND they showed a new clip from The Hobbit showing the attack of the wargs. |
Here’s some screencaps, click to enlarge:
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4. In the afternoon of Monday 3rd December Richard was interviewed by the press at the Roots Canada shop in Toronto. Picture from @RootsCanada here.
Film critic and interviewer @AnneBrodie tweeted this picture of Richard, also on the left. Click to enlarge. A photoshoot took place in the Roots Canada store and pictures are in the promo pics gallery. |
This video from the Vancouver Sun shows Richard in Roots Canada talking about living with the character of Thorin for 18 months.
5. Richard appeared on George Stroumboulopoulos’s TV show in Toronto on Monday 3rd December at 3.15pm. The show was broadcast on Wednesday 12th December.
This clip from George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight which wasn’t in the show, has been uploaded to youtube by the show’s production team and is a clip of Richard talking about filming The Hobbit at 48 frames per second.
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The entire interview, including George’s introduction, is here on youtube.
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Pictures from the show are in the Toronto Promotion gallery.
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9. Richard was the only cast member who appeared at Toronto’s premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at the Scotiabank theatre, 6.30pm. He met fans outside the Scotiabank theatre before pictures of him were taken by the press on the red carpet. @dani_f asked him to sign an autograph and has allowed me to post her picture with Richard to share with you all. Click the pic to enlarge. Thanks Dani! Warner Bros. Canada posted this picture on twitter of Richard at the Toronto premiere. And six pictures here showing him at Union Station on their facebook page. |
More interviews from Toronto are on the Hobbit Video Clips and Interviews page.
US Premiere
6 December 2012
US Premiere, Ziegfeld Theatre, New York, USA. 6th December 2012.
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Announced on AFI.com, the US Premiere was a gala event to benefit the American Film Institute. In attendance: Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Sir Ian McKellen, Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and all dwarves except Ken Stott due to his performance on the London stage in Uncle Vanya. Pictures of Richard at the New York Hobbit premiere are in the gallery. Click a picture to view, then click ‘original image’ for full size. |
BeyondTheTrailer’s video on youtube at the NY Premiere last night, shows interviews with many of the cast and also co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens. Richard isn’t in the video but Jed Brophy (Nori) is extremely complimentary about their dwarf leader Thorin at 3m 30s. Thanks @Alltomiron on twitter.
More interviews from New York are on the Hobbit Video Clips and Interviews page.
UK Promotion and Premiere
Apple Store Q&A, 10th December 2012
The full Hobbit Q&A Apple Store video is on youtube.
A large picture of the cast is here and has been added to the Apple Store gallery.
Some information about the event from Chickadee:
It was a very small seated area, only 3 rows of no more than 15 seats each, kind of like a tiny little university lecture theatre, with the small stage at the front where the cast were to be seated. In reality I was only about 4 metres away from the stage, it was that close. All the seats were filled an hour before the start and then people started forming up around the back, behind the cameras that were recording it. It wasn’t massively crowded, the crowd behind was maybe 4 people deep, just busy enough but still intimate. Richard was joined of course by Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis and Sir Ian McKellan and after talking briefly about the movie with the moderator (the Radio 2 host, Edith Bowman) they began asking questions of the audience, passing a microphone around.
I was about the 4th person to ask my question, and the first to ask one directly to Richard: “I remember reading once that you once said that you give a little bit of yourself to every character/role that you play. In the opposite effect, have you taken little bits from all of the characters/roles you have played in, as varied as they are, for your preparation and portrayal of Thorin?”
Richard responded (along the lines of…): “Yes, I have, I take different parts from every character. They all kind of mix and meld together in the whole marinade of the roles I’ve played and also in playing Thorin.One of the biggest things and issues we had with Thorin was his character and personality. Because he’s so cantankerous… I even found myself not liking him as I read the books and we wanted to bring something more out in him. And find the more likeable sides of his character and personality.”
UK Premiere, Leicester Square, London. 12 December 2012.
Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund site with full details.
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In attendance: Richard Armitage, Peter Jackson, Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett and all other dwarves except Ken Stott. This will be the 65th Royal Film Performance to benefit the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund. The Duke of Cambridge arrived without the Duchess who was too ill to attend. Pictures of Richard at the UK Royal Premiere of The Hobbit are in the gallery. Click ‘original image’ to see the full size of each picture. |
Here’s an interview with Richard at the UK Royal premiere on youtube.
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RACentral have uploaded the meeting between The Hobbit cast and the Duke of Cambridge to youtube.
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Clips of Richard and the cast at the London premiere of The Hobbit are here on youtube. Richard appears twice in this video.
More interviews from London are on the Hobbit Video Clips and Interviews page.
last updated 21 May 2013