RA in LA

I never thought I’d ever see Richard Armitage in Los Angeles. But two months ago, Laura/@GeekyHippyWeird in AbbyVegas’s/@AbbyVegas’s well wisher discord tags me with an announcement about RA’s appearance at Book Soup in LA:

What. The. What.

WHAT???!

I purchase my ticket right away. (Thank you, Laura! Thank you, AbbyVegas! I wouldn’t have known without you!!!)

Here’s a quick rundown of the big day:

My mission:

1. To thank RA personally for his sensitive approach to storytelling, his thought-provoking characters, his inspiring artistry, creativity, imagination, dedication to craft, and work ethic;

2. To celebrate the success of his debut novel;

3. To deliver a message from LoLo Kennedy/@I_Be_LoLo, who cannot attend;

4. To get our books signed;

5. To arrive early enough to be one of the first 30 people allowed into the book shop to watch RA talk about his work (and to find a way to be content if I end up being #31).

The day doesn’t start off well. I can’t figure out how to pin my yellow rose to my shirt, the top I want to wear is in the wash, I’ve forgotten to pack a lunch for myself, and I’m running half an hour late.

But at least I’ve showered? At least my clothes are clean? I admit my standards are pretty basic.

I fasten to my shirt my Guy of Gisborne wolf clasp pin, which was created by the fabulously talented Rachel/@TeaPoweredHuman, who generously donated the pin for Sonja’s/@GuyltyPleasure’s annual RA holiday fundraiser extravaganza:

I drop my long-stemmed, wannabe Helstone rose into my backpack, grab two boxes of fresh doughnuts, and head out.

I speed walk, knowing I could miss the bus by seconds and end up wasting almost half an hour waiting for another to appear. I probably look a bit odd, rushing down city streets, carrying pastry boxes and a backpack with a tall, yellow rose sticking out from the top.

The bus arrives minutes after I get to the stop. Hooray! All that speed walking worked. Could my luck be turning?

The bus takes me across a wide swath of the city. I pass by shops and streets where I’ve seen movies being filmed. I’m reminded again that LA is basically one big studio lot and we locals are all extras.

We reach the base of Barnsdall Park, location of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I’m familiar with this stop. I exit there and hoof it down the street to my next bus stop. It crosses my mind that I should take a photo of this leg of the journey for fellow well wishers unable to attend, but I worry I’ll miss my next bus by seconds if I do and thwart my chances of being one of the 30 let in. I speed walk faster than John Mulligan orders celebratory champagne.

John Mulligan drinks to his good fortune.

I find my next stop beside a construction site. The bus appears almost immediately. Timing could not be better. My luck is turning! I get on.

In a good mood, I offer to a fellow bus rider one of the doughnuts I’m bringing for other well wishers and book shop staff. She takes the chocolate covered, cream filled eclair. She is happy! So am I.

The bus continues its way westward, slow-mo hurtling its way toward my favorite actor. As it travels further into unfamiliar neighborhoods, I grow nervous. I don’t know this part of the route; it’s my first time taking it this far west. What if I miss my stop? What if the noise of the moving bus — its rattling windows, its jostled seats and poles — drowns out the recording announcing my stop?

I watch the streetscape roll by, tracking every landmark, reading every sign.

It never fails to amaze me how wildly different LA’s neighborhoods are. I don’t live more than a dozen miles from Book Soup, where RA will be talking today. But as far as LA neighborhoods go, today’s destination couldn’t be further from home.

I’ve always gotten the sense that RA isn’t too keen on this town — nothing specific I can point to, just a gut feeling. I wouldn’t blame him if so. There’s a lot of good and bad in the world, and LA has both in spades. The LA I love is rooted in the experience of someone local, born and raised; I’m a product of LA’s Eastside (i.e. east of the Los Angeles River), which is miles from where I’m headed today and worlds away from the LA that RA likely sees. We might be at the same book shop today, but we have never existed in the same place.

And then I hear it: “Next stop, Sunset and Horn!” the recorded voice declares. I reach for the button on the pole.

Ding!

The bus passes by and I stand on the street corner watching it drive away. I spy Book Soup catty corner. Am I too late? Have all 30 spots been taken? Rocky and Bullwinkle beckon me across the road.

The light turns. I bolt across the street, then cross another.

And then I’m there!

A small crowd of people stand in front of the book shop. I ask them if I need to check in with shop staff inside before lining up. One well wisher who seems knowledgeable tells me they’re in line and that a staff member will come around later to check people in.

I count the number of people in front of me. I’m number eight! I MADE IT!!!

Shortly after, I become the proud owner of a purple Post-It with auspicious (for Chinese people, anyways) number eight scribbled onto it. (In my excitement, I forget to take a photo of the Post-It.)

The next few hours go by quickly even though most of us are standing and maybe hungry. I offer doughnuts to everyone in line. (I’d like to think Miss Hale would have approved, though I am missing the wicker basket.)

Miss Hale expresses her enthusiasm for basketry.

I’m on the shy side but try my best to be friendly and non-offensive. At some point, the nice well wisher who explained the lineup and check-in process asks if I’m a North & South fan. My ears perk up and I say yes! N&S is my first RA work! She tells me she saw the yellow rose sticking out from my backpack and made the connection.

As she talks, it dawns on me that she seems familiar. She’s none other than adrienne/@barelytolerable, N&S (and P&P) fan extraordinaire! When I was still on Twitter, I always looked forward to her posts, as they were unfailingly clever and insightful. She is the first online RA well wisher I’ve ever met in real life.

We catch up. It feels like I’ve run into a friend from the old neighborhood. She’s just as lovely as I thought she’d be.

The minutes pass fairly quickly: I meet well wishers #1 through #7, and a few others down the line. We talk, eat doughnuts, share fan-related photos and information. We are a jovial and interesting bunch, coming to RA’s body of work from different shows (e.g. North and South, Hannibal, The Hobbit, Berlin Station, Vicar of Dibley). One person has flown some 1,600 miles (~2,500 km) all the way from Mexico City!

A couple of hours before the event, the line hits 30 and continues growing. Why organizers didn’t hold this event at a larger venue without such severe space restrictions (e.g. Vroman’s, Book Soup’s sister shop) is beyond me. This is the only stop RA is making in the western half of North America. I know of fans who opted not to attend because they knew they wouldn’t be able to stand in line for hours. For others, the heartbreak of not getting in to the talk after traveling incredibly long distances would’ve been too much. How could anyone think 30 spots would be enough to accommodate RA’s very large and enthusiastic well wisher/fan base? The logic behind choosing this venue, however wonderful it is as a bookshop (and it is wonderful, the selection is A+), eludes me.

We wait. And wait. The weather is perfect. The northfacing storefront provides respite from LA’s afternoon sun as the line continues to grow.

Now and then, a black SUV pulls up to the loading zone in front of the shop and we crane our necks to see if it’s RA. (We know he’ll likely be dropped off behind the shop and enter that way, but one never knows, right?) From every SUV, people all gussied up, presumably for a night out on Sunset Boulevard, tumble out.

But no RA. Never has an SUV been so disappointing.

We bide our time, watching valets park cars at the clothing shop across the street, watching passing buses of tourists watching us.

Before we know it, it’s minutes before 7 pm. My feet are not too sore, despite having stood 3 1/2 hours. (That’s RA adrenaline for ya! Or I’m in denial. Ha!) The woman who gave us the numbered Post-Its comes out. We line up in order, clutching our copies of Geneva. I surrender my coveted #8 Post-It to the staffer.

We are in!

I blink hard at what I see: Two columns of folding chairs line the sides of a single narrow aisle sandwiched between book displays. We scoot down the aisle like we’re boarding the tiniest airplane in the world and sit in pairs, the sliver of aisle between us. I resist the urge to walk up and down the aisle, asking people if they’d like coffee or tea.

Thank you for flying Armitage Air! (This is the full width of the seating area for the event.)

I look back the way Mr. Thornton wishes Miss Hale would. Behind me, a few more people sit down.

Roughly half of the 30 are offered seats; the rest are asked to stand. They’re directed to stand in an area between book displays to RA’s far right. I can’t see them from where I am, for they’re obscured by tall shelves. Some people decide to stand behind the last of the chairs. Everyone is basically squished between tall bookshelves and waist-high tables of books.

I start to crack up. Why oh why did the organizers choose such a tiny venue? I think of all the undue stress caused by the 30-people limit, the artificial scarcity created by choosing a too small venue when plenty of other venues are available. I think of the number of people who opted not to show up due to the minuscule chances of being one of the 30 let in to see RA’s talk. How does this strange seating and severe curtailing of audience size help sell books? It doesn’t. I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

(***Please don’t blame RA or bookshop staff for the absurdity of it all. It’s not their fault and they were all very kind. I’ll wager RA likely had no idea. Plus, in the years to come, those of us who were there can all laugh about it: “Coffee? Or tea?”***)

As we wait for our Guy to arrive, the room remains quiet but brimming with energy. To the top right of our seats (to RA’s left), staffers adjust the lighting and set up a laptop that will stream the event to the folks who paid to watch the event virtually.

Someone up front manages to snap a photo of RA near some books. Which means he’s IN THE ROOM. He must be around the corner of tall shelves. I catch my breath.

Then he walks out! HE’S THERE! RIGHT THERE BEFORE US!

(At this point, everything begins to blur. I apologize ahead of time for lacking the necessary lucidity to provide a coherent account of the talk. I can only provide a few highlights, and there is no rhyme nor reason to their selection.)

RA answers questions about his debut novel, Geneva. He touches on dementia, neural implants, the human clinical trials at Musk’s brain implant startup, narrator reliability, and the impact of using first person present tense. He mentions listening to his friend talk about caring for parents struggling with dementia.

Someone in the audience brings up Angela Carter. We all know he loves Carter’s work. He responds with enthusiasm.

I’m pretty sure he says something about having a second novel in the works.

Our favorite actor has a lot of thoughtful things to share. (Of course, right?) He talks about the importance of character, talks about how sometimes script writers focus on plot at the expense of character. He’s absolutely correct. Plot is important but without characters that resonate, you’ve got a hollow story. We all know he puts in tons and tons of effort exploring the character, who that person is, what drives that person, why they are the way they are. We know he does this for even the most minor of roles, that each character he plays has a notebook chock-full of information he’s collected for that person, that he creates a soundtrack for each role, etc. He doesn’t hold back, and the quality of his work shines through. That’s our RA! And we love him for it.

Adrienne/@barelytolerable brings up an upcoming North and South anniversary and asks if anything’s been planned for that. I’m thrilled someone has asked about N&S. (No such thing as too much N&S, if you ask me.)

Someone asks if RA would ever write a memoir. I love his answer: a resounding no. Hear me out: I know we well wishers would appreciate a tell-all narrative from a Guy we find so fascinating. But he answers like a true artist: He says bits of him are embedded in his work. He’s there — just not in a linear, literal fashion. The writer in me agrees 100 percent.

I get up the courage (or foolishness) to ask a question. I ask in my word salad kind of way how his successful pivot to novel writing with Geneva might impact his White Boar production plans, his stage endeavors, and other creative work. After patiently listening to me ramble on, RA answers.

RA patiently listens as I ask my rambling question. (Photo courtesy of adrienne/@barelytolerable)

Thanks to adrienne/@barelytolerable for thoughtfully filming his response to me. I’m especially grateful since it was all a bit of an out-of-body kind of blur. I can’t figure out how to add the video of his response here. (I’ll add it later if I find out how to do it.)

During his response to my question, RA drops one very important piece of information: He’s probably going to be back on stage in 2025.

I REPEAT: RA PLANS TO BE ON STAGE IN 2025.

Once again for the kids in the back:

RA PLANS TO BE ON STAGE IN 2025.

Start saving up to pay for that trip now! Based on his track record, I’m guessing his stage production will be in London or NYC.

The Q&A continues. I go in and out of a daze during the rest of the talk. I mean, my favorite actor just answered my question. Like WHAT THE WHAT.

It’s really weird, too, because I’m so used to seeing him and thinking of his characters, not him. I could tell you all about Sir Raymond, John Mulligan, James Lewis. Dr. Track, Dr. White. Our dear Harry, the book loving accountant. Sweet Standring, who’ll tend to your wounds if you’re hurt. Mr. Thornton. Guy. Lucas, Porter, Daniel Miller. As a fan/well wisher, I can tell you about their fears and desires, what drives them, what holds them back. We can talk about their wardrobe, the way the set is designed, the way a shot is framed, and how those details further the story.

Over the last few years, I’ve made so many hokey, corny, RA character social media posts that these characters have almost become familiar friends.

Watching RA talk as RA the actor and now novelist is enlightening in a weird and wonderful way. It’s like getting the tiniest peek behind the curtain, which is just enough for me. As a writer, I want people to think of my characters, not me, and this no doubt influences my approach to RA’s work. The magic is in the characters and their stories, not the storyteller.

The audience soon runs out of questions. I wonder if it’s because others are as tongue-tied as I am. Believe me, I have lots of questions! Just none I can form into coherent sentences right now.

The Q&A ends. RA heads to the book signing area, which is the counter near the children’s books. We’re told to move toward the front where RA had been sitting, turn left, and line up alongside a wall of books. The people who had been standing in that unseen gallery to RA’s right line up and we follow suit. Slowly, we queue down the narrow aisles around the edge of the room, like rats in a book-lined maze.

When it’s my turn, I tell RA I love how he works his characters in X, Y, Z films/TV shows. There are so many different shows and I have lots and lots to say about each character and production, but I do my best to whittle it down.

It’s hard to, though. I mean, who doesn’t love a guy who builds up property portfolios and destroys candy floss worlds for a living? Or a get-off-my-lawn/land/sky-high utopia kind of guy with a serious god complex and an unfortunate bout of varicose veins? How about the Geneva Convention-violating soldier dealing with his dad’s eleventh hour come-to-Jesus moment; a medieval MacGuffin; and the fact that he has no real career path, hope of a family life, or way to get back home?

I’m pleasantly surprised RA remembers these wonderful roles even though they’re not Hobbit-famous. I love those characters (so many RA characters to love), and I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to thank the actor who fleshed them out and brought them to life.

Of course, I also mention Mr. Thornton and Sir Guy of Gisborne. I don’t know if RA sees the yellow rose sticking out of my backpack. I point out Rachel’s/@TeaPoweredHuman’s Guy wolf clasp pin that I’m wearing and explain I bought it during Sonja’s/@GuyltyPleasure’s annual RA holiday fundraiser.

He recognizes the design immediately and mentions he still has Guy’s second jacket. I’m presuming it’s the American-footballer-by-way-of-Milan jacket, post we-don’t-talk-about-what-happened-to-Marian-in-the-Holyland. But it’s possible he could be referring to a duplicate of Guy’s moto-jacket, which he generously donated to Sonja’s/@GuyltyPleasure’s fundraiser honoring his 50th birthday.

I show him LoLo Kennedy’s/@I_Be_LoLo’s letter and he signs both of our books. He seems genuinely engaged, even though I’m sure his whirlwind book tour must wear on him by now. (He isn’t letting on if so.)

RA autographs LoLo Kennedy’s/@I_Be_LoLo‘s book and leaves her a note. (I wore Rachel’s/@TeaPoweredHuman’s Guy wolf clasp pin on my shirt; RA recognized the design immediately.)

While talking to him, I feel incredibly rushed and word-salady. On a whim, I foolishly make a (literally) cheesy crack about Sir Raymond. He chuckles! I’m happy!

On my way out, I express my admiration for his work ethic and explain he inspires me to work harder as a writer. (Remember how he kept working even during the darkest days of the pandemic?) He offers words of encouragement. I’m grateful. I exit the store feeling like I’m on top of the world!

Outside the shop, I chat with other well wishers. I’d fully expected to wait in line by myself, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the kindred spirits I’ve met today. Two well wishers offer the person from Mexico City a ride to LAX, where that fan will fly back home now that the talk is over. Talk about dedication. Talk about the kindness of RA’s well wishers.

The last of the line walks out. The metal shutter falls. Well wishers disperse. And just like that: The day has come to an end.

I imagine RA being whisked away in a black SUV to his hotel, or maybe to LAX where he’ll catch a red eye back to London or NYC. (Maybe he’ll run into the Mexico City well wisher at the airport?)

While waiting for my ride, I decamp to a nearby cafe and enjoy a coffee. I marvel at how engaged, sincere, thoughtful, and kind RA seems to be. It’s like he’s never forgotten who he is, what he’s all about, his humanity. Despite his success, he’s still “there,” if that makes sense.

No wonder why his characters are so wonderfully portrayed, I think, and why we well wishers respond the way we do. He conveys a character’s humanity in a way that resonates deep within us, and it’s this sense of the real, this sense of truth and connection, that we kindred spirits respond to, and long for.

I found it on Sunset. You have to look hard.