Richard Madden Fan

March 12 2015

VANITY FAIR – If Cinderella’s Richard Madden (formerly known as Game of Thrones’s Robb Stark) could choose between a direwolf and a fairy godmother, what would he pick? Direwolf, hands down. “It’s a massive, giant bear wolf. Why wouldn’t I want that?” So he wouldn’t be swayed by being able to wish for whatever you wanted? Not at all. “That’s good, but the direwolf would stay around a bit longer.”

Both Madden and his co-star Lily James were at Saks Fifth Avenue yesterday, celebrating the department store’s collaboration with Disney on a Cinderella-inspired shoe collection, which features dazzling work from Jimmy Choo, Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Salvatore Ferragamo, and more. (James and Madden are also in Saks’s spring catalog cover models). It was a landmark day for Saks Fifth Avenue, said Chief Marketing and Creative Officer Mark Briggs, “for the collaboration with the shoe designers, which I think have excelled in beautiful, beautiful designs.”

James had a strategic approach for what she would ask from her fairy godmother. “I would wish for 100 more wishes,” she told us, laughing. What would one of those wishes be? “I want every single one of these shoes,” she said, eyeing a particularly bedazzled pair of Jimmy Choos.

Cinderella, which opens March 13, is being heralded for a modern take on the centuries-old fairy tale, without sacrificing its traditional roots. James has no problem playing rebellious ladies—her character on Downton Abbey, Lady Rose, flouts societal norms left and right. She certainly wasn’t interested in making Ella seem like a pushover. “I wanted her to be a strong character. I wanted her to have beauty that radiated from within,” she said. “Just because she doesn’t have a sword or she’s not openly strong in that way, physically, she’s just as inspirational.” Does she see any similarities between Lady Rose and Ella? “I think they are both free spirits and they’ve both got big hearts.”

Madden knew his Prince Charming had to keep up with James’s portrayal. “I wanted to bring an equality to it,” he said of playing Prince Charming. “I wanted to make Cinderella and the prince equals and try to make a man that was worthy of the affections of someone like Cinderella.”

(source)

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March 12 2015

Richard Madden on ‘Cinderella,’ the Red Wedding, and His Sci-Fi Fantasy

MOVIEFONE – Chances are you know Richard Madden from his role on HBO’s acclaimed fantasy series “Game of Thrones.” As one of the members of the besieged Stark clan, Madden stood tall while facing certain death. That’s a tough thing to play, especially when you’re so handsome.

Madden is bringing his handsomeness and his history with fantasy to Disney’s new, live-action “Cinderella,” directed by Kenneth Branagh, and co-starring Lily James and Cate Blanchett. In this version, Madden plays a kinder, gentler Prince Charming, one that Cinderella actually meets before the ball. Yes, there are complex new dimensions to this “Cinderella.” And it is glorious.

We got on the phone and spoke to Madden about what it was like going from dark fantasy to light fantasy (and what the reaction was to “Game of Thrones'” infamous Red Wedding), whether or not it was fun to play with fairy tale conventions, and grill him on his jock strap (he recently went on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to discuss). He also tells us that he’s dying to be in a movie with spaceships or dinosaurs or both. Struggling Hollywood screenwriters, you have your newest assignment.

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March 09 2015

‘Cinderella’: Lily James, Richard Madden Guess Why British Actors Keep Getting Cast in Disney Fairytales

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – Coincidentally, Cinderella star Lily James celebrated International Women’s Day by relishing in the courage and agency of her refreshed Disney princess.

“This Cinderella is a really powerful, strong character — I wanted to bring a strength of spirit to the role,” James, wearing a Dolce and Gabbana outfit with Stuart Weitzman heels, told The Hollywood Reporter before a Sunday afternoon screening at New York City’s Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Madden added of Kenneth Branagh’s modern take, “This young woman in distress doesn’t need a man to save her. That’s totally irrelevant — she’d be fine without the prince, she’d get on with it.” Plus, his spin on Prince Charming includes a “sense of humor — the ability to make fun of himself and have a bit of banter with his dad.”

James was overjoyed about the recent announcement of Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, starring fellow Downton Abbey breakout Dan Stevens opposite Emma Watson. “I’m so excited he’s playing the beast! I couldn’t believe it, I texted him immediately,” she said. Madden’s advice for playing such a beloved character? “Practice your dancing, because you’re gonna have to do it at some point!”

Disney has Beauty and the Beast (also featuring Luke Evans) following Cinderella and Maleficent in starring British actors (or at least accents, in Maleficent’s case). When asked about what it is about the U.K. that seems to make these live-action retellings inherently magical, James told THR, “I don’t know! It’s weird! [On set,] there was a sense of theater of company, of epic storytelling in an intimate nature. I don’t know whether British actors are more theater?”

Richard Madden guessed it might have to do with the European roots of the stories themselves. “Maybe it’s just because it goes back further — fairytales are just bred in us. Or maybe it’s just coincidence! I don’t think it’s deliberate.”

The stars’ close friend Matthew Goode, who brought his daughter to the screening, had a hypothesis on the topic. “Good on the Brits, yes! It’s because of the wild, imaginative people that the Brits are,” he joked THR while grabbing more popcorn for his family. “I think it’s merely because we’re cheap — that can be the only reason, because there’s so many good American actors!”

(source)

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March 05 2015

‘Doctor Who’: Richard Madden would ‘love’ to appear, just not with Jenna Coleman

click on the image for the video

ZAP2IT – Former “Game of Thrones” star and current “Cinderella” Prince Charming Richard Madden is desperate to work on a science fiction project, but don’t expect him to mix his personal life and professional one any time soon. Though he’s been dating “Doctor Who” lead Jenna Coleman for several years, Madden says he doesn’t want to make an appearance on the BBC series — at least for the time being.

“That would probably be weird,” Madden admits to Zap2it while promoting “Cinderella.” “I’d love to be in ‘Doctor Who’ one day, but maybe not while Jenna’s in the show.”

Madden already has tackled fantasy thanks to “Thrones,” played a Disney prince in “Cinderella” and is heading to the stage in 2016. He’s also starring in the 2016 modern day action flick “Bastille Day” opposite Idris Elba, which means he’s already showcased a range of his talents.

When asked what he’d like to dabble in next, Madden admits he wants “to keep working and doing things I’ve not done before” — and that’s where his love for sci-fi comes into play. He says his dream science fiction project would be “future sci-fi stuff, like laser ships, space guns,” and his current sci-fi obsession is Halle Berry’s CBS series “Extant.”

Though “Doctor Who” certainly falls under the “future sci-fi stuff” category, Madden confirms “there’s nothing in the pipeline for that at the moment.” “Maybe one day,” he concedes.

(source)

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February 26 2015

Richard Madden is your new Prince Charming (Richard for Nylon)

truth and fairy tales.When Richard Madden screen tested for the role of Prince Charming in Disney’s live action retelling of Cinderella, panic was his overriding emotion. Not because he was about to give life to every little girl’s dream guy, or because he was auditioning in front of stage-and-screen royalty, director Kenneth Branagh. Instead, it was his pants. “I was like, Okay, alright, this is what we’re doing? Skintight white pants?” says Madden, laughing at the memory. “You’re thinking, I don’t know how I’m going to live this down. What do I look like on camera? How tight are these pants?”

Extremely tight, it turns out. Madden, who booked the part of Prince Charming, soon found himself at London’s Pinewood studios, riding alabaster horses and wooing Cinderella herself, played by newcomer Lily James, with an irresistible combination of regal self-confidence, puppy-dog sweetness, and a pair of cerulean eyes.

Today, in the buzzing Tribeca eatery Benvenuto Cafe, right next door to his hotel, the 28-year-old London-based actor isn’t dressed like a pristine prince. Speaking past a careful amount of stubble, and wearing a fitted navy peacoat, tight black jeans, and scuffed-up white Chucks, he looks like your average downtown New Yorker, with just two major differences: Madden, a native of Elderslie, the mile-wide village outside of Glasgow, Scotland, speaks in a textured brogue. Also, a small congregation of men with cameras are waiting for him to finish his grilled chicken sandwich and head outside. He’s a long way—seven kingdoms in fact—from Winterfell, where Madden held court for three seasons as Robb Stark, King of the North, on HBO’s fantasy saga, Game of Thrones.

Madden’s blossoming fame—something he’s still adjusting to—is what happens when the show you booked at 22 years old becomes a global phenomenon, and you just happen to be playing an incorruptible good guy in a world where moral ambiguity reigns supreme. “Being in other countries was when I realized Games of Thrones was so big, because in my head I just shot a little TV show in Ireland,” Madden says. “You’re walking around in Paris or Rome and strangers want to take a selfie with you, and you’re like, ‘Oh shit, this is kind of big.’”

(read the rest at the source)

Digital scans from the March issue of Nylon featuring Richard have been added to the gallery thanks to Hailey, together with the 2 outtakes from the photoshoot. Enjoy!

MAGAZINE SCANS > Nylon Magazine: March 2015 [+2]
Photoshoots & Portraits > Session 025 [+2]

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February 22 2015

Richard Madden Opens Up About Cinderella And Prince Charming’s Equal Partnership

Richard Madden opens up about just how Cinderella and her Prince Charming get together, and how they rely on each other to free them from the restrictions in their lives in the forthcoming adaptation by director Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz.

It’s nice to see modern big screen fairytale re-tellings looking at relationships in a much more equal way. Rather than princesses of late being swept of their feet by proverbial knights in shining armour, they’re coming together while fighting for justice in their own lives. You had ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’, which saw a clear romance forming between the two title characters as they worked together to lead an army, and then there is, of course, ‘Frozen’ which saw bravery on the part of both Anna and her faithful quest companion Kristoff. Now ‘Cinderella’ brings together two souls, who must help each other escape the prison of their families.

‘I think [Prince Charming] goes through a huge change from the start’, Richard Madden says of his character. ‘From when he meets her and with what happens with his father during the film and how he learns to be his own man and to stand up against things he doesn’t agree with.’ It certainly seems that the Prince is less authoritative than his status allows him, with him struggling to overcome the King’s demands of his love life. Meanwhile, Cinderella (played by ‘Downton Abbey”s Lily James) is being forced to scrub her own home from top to bottom by her evil stepmother Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett) and her hideous daughters (in case you didn’t already know the story).

‘You take these two characters and you take the best qualities that are within them and over the course of the film you see these qualities be pushed and tested’, Madden continues. ‘The connection they have with each other, even though they’re far apart, brings those best qualities out.’ (source)

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January 22 2014

Richard Madden tells how he risked life and limb in new Klondike role

Richard Madden has revealed how he risked life and limb to recreate the Klondike gold rush.

The Scot had to escape an avalanche by running towards it while filming the series, his first in North America.

And he was left hanging off a 9000ft mountain by a rope in a blizzard.

The former Game of Thrones star was thrown into raging rapids as he rafted down a river. And during filming of the epic Klondike, which premiered in the US two days ago, cameras froze at -38C.

Richard, who grew up in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, said: “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Klondike shows humans in the rawest form, where the stakes are literally life or death every day. Things are out of your control and how you react defines you as a person.”

Richard, 27, plays adventurer Bill Haskell, who escapes life behind a desk to join the 1890s Klondike gold rush to find fortune and love with entrepreneur Belinda Mulrooney, played by Abbie Cornish.

Richard’s most frightening moment came as they were filming above the clouds.

He said: “At that altitude, the air is so thin you can’t breathe but we were having to run uphill towards an avalanche – for shelter. We were at our limits physically. I always try to be as fit as I can but this was definitely the most physical job I have ever had to do.”

The actors were roped together, hanging off a mountain and buffeted by a blizzard while saying their lines, .

Richard – who is dating Doctor Who’s Jenna-Louise Coleman – said: “As an actor, you don’t have to pretend – you are simply in the elements the character is experiencing. We were at the end of our tether. The weather has been brutal and there were points when we were on a frozen lake where the cold was intense, reinforced by four huge snow machines – so the snow was really hitting you in the face.”

Klondike was shot in Alberta, Canada, and part way through, the location had to be evacuated after flooding.

At one stage, Richard – who is being tipped for Hollywood stardom after winning the part of Prince Charming in Disney’s Cinderella opposite Downton Abbey’s Lily James – had to throw himself into dangerous river rapids.

The actor, who played Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, said: “I tried to convince myself that it’s just a big set and they can turn off these river rapids whenever they wanted.”

Executive producer on the six-hour series was Aliens director Ridley Scott. He said: “Shooting at minus 20C and even -38C, it is stultifyingly hard.”

(source)

MAGAZINE SCANS > TV Guide: December 30, 2013 [+1]
MAGAZINE SCANS > TV Guide: January 06, 2014 [+1]
MAGAZINE SCANS > Sunday Mail: January 05, 2014 [+1]

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December 08 2013

Richard for The Observer

“I didn’t sleep properly last night,” says Richard Madden, drinking a pint at his local. “I’m thinking it’s because I knew I was going to have to talk about this.”

“This” is an event that concerns Madden’s character in the HBO series Game of Thrones. If you’re not fully up to date with the show, scram. This is your spoiler alert. In an episode watched by half a million UK viewers on Sky Atlantic in June, Madden was killed off savagely and with so little warning that some (honestly, there’s video proof) leapt off their sofas.

In the aftermath Twitter went all capitalised and intense. US talkshow host Conan O’Brien called it “the most stunning thing any of us have seen in television. Maybe ever”. Madden, months later, says he’s still approached by the traumatised. “Just yesterday a guy came up to me, crushed. He asked, ‘Why would someone do this?'”

It’s a question, really, for George RR Martin, the American author whose novels have been adapted by HBO. Martin’s fiction takes place in a cruel, medieval-like world, where murder is commonplace. The author seems to revel in it, killing off popular, morally spotless characters knowing his readers (with their soppy, modern notions of fairness) won’t see it coming.

What it all means for those cast in the TV version is that when new episodes are hacked out of Martin’s long books, and scripts are distributed, “you get a lot of terrified actors,” says Madden, “tearing through the pages going ‘Do I die? Do I die?!'”

Madden, 27, who grew up in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, 15 miles from Glasgow, knew his character was doomed from the outset. He had worked in theatre (Romeo at the Globe) before being cast as Thrones’ youthful lordling, Robb Stark, in 2009. Senior producers admitted to Madden, early, that they couldn’t wait to get to the filming of his slaying. And on his first day on set, crew and cast approached, asking, “My God, do you know how you’re going to die?”

He managed to stay ignorant of the details for a few years. “I made a deliberate effort not to read ahead.” Madden’s girlfriend is the Doctor Who actor Jenna Coleman, so theirs is a household well practised in spoiler containment. One night, though, Madden risked a Google search …

(Read the rest at the source)

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