Fantasy Leading Ladies for Richard Armitage as Dr. Astrov in Uncle Vanya October 10, 2019 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1266)

The talented British actors Richard Armitage and Toby Jones in the diptych above  from June 28^th, 2019 (thanks to Chrissy Lampard sharing Baz Bamigboye’s tweet) mentions leading ladies yet to be cast in the upcoming January 2020 British production of Chekov’s enduring play Uncle Vanya.

 

And it makes me wonder who will be cast as Richard’s/Dr. Astrov’s (and Toby’s/Uncle Vanya’s) love interest in Yelena?   Wiki links information about the play Uncle Vanya—which I plan to read on my Kindle for PC soon–refer to Yelena as a much younger than her elderly professor husband and a lovely woman.  So she is a trophy wife, somebody else’s trophy wife. Ha!

And perhaps Yelena is ripe for the plucking by the suave and smouldering Richard Armitage as Dr. Astrov (below, thanks to Cyn Dainty’s tweet):

So might a return of the beautiful Lucy Griffiths –below, who formerly portrayed Lady Marian to Mr. Armitage’s Sir Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood–as Richard Armitage’s acting partner be in order?

Although the lovely and youthful Ms. Griffiths is about 33 years of age now (Happy Birthday to her today)—6 years older than the stated 27 years of age for the character of Yelena– she is also 15 years Mr. Armitage’s junior.

And during the time they were filming the Robin Hood tv show from 2006 to 2009, Mr. Armitage was asked in an interview if he had considered dating Ms. Griffiths?  What a question that would be now!  Yet, he had smoothly and self-deprecatingly replied at the time that “she is very beautiful. But I am far back in the queue”—if I remember that quote correctly.

So might a new acting colleague for Richard be a good idea to play Yelena opposite him–such as the flame haired and also very beautiful  37 year old Lotte Verbeek (below from the tv show The Borgias)—and more recently from the tv show Outlander?

Though Ms. Verbeek is 10 years the senior of the Yelena character’s 27 years, Ms. Verbeek could also easily pass for 27 years old  with her unwrinkled complexion (or photoshop magic).  And she is only 11 years younger than Mr. Armitage.  So maybe he would get along higher in the queue?  Ha!

And then there is also the character of the niece of Uncle Vanya  named Sonya, who is in love with Dr. Astrov–but unrequitedly.  The role needs an actress who can be made up to look plain, and act unassuming and “unnoticed”.

Hmmm.  No actress comes to mind at the moment.  But maybe this could be a role given to a spate of rotating actresses?  Or, shall we form a line?  This is where the fantasy leading ladies mention comes in.  Ha!

Oh and one more thing.  Is anyone else delighted that the character of Dr. Astrov’s first name is Mikhail?  Richard hasn’t portrayed a Mikhail yet.  Ha!