It’s
easy to struggle to find that single word to describe the naturally
dark-haired, tall, lanky, green-eyed Harry Lloyd’s acting, but “versatile” may
be as close as you can get. And
“talented.”
He’s
also a master of disguises—altering his looks, his voice, his mannerisms, and
his overall character. One minute, he’s donning
a shoulder-length bleached-blonde wig, dragging whores, hissing horrible misogynistic
atrocities, and tackling his pregnant sister while commanding, “you do not talk
back to me!” (among worse things) in Game
of Thrones. The next, he’s making you crease with laughter via irreverent
comments like “you binned your budgie?!” or suggesting he’s willing to have
“relations” in a cemetery in Oscar &
Jim. He can contort his face in a
smile that looks awkwardly beautiful one second; disarmingly dastardly the next;
entertainingly ambiguous moments later.
His laugh is as equally infectious as it can be sinister. And he has a half-cocked head-quirk that may
as well be considered his “signature look”—adapted to fit the role he happens
to be playing at the time, somehow managing to suit either nice or nasty.
Above: Harry
Lloyd as Will Scarlett in Robin Hood (circa
2006)
©
BBC/Tiger Aspect
Harry
Lloyd, born November 17, 1983 in London, England and the
great-great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens (yes, that Dickens—the lineage is on his mother’s side), may not yet be a
household name but his slow-yet-steady ascent towards the celestial skies of
stardom seems to be gaining stamina of late.
He hasn’t used his “famous” ancestry in his favor, either. Although he
got his start in 1999’s David Copperfield playing the roguish Young Steerforth, he did not reveal his Dickens
connection while being considered for the part. But he has not shunned his roots, either. He studied Dickens in school—he attended Eton
and then graduated from Oxford, where he studied English Literature, in 2005—and,
of course, returned to his ancestor’s milieu by playing the aforementioned
Herbert Pocket in 2011’s Great
Expectations. (Arguably, he would
have played a marvelous Pip but, alas, it was not meant to be!)Left: Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones (2011)
©
HBO Productions
Recently,
Lloyd has wrapped up his role as Ferdinand, the treacherous, incestuous brother
of the eponymous The Duchess of Malfi
in John Webster’s play. The show ended
on June 9, 2012, after a several months’ run at London’s Old Vic Theatre. Malfi
received mostly strong, positive reviews, notably due to the acting,
particularly of leading lady Eve Best. Lloyd’s presence on stage was not
overlooked, either. One Variety
critic noted earlier this year that the actor’s “trimmed text delivers all the
play's horrific set-pieces and high body count. To his immense credit, however,
he unfashionably refuses to deliver a thrill-ride; instead he's intent on
delivering a more morally responsible vision. His staging of the duchess's
murder by strangulation takes a horribly long time, leaving no doubt about the
appalling nature of the act” (Benedict). Clearly, Lloyd has no trouble being
treacherous on stage or screen, as his past roles illuminate. But he’s also
completely comfortable with playing the simple-minded, the sincere, and the
sympathetic. And he’s believable in such
roles.
Right: Harry
Lloyd as Ferdinand in The Duchess of
Malfi (2012) at London’s Old Vic Theatre
From:
“Stage Photos.” Harry Lloyd Source. Harry-lloyd.com. 7 April 2012. Web. 10
June 2012. <http://harry-lloyd.com/>.
For
instance, at his finest, Robin Hood’s Will
Scarlett is a sincere, passionate soul who “speaks” through his savvy carpentry
skills and his sympathy for others.
“What happens to loved ones you leave behind?!” he charges his
less-altruistic comrades in one episode of Robin
Hood; in another, he’s cradling a baby with the natural grace of a father;
and he seems the only lad smart enough to recognize a woman in poor boy’s rags
(racheyrach07). He stands up for his
family, he protects others, and he’s one of the few men of the gang bold enough
to say the word “love”—and to do something about it.
So
how does one young actor, still in his twenties, manage to channel a
Machiavellian persona one instance and a humanely human one the next?
Unpacking
such a question is where Lloydalists takes its cue. In this blog, and our associated Twitter
account (@Lloydalists), we follow, evaluate,
and celebrate the work and career of actor Harry Lloyd. Lloydalists is not about incessant idol-worship
or random bursts of giddy droning; here, we discuss Lloyd respectfully and,
hopefully, with a little more refinement than may be found elsewhere. Our goal is to chart the accomplishments and
“great expectations” of a promising young star whom, we feel, is worthy of
support, admiration, and loyalty. Will
there be bursts of enthusiasm, excitement, and energy? Certainly!
But we hope to share our jubilations through the latest information,
documented sources, and news articles we can find—and via the most thoughtful
and thoughtfully-written musings we can muster.
Please
join us in our admiration. If you have a
story to share—anything from a news article to a personal anecdote—about Harry
Lloyd, feel free to contact us at Lloydalists@gmail.com, if you’d like us
to consider sharing it with others. Also, if you like what you find here,
spread the word and follow us on Twitter.
Think of Lloydalists as something like Robin Hood’s gang of lads (minus
the stealing-from-the-rich part), uniting in a common cause and looking for
something to believe in—or, rather, someone whom we believe deserves attention
and support.
We
hope that you will continue to read and participate in discussions on the
Lloydalist blog as we, too, continue to grow in our endeavors.
Above: British actors Harry
Lloyd and Jodie Whitaker, presenters at the 2012 Olivier Awards.
From:
“Galleries.” The Olivier Awards. The Society of London Theatre. 2012 April. Web.
10 June 2012. Olivierawards.com. <http://www.olivierawards.com/galleries/>.
Works Cited and
Referenced
Benedict, David.
“The Duchess of Malfi.” Stage Review. Chicagoribune.com.
30 March 2012. Web. 7 June 2012. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-30/entertainment/sns-201203301254reedbusivarietynve1117947321mar30_1_bosola-ferdinand-duchess>.
David Copperfield. Dir. Simon
Curtis. Perf. Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Emilia Fox, Pauline
Quirke, Harry Lloyd, et al. BBC Productions. 1999. Film.
Game of Thrones. Dir. Alan Taylor et al. Perf.
Harry Lloyd, Lena Heady, Peter Dinklage, et al. HBO, 2011-Present. TV Series.
Great Expectations. Dir. Brian Kirk. Perf. Douglas
Booth, Vanessa Kirby, Gillian Anderson, Mark Addy, Harry Lloyd, et al. BBC
Masterpiece. 2011. TV Miniseries.
“Harry Lloyd
(I)—Bio.” The Internet Movie Database. IMDB.com.
Web. 9 June 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516003/bio>.
Oscar & Jim. Dir. Iain Weatherby. Perf. Charlie
Covell and Harry Lloyd. Anchovy Pictures, 2009. Oscarandjim.com. Web. <http://www.oscarandjim.com/watch/part01.php>.
Film Short.
racheyrach0.
“Will Scarlett’s Best Bits.” YouTube.com.
18 June 2007. Web. 9 June 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU69nq4Vu1c&feature=related>.
Robin Hood. Dir. Matthew Evans et al. Perf. Jonas
Armstrong, Gordon Kennedy, Sam Troughton, Richard Armitage, et al. BBC/Tiger
Aspect, 2006-2008. TV Series.
The Iron Lady. Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Perf. Meryl
Streep, Jim Broadbent, Alexandra Roach, Harry Lloyd, et al. Pathé International
and Universal, 2011. Film.
~Written & Posted by C~
Nice citation list.
ReplyDelete