#that man IS art

[evmorfiad]

Hello *waves* Since you wanted asks ... I'm curious, what are your top 3 Joseph Mawle characters? And what makes him so special in your eyes? Cheers!

Those are awesome questions! I suck at explaining my thoughts, sometimes I feel I don’t even know what they ARE exactly and I tend to give too much of a backstory, but I'll try my best.

May be the second question first; What makes him so special in your eyes?

I'm from Germany, and though there are some good shows, I always find the actors performances lacking. I can 'feel' them acting, instead of 'being' the characters. No matter how good and experienced an actor is. It must be the German acting and directing culture, or may be the language, because when German actors are in international productions, they are so much better. Therefore, I tend to be very sensitive to people’s performances being natural.

I think Joseph Mawle is one of the most 'naturalistic' performers that I've ever seen. I can feel him 'be' that character. I think his 'disability' is what has let him grow into this, being hard of hearing and dyslexic. I think he's a master at non-verbal communication, and he conveys so much emotion through facial expressions and body language even in very fleeting moments, and it gives his characters so much depth. I think he's also forced to be very conscious of intonation, so every word carries very thought-out emotional meaning. In both cases you might not even catch it, but unconsciously it influences you. He's said himself that he takes longer to read and learn lines and I guess also to do research into a new character. I would also guess he therefore has to additionally use all other senses available to him very intensively to do so, and I think that can force an actor to get even more emotionally involved. I think that is reflected in the performances that I have seen so far, and it makes for an even more immersive experience of that story. It seems that he completely melts into his roles. It's so intense, you can't look away when he's on screen.

I also think the fact that he seems to avoid the limelight intentionally nowadays by more often than not choosing side characters or main ones in very niche genres, shows that he chooses his vocation for the sake of the art of acting itself, of wanting to tell and also experience that specific story arc of that specific character. He does not want to be side-tracked by anything else. This of course applies to many performers, but coupled with the above element, it makes for a very potent mix.

Therefore, I also think it is imperative to include many, many more people with 'disabilities' in any kind of art. It will make art bloom in full and reach its inherent potential of giving a unique kind of life to society.

I could say many, many more things about this unique individual, but I'll shut up … for now.

Now onto the first question: What are your top 3 Joseph Mawle characters?

HARD!!! So UNFAIR!!!

So far I've seen him in: Sir Gadabout, Soundproof, Silent Witness, The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton, Persuasion, Merlin, Sometimes the Moon is Velvet, Murder on the Orient Express, Made in Dagenham, Women in Love, The Cold Light of Day, Twelve, In the Heart of the Sea, Ripper Street, A Winter's Tale, Game of Thrones, Troy - Fall of a City, Mr. Jones, Land's End, the music video to 'Behold the Hurricane', the TOYOTA commercial, the documentary 'Words of the Titanic' and The Rings of Power.

WOW! I did not realise how much I already HAVE seen. And still there is SO much to STILL see!

Special mentions beforehand: Captain Harry Harville from 'Persuasion' (2007). It was the first role I ever saw him in, back in ca. 2009. He has a special place in my heart. Sir Tificate from 'Sir Gadabout - The worst Knight in the Land', because I just LOVE the fact that he was part of a children’s show, and I'd found it, unexpectedly, VERY entertaining. AND Michael from 'Land's End'. That performance. The eyeliner. Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy' is finally a permanent fixture on my favorite songs playlist.

In no particular order … or … may be yes … or no …

Detective Inspector Jedediah Shine (Ripper Street Seasons 2 & 5)

While only the first season existed, I'd loved Bennet Drake, such a sweety, but the MOMENT Jedediah arrived on screen when the second season came along I was HOOKED. HOOKED I tell you! He was SO fascinating! Such a bastard, so self-assured, so confident and stylish. He also had some of the best lines I ever heard in any series. He seemed vulnerable and such a hard ass at the same time. And he TERRIFIED me! I'd never been terrified of any fictional character THAT intensely before. I just didn't know what he would decide to do next. I wanted him to lose and win at the same time. SUCH a roller coaster ride of emotions. An amazing performance. - And I am SO not a fan of the bulky kind of man, but DAMN…!

Dean Whittingham (Soundproof)

What he managed to do here is special. Not only to him, since it was his breakout role, but his execution of the depiction of the 'disability' of being deaf. He was praised in an article written by a deaf person who saw the movie. That is a feat. This story was also a roller coaster ride of feelings. Is Dean the murderer or not? Experiencing WITH him the frustration and helplessness of being dependent on another person translating while being accused and interviewed by police. There is a scene where he does suddenly verbalise his frustration because he is SO desperate, and the way he was able to produce that 'sound' was AMAZEBALLS! I fell in love with Joe’s talent all over again.

Adar (The Rings of Power)

I've loved the design of the Uruks ever since I saw 'The Fellowship of the Ring' back in 2002, but to feel FOR and identify WITH them took the appearance of Adar. I think it was only at the beginning of last year, that I read that Joseph was a part of The Rings of Power, and I'd been excited about it long before that, but this information just increased my excitement by a MASSIVE amount. I was not disappointed. Adar is by far my absolute favourite character of the show, and it's in no small part because of Mr. Mawle’s embodiment of him. The moment he was on screen and I saw those tears in his eyes when 'saying' goodbye to Magrot … I was IN LOVE! I KNEW that this storyline would be something special and unique, and I am so happy that Joe was a part of that. There is still so much mystery around who he used to be, and so many interesting theories about what will happen to/with him, that I am still HEARTBROKEN about the recast. The coming together, the amalgamation of THAT character with THAT artist was a chemical reaction that resulted in a unique and very impactful experience.

There you have it.

End of my two-and-a-half page essay. Ooops … sorry, not sorry.

Credits for the wonderful gifs featured here go to @joemawle

Thank you SO much for all the time and work you put into making them ❤️

And thank you @chris-pikes for these wonderful questions! 💗

[noodles-and-tea]

:(((

[wynsvre]

hi this is a comic about me please be nice

[miloheilo]

Same man I was before

[phantom-shell]

Fiddleford Hadron Mcgucket, you will always be famous

[keegbee]

celebrating my 5 year top surgery anniversary today, so I wanted to draw something that reflects the bliss of feeling your chest for the first time. happy pride 🏳️‍⚧️⚧️💙🩷🤍

[aznisure]

belly of the beast

[kate-bot]

billford comic i made while i was hungry >:3

[hamletthedane]

Thinking about him (the soldier in Poynter’s Faithful Until Death painting watching an apocalypse unfold around him with horror in his eyes as he tries to keep himself standing beneath a doorway, based on an actual 19th century archeological find of a man in full soldier’s garb under a doorway at Pompeii)

[flawlessflesh]

a mermaid duet, featuring our shining stars laios and thistle

[armadillorollup]

in honour of wolvie returning to the big screen here's a fond childhood memory

[fantasydoctor]

[noodles-and-tea]

Fordsy redraws ;)

[crumplstiltskin]

🛹

[chaldkicker]

Parasite

[phantom-shell]

Fiddleford found one of his old shirts