Get ready for a captivating chat as we dive deep into the world of storytelling with the incredibly talented stage, film and television actor Richard Armitage, on the next-to-the-last episode of the World Famous Podcast, The Thriller Zone with host David Temple.

You might know him from epic roles like Thorin Oakenshield in *The Hobbit* or the chilling Francis Dolarhyde in *Hannibal*, but today we're peeling back the layers to uncover the writer behind the actor.

Richard's latest novel, *The Cut*, takes us on an intimate, psychological journey that explores the messiness of human motives and childhood memories. We’ll discuss how he balances his life in performance with his passion for writing and the surprising insights he’s gained about himself throughout this creative process.

David Temple, our charismatic host, does an excellent job of drawing out Richard's insights about the writing process, the balance between acting and writing, and the intimate details that shape his storytelling.

One standout moment occurs when Richard shares the inspiration for The Cut, sparked by a poignant encounter with a man from his past while visiting his mother’s grave. This conversation is not just about crafting a narrative; it’s a reflection on the complexities of human emotions, the impact of childhood experiences, and how they manifest in adulthood. As Richard explains, the book explores themes of shame, bullying, and the haunting memories that linger long after childhood ends.

It’s a heartfelt exploration that resonates with anyone who’s grappled with their own past, making it a compelling listen that invites introspection and connection.

So, kick back, relax, and join us for a delightful conversation filled with unexpected twists, laughter, and a whole lot of heart with actor and author Richard Armitage and his new friend, David Temple on episode #249 of The Thriller Zone.

Takeaways:

• This episode marks the end of Season 9 of The Thriller Zone, which has been quite a journey!
• Richard Armitage, known for roles in The Hobbit and Hannibal, shares his transition into writing with his novel, The Cut.
• The conversation dives into the emotional depth of storytelling and how personal experiences shape narratives.
• We explore the balance between acting and writing, discussing the unique challenges faced in both fields.
• Richard reveals that the spark for his story often comes from real-life moments and interactions with people.
• The importance of discipline in writing is emphasized, highlighting that even small time slots can lead to creativity.

Keywords: Thriller Zone podcast, Richard Armitage interview, psychological storytelling, writing and acting balance, author interviews, audiobook narration, character development in writing, creative process insights, psychological thriller novels, storytelling techniques, emotional depth in literature, acting and writing synergy, insights from successful authors, writing advice for aspiring authors, human experience in fiction, adapting books for television, character creation process, personal experiences in storytelling, themes of childhood in literature, exploring human motives in stories

Mentioned in this episode:

LITC New 12-21-25

Life In Two Columns: Shit That Matters. And Everything Else. Get it now for ONLY $.99 in ebook or $9.99 in paperback on Amazon, and you can get in audiobook, read by me, for only $10.99 at DavideTemple.com

LITC New 12-21-25

Life In Two Columns: Shit That Matters. And Everything Else. Get it now for ONLY $.99 in ebook or $9.99 in paperback on Amazon, and you can get in audiobook, read by me, for only $10.99 at DavideTemple.com

Hello and welcome to the Thriller Zone. I'm your host, David Temple and we are just about this close to wrapping up season nine of the Thriller Zone. Hard to believe.

Four and a half years, but yeah, we're doing it. And we are going out with a Ba ba ba ba baaam.

Yeah, you know, most of us know today's guest Richard Armitage as the force behind roles like Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit or Francis Dolarhyde in Hannibal. Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood. But today I'm more interested in the storyteller beneath all of that. Fantastic actor. Yes, brilliant writer as well.

With his novel the Cut, he steps into a different arena, one that's intimate, psychological and deeply, deeply human. We're going to talk about where that story began, how he balances writing and with a life built on performance.

And wait till you hear the inside scoop and what he has learned about himself in the process. As has been the case with Riverside of late, there have been some, some snafus and they're quite irritating.

Hopefully I'll be able to cut out most of them. But I hope Riverside gets their together and I hope you'll enjoy this fantastic conversation with Richard Armitage.

I'm telling you, every once in a while you meet someone and you go, yeah, I'm a little starstruck. But five minutes into the conversation you feel like you're sitting down with a mate, just having a conversation.

Either way, it's a delightful, delightful conversation and just pretty much the perfect way to wrap up the season almost. Because we do have one more show, something we like to call the Dave and Tammy Year end extravaganza.

But right now, get ready, sit back, crank up the volume if you're driving and just enjoy a riveting, heartfelt conversation with actor and now writer Richard Armitage right here on the Thriller Zone.

Hi.

Damn, you're a fine looking young man.

Oh, thanks. Yes. In rainy New York. Where are you? Are you in la?

I'm in San Diego.

Oh, nice. Very nice.

Equally, equally sunny and a little less populated.

I could do with some sun.

Oh, I tell you what though, isn't New York's pretty sweet center of the universe? Yeah, all that.

Yeah. Not today. Miserable and gray. Very British weather today. Oh, you moved over to the other side.

There is a ghost in the machine. This happened to me yesterday. I was, I was, I was on a session and right in the middle of a brilliant. Can you hear me?

Yeah, I can hear you. Good.

Right in the Middle of a brilliant conversation on his part, not mine. He was right at the peak of the story. And David then. And it did that right there. And I'm like, mother of pearl. Anyway.

Anyway, here we are. You sound good. You sound bassy.

I am bassy. Yeah.

No, I wish I had one of those nice mics as well, but I've only got my computer at the moment.

You know what, though? Your presence kind of trumps the bassiness. Plus, I'll be honest with you, I had this voice at, like, 16. I was a freak of nature, so very good.

Hence the podcast.

Yes. Hence the 25 years in major market radio. But this is about you, by the way. What a hell of a read. The Cut, folks. Richard Armitage, this.

All right, first of all, I'm gonna. I'm gonna fanboy a little bit, but I won't do all your classic fanboy. My fanboy comes at the fact that you're this brilliant actor.

Accolades of the wazoo. But then you do this. You write not one, but two books. This is your second. And I'm like, oh, man. Talking about being loaded with talent.

Bask in that, would you, Richard? Bask.

Thank you. Yeah, it's. It's interesting because I. I feel like it's really in the same.

The same waters that I normally swim, which is just a kind of deeply passionate love of. Of storytelling. And I. You know, I fantasize about all of these different scenarios.

I'm one of those people that I like people watching, and my brain will create little. Little stories as to what's happening with their day. And so. So I let my imagination let rip.

Isn't that one of the greatest little secrets? Like, when people say, where do you get your ideas? I'm like, go to a coffee shop and eavesdrop. Right?

Yeah. I used to do it as a kid when we. Whenever we were kind of on holiday. I would look out of the window and.

And we would drive past a person on the street, and my. I would start to imagine where they're going, where they're coming from, what's their story, you know, what's the intrigue. Oh, I lost you now.

I don't. Beside.

Yeah, yeah, I could get.

This is not the first time anyway.

Okay. It isn't for you.

No.

Okay.

What were we saying? Did you catch any of that?

I.

Watching people.

Yeah, let me. Let me rephrase that, because this is. This is your. This is up your alley. So people watching, one of the greatest things you can ever do.

People go, oh, where do you get your eyes. Ideas. I'm like, go to a coffee shop and eavesdrop.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I used to. I used to do it a lot when I was on holiday. I'd look out the car window and I would sort of.

The car would drive past somebody and I would just start to think, what's. Where are they coming from, where they're going to, what's their story? What's the intrigue?

And even as a little kid, I would just try to imagine who they were and what they were doing, and that. That's translated into everything I've done, both as an actor and now as a writer. Yeah, I love it.

I love imagining the sort of pitfalls of human life.

Well, and with this story, there's such a specific emotional feel to it. I mean, and I want to know what that first spark. I'm not going to ask the question, where do you get your ideas? Because we all hate that.

But there is an initial spark that happens where you go, oh, there's gotta be an initial moment, an image where you thought, oh, this is the book.

Yeah, I. I was spending quite a lot of time with my dad back in Leicestershire in. In middle England, and we'd gone to our.

In my little hometown, which is very similar to Barton Mallet, and we'd gone to a cemetery because where my mum is buried. And there was a gentleman across from where we were doing exactly the same thing, similar age to me.

And he came up and said, I'm really sorry for what happened to you at school, what we did to you, but you've done really well for yourself. Well done. And as we were walking home, I said to my dad, I don't remember who that was, but my dad did. My dad knew his name.

And it just sparked that idea of things that happen in childhood. The people that stay home and the people that get out. And I couldn't wait to get out.

But then you go back and you think, oh, some people haven't necessarily moved on because they're almost stuck in time. And I just thought that was a good platform for a story.

Yeah.

And, you know, I have heard you say somewhere that you're a kind of a private person, which people always go, wait a minute, how can that guy who's on stage and do all that be such a private person? I'm like, because you go inward to create this magic.

But I. I always wonder, you know, you've got to dig into raw territory and kind of those things that people don't talk about out loud and I just wondered, do you ever catch yourself thinking, this is maybe a little bit closer to home than I wanted to do?

Yeah, I mean, that was intentional in a way. I just thought the things that were really triggering me and things that I felt. Oh, actually.

I mean, not just the central character, but actually an event that happened when I was in school, which was. There was a double murder very close to my village.

And I remember the feeling in the community, something really shifted and nothing was ever quite the same again. And it became national news.

And I thought, I'm not going to specifically use that event, but it did feel quite raw that it was resolved, the person was caught. But the sort of cycle of his presence in the community kept coming back.

Every time he kept coming up for parole, it kept coming back into the sort of consciousness. And you're like, you never really move on from those things. So I thought, I'll.

I'll write about that, but I'll also focus on childhood, the hierarchy that we all go through in school. Bullying, puberty, racism. I just thought, I can touch on all of those things.

Yeah. And, you know, I'm.

I'm overstated the obvious here, but most people know you as an actor first, I'm sure, but so they know how you inhabit your characters physically, vocally, emotionally, when you sit down to write. And this is kind of that stuff that I. In this show, we always peel back the. The secret sauce.

And so I always wonder, do those acting instincts kick in? So are you essentially casting and performing those scenes in your head as an actor while you create it?

Yeah, and it's written. For audio first, so these are commissioned by Audible Print was the sort of next stage. So it's a performance. Medium.

So I'm writing this as if it's a musical score to be sung. So I record. I say everything aloud to see how it sounds.

But in order to get to the writing, I'm imagining the movie in my head, imagining how the person moves when they come in the door, what's the atmosphere in the room? Because those are the things that stimulate me, and I know those are the things that I can communicate vocally.

So it's a very different doorway that I come in through for writing well.

And. And I hope this. I know this is a compliment. When I watch you on screen, you are you.

You know, I remember back in the day, and I've done a little acting myself back in the day, they would say if he walked in the room and ate. Ate the scenery. It wasn't necessarily a compliment. However, when you appear on screen. You have this thing that you can't look away. There's a.

There's a good handful of people that you just go, all right, I'm glued. I'm not moving. What is he doing? Oh, he's. He's just looking. He's breathing. Oh, what is he up to? He's. Oh, he's got something.

And you're not doing anything. But there's something about your magnetism that.

Goes, wow, that's very kind of you to say. I think. I mean, I. I don't. I. I've always worked in a way that I. I load myself, prime myself with as much information about the character as I can.

And I try to do the same with writing because I once had a teacher at drama school who was sort of monumentally important in my creative life, I think, and she would always talk about the world that you bring with you. Because I think it's maybe a theatrical trait, is that when you walk on stage, you have to bring something with you of where you've been.

She uses an example of.

She was playing a maid with one line in a play, and for the entire sort of run up to her one line, she would be on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Because when she said her one line, she wanted to bring all of that work with her. And I just thought. I always remember that. And I tried to do that.

I tried to bring something with me into the room.

I love that.

I know.

I love that. That is being fully present, too. So when you finish a, you know, a film or stage role, you. You walk away. I'm.

I'm sure you walk away from that character, but with a novel, having written one myself, the are. You're living with those people in your head for months sometimes. You'll talk to some authors. They're. They're.

They're working on these things for years. So did anyone or any particular piece.

It's really more about the person in the cut stay with you in a way that either you didn't anticipate or surprise you.

Yeah. I mean, all of the characters are sort of amalgamations of people that I once knew.

Sure.

But the one character that really impacted me was the one that is completely invented that is not based on anybody real. And that's the character of Dany, who is the stepmother. From Liverpool. She was the one, I think, that brought a little bit of levity to the story.

She would make me laugh out loud when I was writing her and just her exuberance. So, yeah, that that character really stuck with me. And it's interesting that it is the one that's a complete invention.

And don't you find that that magical sense of. I call it the Muse. I don't try to get too woo woo over the Muse, but I personally think the Muse is a real thing. Yeah.

Because otherwise you're creating this universe out of thin air. And if. If you get quiet and then. And I always call it the Muse, tapping my shoulder and saying, how about this idea?

So if you're dialed into that and you're listening and paying attention, it's such a magical place, isn't it?

Yeah. There was. There's a famous anecdote about when.

When Peter Jackson was first making the Lord of the Rings, he was using a program, a computer program, program for the armies called Massive. And it was basically, it would create battles and then they would go away overnight and come back and the battles had expanded.

And on one occasion, the technician came back and the entire army had fled. So there was nothing on screen. And he didn't know where they'd gone. They were lost in cyberspace. And I think characters are a bit like that.

Like you write something, you go and go about your day, you go to sleep, you know, you come back to them two days later, and they've been busy, They've kind of got up to something. They're evolving, which is great.

I mean, and that's what happens to me as an actor is that, you know, you do your work and you let it marinade and then something else happens and it's like that bit is not in your control. And I love that. Yeah.

Wow. I love that. You know, this book plays in a line between what really happened and what we tell ourselves, which is all kinds of nonsense.

For you, how much of that emotional weight in the cut is drawn from your own memories?

A lot of it.

Yeah.

There was also this terrifying hierarchy with the popular kids and the nerds. So I just used all of those things. And actually it wasn't as traumatizing as you might expect. It was more enjoyable than anything else.

But also just, you know, scratching a few itches about things that were said, things that I observed. And it's amazing when you do start to delve into your mental archive, what's been retained without you knowing is always such a surprise.

Yeah. I was talking to an author the other day. I don't remember who it was. And we were talking about how, as writers, we get on this couch with ourselves.

And I don't mean. I don't mean to snuggle, I mean to therapize.

Yeah, yeah.

And I go. And it's so funny. I thought it was a cliche at one time. And then I've talked to other people and, like, wait a minute. Like James Patterson.

I'm talking to him. I'm like, you know, this character seems to keep showing him. Yeah. Daylight. It's because I'm still working it out.

Or I'm talking to Patricia Cornwell, and she's like, well, why do you think I keep trying to meet this bad person? Because I. I haven't figured it out in my head. So I want to say the same with you. That kind of.

Is there uncomfortable work since this book is based on, like, shame and harm and so forth, do you find yourself getting on that own personal couch, the Mies van der Rohe, perhaps, and, you know, working on forgiving yourself or clearing it out or just. Just figuring the out.

My. My Mies van der Rohe is actually an Ames chair. But it's a fake aims chair. I shouldn't really say that publicly, should I?

That's nice, but no, that is my writing. That is my writing space. I. Yes and no. I mean, I do.

I do cut quite a lot of stuff which feels overly indulgent in terms of a therapeutic experience because. And again, this comes back to my work as an actor. It's not about me. This has to be a piece of entertainment for somebody.

So if it feels too much too indulgent, like, oh, he's really working something out here. While there will be a sort of tranche of people that will be interesting to. To other people, it will feel indulgent.

So I do write it, and then I really start to just pull it back, but knowing that it's still there. I mean, that's the other thing I. I've learned about acting is like, even when things are cut, they're not really cut. They're just there in shadow.

Yeah.

Oh, that's a good phrase. You know, I.

When I've been trying to get you on the show for quite some time, and we finally met, thank God, I was fascinated by how you're doing films, tv, voice work. Hello, theater. So it asked the question, when in the wide world of sports, do you have time to write?

Good question. And I'm asking myself the same right now. I did. I do have to get the calculator out a little bit.

Look at the deadline, look at the days I've got available, pray that nothing comes in to sort of stop my writing time. Actually, my writing time is all the time, because my head is writing. I've got the entire next book in my head. It's getting it out. That's the work.

But I spend a lot of time procrastinating, chewing over an idea, chewing over a chapter. So when it does come out, it can flow quite quickly. So I can get through maybe two or three chapters in a day. But, yeah, that's where I write.

On airplanes.

Yeah, I was gonna say airplanes. Gotta be motel rooms. The trailers on set. Yep. Are you a. And if. If I'm asking too personal, just tell me to shut the hell up.

But I'm trying to drill down on discipline because so many of my listeners are writers. Do you find the discipline of going, you know what, Richard, if you've got only an hour today, or, hell, if you've only got 20 minutes, use it here?

I mean, do you get that GR on your self discipline?

I do.

In fact, yesterday I knew I was writing a chapter of the third book yesterday, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish it in the allotted time, but I was okay with that.

Because what's interesting is I sort of continued the writing as I went out about my day and then came back to it today with sort of the finished product in my head and then sort of just get it out, you know? But no, I am disciplined. I. I started life as a. As a dancer and a musician, so I do understand the sort of concept of drilling something.

No one can learn the lines for you, no one can learn the steps for you. No one can do the writing for you. You've got to just sit down and do it.

I find it fascinating, and it's not my strength to learn massive amounts of lines. I don't know if that's short tension Spanish or. Not enough coffee, but I wonder, do you.

I would love to know your method because it's going to transcribe in my mind on how you write. Do you. Are you one of those folks that just. You just read it. You just read it and read it so it becomes natural and common and just automatic.

So then when you show Up. You know that the mechanism is locked in. So then you get to play with all the emotional and the layers and so forth.

A little bit. Yes. And it's like. It is like music. So with a phrase of music. Let's say a phrase of music is like a line of dialogue.

You have to drill it, practice the notes. So that's like what the word feels like in your mouth. And you say it over and over again to get the muscles remembering. Yeah.

But as I'm doing that, I work in pictures, so I'm seeing. I'm learning the lines by seeing the picture. And I often sketch in the margins, like, little.

Diagrams of what the line is about if I can't remember two key adjectives. But one of the things I did do a lot is just before I'm about to sleep. I could have spent a whole day trying to learn lines.

And they won't go in just before sleep. I will just simply read through everything that I've tried to learn in the day.

And when I've woken up in the morning, because my mind has been relaxed through the night, the lines are in.

Wow.

Yeah. A little bit of magic. That's what happens.

Yeah. Oh, my God. You know, I had heard somewhere that you. If you would just read the lines and your. And your ear would hear them, then they would lock in.

But you said something very key there. Key, key, key. And I think about this when I'm trying to master something, when you take the pressure off. And you go, oh.

Not to get too Zen, but, yeah, let go. Let it go. And then your mind feels relaxed to absorb.

That's absolutely my. My philosophy. And it's re. It's such a paradox because you have to drill down and force yourself to. To.

The discipline is a certain amount of force on yourself. But you can't write or you can't write or learn or be creative under pressure. So you have to free. You have to free yourself.

The relaxed mind is the best place to allow creativity in. It's a paradox.

Yeah. And I'm gonna go back to filmmaking. So you show up on a set. We'll use that as an example. The movie is really.

Well, it's the writers, because he created it, or she, but it's kind of the director's thing. So you're one of the cogs in the machine, which is great. Without your cog, the machine doesn't run, but it isn't your machine.

So with the cut, the cut is your machine. You created it. You own it. It is all yours. Does that. Does that give you that feeling of like, oh, yeah, this is mine?

Yes and no. I. I'm very conscious of.

Because my first book was what somebody termed a destination thriller, which was somewhere quite dramatic, you know, the Swiss Alps.

Yeah.

I'm a passionate skier, so going to the Swiss Alps in my imagination and in person was thrilling. I realized with the second book that the destination was actually much more mundane. It was my. My boring little village in middle England.

So I felt responsible for. Is this story going to be exciting enough? And I. But then I. But I've done that with. With film and television as well. Sometimes it's the.

It's the very domestic mundane where the most exciting drama can happen. So I. I've let myself off that. That hook a little bit.

Two quick things. First of all, because I was a little late, and my machine. Fubar. Where are we on time so I don't jam you up?

No, no, we're good.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right. So I wanted to say this, and I always fear of trying to sound like, oh, me too.

But I'm gonna do it because I just finished this book that starts in the Matterhorn.

Okay.

And I. I'm not a good skier, unlike yourself, so I can't really rely on experience there, but there's something magical in the majesty of that. And when you. Makes me want to go back and read your first book, so it makes me go, the location. You said destination, which is interesting.

The location becomes a character. In this book, there were locations that felt like characters. Do you like to bait.

Do you like to, like, find a location like the first book and go, ooh, this is the character? And this will feed the story?

It's. Yeah, I think it's. It's a little bit of nourishment. The location, it can really trigger scenes, ideas how people move around in the space.

So the Swiss Alps, for example. I know how I felt when I've been there, and I find that isolation and the altitude, everything about it. I adore it.

With Barton Mallet, the location in the second book. As an adult, it feels like quite a mundane, boring, small village. As a kid, it was massive.

Going out on our bikes, you know, during the summer holidays, we would get up to all kinds of mischief. And it was. It was this playground that, you know, these shortcuts, these secret little pathways that we had a hill that we would climb. But so.

But as an adult, you look at it and think that's. That's kind of small and uninteresting. But as a kid, it was massive. It was this adventure playground. Yeah. So I enjoyed that part of the storytelling.

Yeah. And I bet you if you went back to those locations today, you would look at that as we all do, and you go, wow, that is so much smaller than I.

Exactly. That's exactly what happens.

Yeah. So the cut does not offer what I would call easy moral answers. People are messy, motives are complicated, things hurt.

Oh.

Kind of like real life. Are you comfortable leaving readers and like, I was a little unsettled at the end. You feel good with that?

I do.

I mean, I, you know, I. I narrate a lot of crime thriller and I'm, you know, I think maybe I get my knuckles wrapped sometimes by editors because I don't like tying up all of the threads completely in a tight little knot. I don't like over explaining things. And I do think that comes from the fact the plot will evolve from the characters first.

And like you said, characters are messy. They're complic. You know, the good. The good girls and the bad boys are not always what they seem.

They've both got kind of shades of gray in each other. So sometimes a person's motivation is odd. It's in. In the. In the person that's. That's doing the deed. You know, it's. It's not all.

It's not all black and white.

Yeah, yeah. I like. I like the gray.

So do I. Yeah. I like many shades.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever number you'd like to give it. Yeah. So when someone closes the cut and like I did, I found myself doing it.

My wife walked in the room and she always. My wife Tammy is amazing. She can always tell when I'm locked in on a book because she'll come in, she's like.

And I'm like, no, no, no, don't, don't, don't. Don't bother me, please. So I sat there at the end.

Do you hope, or rather, what do you hope, that the reader is still echoing in their mind or their gut, you know, chewing on after they turn that last page?

I always get excited. And especially having promoted the book in America, when people have related to that period of their own childhood when.

Because I assumed that when I was writing this, this would be very British, but actually it turns out that most of us have had some kind of school experience where these. These same dynamics are in play.

And I really love it when, if the reader closes the book and starts to think about their own life and what they've done or what they were on the receiving end of.

I Know that the book is a challenge because it is set between two time zones and that was one of the things that came up in the audio is a lot of people were stopping and having to go back to check where the parallels were. So that's, that's a failing of, of mine. But I don't know, I just, I just would love that people think about.

The, the things we do to each other in childhood and how it manifests in us as adults and you know, do the right thing.

Yeah. Oh, there you go. Do the right thing.

I want to, I want to spend a quick second on audiobooks because that is certainly one of your fortes and I do you when you sit down to read it and people think reading an audiobook is easy and I'm like, oh, oh really? Okay, sit down in front of a microphone and do that and let's see how you feel after about two or three hours.

Do you find yourself, and maybe this is a question like does your author allow you the flexibility? And this is a fine detail but blah, blah, blah, blah. He said, blah, blah, blah, blah.

She said, do you like to like and do you find yourself sliding over those and letting a lot of that go, allowing you the interpretation of how it hits you emotionally and viscerally to. Have some flexibility or do you feel like. No, it's, that is the word. I've got to read the word.

I, yeah, I always honor what the author intended on the page, but at the same time I think my personal taste in audiobooks is when it feels like you're listening to somebody who is just telling you a story off the top of their head. So I, I try to make it not sound like I'm reading something that I'm just, I just happen to be talking to you.

And this anecdote has popped into my mind.

Yeah.

And I'm going to communicate that to you. And I try. I, I always think about what a one to one experience. It's just me and you.

I'm going to tell you a story and I don't know how it's going to end because I love that feeling of presence. I like it to feel present.

I also think about a couple of people, one gentleman that came to one of my Q and A's and also just recently seeing Judi Dench talking to Ian McKellen about not being able to see anymore. And she said, well, I can't see the television, I can't read anymore.

And it just rang that bell in me of like talk to her when you're sitting down to read an audiobook because she embodies storytelling. She can't read anymore. So people that can't see, I'm like, okay, I can paint those pictures for you.

That is such a powerful lesson and has just like, as you can see, you've clicked something in my head. It really empowers you to step out of the visual and be really true to the emotion of it. Wow.

Yeah.

I did not also. I also did not know that about her. That's so sad.

Yeah, really sad.

But before I say sad, she may turn to us and go, but it has opened up a lovely other center of life that I probably took for granted. I mean, who knows, right?

And Ian McKellen said something. She said, I can't see anymore. And Ian said to her, but we can see you. Yeah, I just thought, oh, that's a. That's so Ian. But it was a beautiful thing.

And, you know, she's given people. So anyway, we've gone on to Judi Dench, but it's because we. Because we love her.

Yeah, well, and who doesn't? All right, looking forward. And we're going to circle back around. So you're acting constantly, you're writing.

Where do you see writing fitting into your life? Are you. Is this something you're going to try to dip into between projects?

Or as we inferred earlier, you'll just squeeze in the time as you go along. Is it that much of a passion and a drive for you?

It really is. And I feel very honored that I've been accepted by the writing community.

And I want to really prove myself by not just writing one or two books, but having some longevity. And certainly my UK publisher is really supporting me in that.

And the other thing that's happening is that both books have been optioned for television development, which wasn't something. I didn't write that with that intention, but I think it makes sense because my, my work on screen and my cinematic brain has lent itself to that.

So if I can somehow push that very heavy stone up a hill, then that would give me a lot of pleasure. But it's not, it's. That's not the goal. Just love storytelling.

And Richard, I'm gonna say that stone is not gonna be all that heavy for you because, A, you're a phenomenal actor and you're a fantastic writer. So you're. Trifecta quadrifacta sync defecta. I mean. You'Re multi talented. All right. This is something that I always close every show with.

Now I know you're only into number two. And I know there's dozens more, but I always ask my authors, and they come from all ranges. What's your best writing advice?

So what have you garnered in your own self, even with just the two that goes. Here's what I can lay on, David.

Can I. Can I pass on advice that I was given that has been the most valuable piece of advice?

Absolutely.

That actually came from Harlan Coben, who, as you know, I've worked on four of his projects. Now he's become a friend and a sort of unconscious mentor.

Yeah.

But I did. I interviewed him for one of his books, and I asked him that, like, what's the best advice that you would give?

And he said, the worst kind of writing is no writing at all, because you can't shape nothing. And I. It resonated with me because sometimes in a rehearsal room for theater, or even on.

Even on a film set, you walk on set and you don't feel anything. You feel nothing. You're not into it that day. You're not in the mood. Right. But you start. You start trying.

You say the lines, you look at the person in the scene with you, and something happens. And it's the same with writing, I think, if you just start. He opened the door, he walked into the room. Oh, okay. Now the room smells of something.

Okay. Right. About that. It's like you just start.

Yeah.

Staring at a blank page is not going to help. No.

And. And talking about having a Aces mentor. He is one of my favorites. And talking about a guy who's on fire.

I don't know. You ask him the question of how. How do you find time for writing? Because I'm. I don't know. I mean, he's promoting the next Netflix show, but he.

He's going to have dropped another book by then as well. I'm like, I don't know when he's doing this.

Of course he's this. He's this century or this time period's Michael Crichton. I remember growing up as a kid, Michael Crichton was my hero.

I'm like, oh, my God, here's a guy who writes it, helps direct it.

Yeah.

Produces executive. I mean. Yeah. Well, kudos to him. And that's great writing advice. Here's a little phrase that you. You'll appreciate this, Richard. My dad has said the.

He's passed. But he said this to me all growing up. Son, if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.

Ah, brilliant.

Isn't that great?

Brilliant. So you Gotta. Is he saying, you've really got to know what you're aiming at?

Know what you're aiming at, Aim, take action.

Yeah.

Because if you don't, if you don't know what it is, or you're not aiming and you're not taking action, guess what you're gonna hit? That. That success, which isn't. It's a great little parallel.

It is.

I've never forgotten it.

If you combine both of those pieces of advice, you could say you may not know what you're aiming at, but if you hold. If you. If you strike up the bow and arrow and pull back the string, it might appear.

Right.

It might appear in front of you. And then you'll go, yes, that's what I'm aiming at.

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Well, this was delightful. Thank you so much for spending the time.

Thank you.

Yeah, the. The complications are just a part of life, aren't they?

They are.

Folks, the. The book is the cut. I would. I would. I would plug your website, Richard, however I could. I found plenty of celebrity websites for you.

I don't have one. I have. Have social media, but I don't. I don't have a website.

We've got to rectify that.

I. I never wanted the obligation to keep posting things. Once you put something out there, you've got to keep posting things. I like to disappear and then come back.

Yeah, well put. Well, the book was fantastic. You're about as delightful as they come. Gracious. Thank you.

You're very welcome. Thanks, David. I hope we can do this again.

Oh, I would love that. Oh, number three.

When's that coming out in audio? It will be second half of next year.

And I love the fact that you're starting at audio. That was that. That's just brilliant because that's. That. I don't want to say that's your forte, but it's certainly one of the fortes.

So the fact that you start there and reverse engineer with a written word, that's awesome.

Very different.

Oh, love it. We'll be looking for that.

Thank you. The feeling.