WOW! Sign me UP! Why you joined the Rufus fanwagon

[maxx02]

I think I remember first seeing Rufus in Dark City. I may have seen a bit here and there of Middlemarch but I was pretty busy that year. I've followed his career on and off over the years, watching sporadically, enjoying most things. I always found him good. Sometimes I even found him exceptional, but until the last few years, I never found him brilliant.

But Tristan + Isolde really knocked my socks off. I'm always very impressed by actors who can "be still". Humorously, I went to see T+I because I like David O'Hara but immediately forgot him as soon as I got good view of Rufus repitoire.

After that I went back and started filling in the gaps. It's wonderful to see how he's matured as an actor over the years.

[pattirose]

That is so strange, T&I is what did it to me also! I only picked up the movie because I love the genre but I was totally smitten by Ruf's performance. I'd seen him in Knight's Tale and Bless The Child but didn't join the fanwagon and go and buy all his dvds till after T&I!!

[pendarim]

I'm another one who was hooked by T&I! I had seen AKT well before that, but I was too distracted by Jocelyn's hair and hats that I didn't notice Rufus!

I saw T&I in August and was immediately interested in Marke. I remember saying "Uh oh!" out loud because I thought he'd be a bad guy at first, but as soon as he spoke, I was permanently on his side. I just couldn't feel any sympathy for Tristan and Isolde.

In less than three months, I've picked up every DVD I could get my hands on. It's gotten to the point where I'll have to get a Region 2 player so I can see Taming of the Shrew...

I don't know what it is that made me such a fan. Sure, Ruf's looks are an attention-getter, but it's more than that. I've seen very few actors who can do so many types of roles so believably.

The scene in Helen of Troy where Agamemnon talks about killing his daughter was brilliant! He was the only character I felt any sympathy for.

More later...my internet connection is acting up !

Pen

[mcr5137]

Well I first noticed him in A Knight's Tale and immediately wanted to know who he was. After looking him up, I realized I had seen him in "The Very Thought of You" and "Dangerous Beauty" (which I only saw because she was in Braveheart) as well. Then I sort of didn't think much about him for a while. Like the rest of you so far.........I saw Tristan and Isolde (I love anything medieval!) and while I was watching I thought, "Holy cow, that's the dude from Knight's Tale"!!! After that I had to find out EVERYTHING! And so began my quest to watch everything he had done! I'm almost there...........I still lack a few of his earliest stuff, and I never found "Victoria's Station" anywhere.......but other than that, I've seen it all and have more respect for him as an actor than ever before! Well, the fact that he's drop-dead-gorgeous (in a unique sort of way) doesn't hurt either!!!

Michelle

[Shecreature]

I always thought of Rufus Sewell as something of a swarmy git.. ;D I saw him in Dangerous Beauty on cable years ago and thought something like "that guy belongs in the fifties with a bodgie haircut and a thick gold chain medallion .." Then I saw him in Hamlet and he was all smouldering swagger but I was too besotted with Kenneth Branagh .. but I certainly knew who he was.. and then I saw him in TOTS.. I just fell head over tail.. and went splash onto the nearest website which was the wonderful EMS ...

Then I discovered with the help of our Admin Goddess.. an extraordinarily sensitive artistic genius in the work that I have seen so far.. and can't wait to see what is to come..

[ree]

After seeing Dark City I Googled him, a first, admittedly in part because of his physical beauty. I found the Geocities coll. of interviews and discovered a complex yet "real" individual dedicated to his craft with a refreshing knowledge of himself.
I haven't seen his entire body of work but have found his range, chameleon like visage, & the emotion he brings to each part thrilling thus far.
As I said in another post I am enchanted.

I also think he was exceptional in T&I and demonstrated a marvelous range of emotions as Marke. Why do you suppose the movie didn't do better at the box office? Lack of promotion? What do you all think?
Ree

[maxx02]

James Franco?

Marketing, actually. Once again, Hollyweird marketed to a an imagined demographic. They thought young kids would come to watch the love story never realizing that the the real interest in the piece is Marke. Rufus just runs away with the story. And this isn't only my Rufus-centric, neurosis speaking here, many, many reviewers have remarked on that very thing.

If you're 14 and you're going to drool over James Franco in a Romeo and Juliet story, this film will likely not be your cup of tea. Sadly it never seemed to occur to H'wood that it might appeal to a more grown-up market.

In fact everyone I know who has seen it, Rufus fan or not has really enjoyed it. My 68 year old 007-loving father, who would have never thought to see it at the movies loved it on DVD. But it never occured to H'wood to market it to him.

It's a film about honor and battle and strength. Of course you have to get through the long bits where there is nothing but James Franco without his shirt... but hey, it's a small price to pay.

I live for the day when you can recut a DVD to suit your tastes.

[sevensisters]

I first became hooked on Rufus after seeing him in Charles II (and now I've found out my DVD is missing an hour!) Shortly after that A Knight's Tale was on television -- I'd avoided it because of Joselyn's outrageous costumes and the use of rock music in a medieval tale but Rufus redeemed it for me. Then Helen of Troy was on. After that I googled his film history and I realized I'd seen him in other films such as Middlemarch, Cold Comfort Farm, and Carrington without putting it all together. He's an incredibly versatile actor and plays in such widely varying roles.

But T & I really did it for me! He stole the story, so much so that I couldn't understand Isolde preferring the petulant Tristan over Lord Marke.

As an actor Rufus is so much more expressive than many others -- James Franco as Tristan, for one. He uses his eyes so effectively....of course, his extreme good looks don't hurt, either. I'm looking forward to his future roles. Hopefully, he'll begin to have larger roles, ones he's at least given credit for. So many movies he's in, you'd never know he was there unless you followed his career, for all the credit he's given.

[Tinkerdog]

Charles II - not only got me hooked to Rufus but to Charles II as well. A wonderful way to begin - with three hours of Rufus (a year later I got to enjoy the fourth hour). I started watching his movies backward as far as Amazon.com and Ebay could take me and then I moved forward. Now I am going backward again - it is a great ride and I am not relinquishing my spot.

Rufus is a very powerful actor - he remarks that he does not know why everyone mentions his eyes - because he communicates more with his eyes than with his written script. He walks onto a scene and controls it as well as his character. He can steal a scene without uttering a word.

[mcr5137]

tinkerdog said:

Rufus is a very powerful actor - he remarks that he does not know why everyone mentions his eyes - because he communicates more with his eyes than with his written script. He walks onto a scene and controls it as well as his character. He can steal a scene without uttering a word.

Holy cramoli, tinkerdog, you are not kidding! He is AMAZING with his facial expressions and subtle body language......but his eyes are beyond amazing, IMHO! And I'm not talking the gorgeous green........I'm talking the acting those eyes can do. I think they should be nominated for something in the acting catagories myself! LOL

Michelle

[ambra]

I'm a real newbie here. I first became aware of Rufus when CBS began airing commercials for "Eleventh Hour". I'll admit, the attraction at first was physical; I thought, "Who is this handsome actor with the dark, curly hair and gorgeous green eyes?" I became more entranced after watching "Eleventh Hour", despite the show's writing problems, and decided to Google him to find out more. Heck, I didn't even know he was a Brit until I read his imdb bio and didn't hear his "real" voice until I watched a YouTube video of him doing an interview promoting EH! My search eventually led me to this wonderful forum and using this as a resource, I've begun familiarizing myself with Rufus' other works and with each film, my admiration for him as an actor grows. The more I hear about his professional and friendly onset reputation and the way he treats his fans and others, the more I admire him as a person. Too often, the press is filled with "celebrities" who not only lack talent but also a sense of humility and common decency when it comes to the way they treat others. Rufus is a refreshing change, an oasis admist a landscape bereft of the qualities, both professional and personal, that our Ruf possesses. I have not seen T&I yet, but after reading all the previous posts, I just may go out and rent it today. My only regret is that I didn't discover this amazing man before now but I'm having fun making up for lost time!

[tipou]

well, i have never joined anything remotely ressembling a an club before, so obviously the Green Eyed Wonder has quite an effect on my poor soul.

i have always been a movie buff, but, strangely enough, rufus had been sighted, but not recognized, on my radar. alas, the common fate of good and egoless character actors.

EH is -let's be polite- not the show of the century, but thanks to bruckheimer for putting a neon arrow sign (however discreet it currently is, unfortunately) over rufus's charming mug, so many of us became aware of his talent through it.

but, parallel to this EH discovery, it is through his lecture of the poem "9/11: out of the blue", found totally by chance on the internet, that rufus won my heart with his amazingly acute sense of humanity and feelings, but also with a voice that is unique and so powerfully evocative.

every subtle twitch, glance, change in tone, every gesture and image of him brought me to tears, in fact made me dissolve into a puddle under my computer table.

i mean, i cry easily at movies, and i have been known to weep during tv commercial, but that was ridiculous.

now, if that is not powerful art, what is?

now i am discovering a whole stash of independant cinema that has somehow escaped me. so, two goodies for the price of one: a stunningly beautiful person to watch and listen to, and good cinema as well.

so rufus sewell is a good deal, if you ask me.

[peach]

Tip, I too saw this and cried, I watched 9/11 unfold before me as it happened, was on the phone with my sister who lives 5 blocks from the site. phone went dead after the 2d plane hit, saw this and have cried repeatedly. The words are so powerfull and even more so thru Mr. Sewell, the dread in his eyes and inflection gave me goosebumps, I lived it again watching him. So powerful in and of itself but more so thru him. And you are not alone, I cry at Hallmark commercials.

In everything I have ever seen him in, whether it be stage or film there is an aura about him that cannot be denied. I was quite fortunate to see R&R 3x two of those in the front row, whenever he spoke you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre, you are forced to not only pay attention, which is a must in any Stoppard play but especially when watching him, there is something quite magnetic, and believable, you look at his eyes and you believe he has lived those stories of each and every one of the characters he has played. Quite remarkable really. No other actor has ever had that kind of hold on me or has piqued my interest. He is a rare breed. Subtle and yet so powerful all the time.

[tipou]

subtle and powerful - that's it.
he must enjoy his job so much. it is quite obvious he loves to tell stories.
i read and interview of a while back where he said he was working on a screenplay - i would be very curious as to what kind of story this head would come up with. i sure hope he can tell this story one day.

[peach]

I'm starting to doubt myself, is it normal what we're all doing? I mean we're not schoolgirls, yet I will be the first to admit that it's a bit strange to go on about someone we've never met or most of us will not have the chance to meet, but what is it about him that we turn in to blubbering idiots? ( please do not take this the wrong way, I meant it as a goof).

My goodness, what is he Svengali? Or is it just something other worldly about the man that he can cast a spell on us all. Not sure if this is really me talking or the Merlot.