In my previous post on crushes, I talked about my Classic crush: Gregory Peck. This time around it’s going to be about the crushes that are rather Obvious; the literary men that women worldwide have pinned many dreams on, men who are so appealing partly because women picked up their pens and made them so. Well, that, and they’re very, very easy on the eyes. I’m talking, in no particular order…
Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton, and Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley.
I’ve yet to meet a woman who wasn’t somehow, in some way, affected by Colin Firth in a wet shirt, strolling the grounds of Pemberley. Me? That wet shirt was all well and good, but he wouldn’t have gotten to me if not for the gaze he leveled on Elizabeth as she played the piano and sang for an otherwise mostly unappreciative audience. What was even in that look? Longing? Admiration? Warmth? Whatever it was composed of, the combination was heady. And it kept me coming back for more. Now, I know there have been other Darcy’s, but for me, Colin is the one.
I’ve already posted about Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton, but how could I not mention him here, again? How is it possible that I went through so many years not knowing about this movie, this character, this man? I’ve certainly been making up for lost time recently, but I’ll always remember that it started with North and South and four painfully beautiful words: “Look back at me.”
There’ve been other Mr.Knightley’s, and recently at that, but in my eyes there is only one: Jeremy Northam. To be honest, I can’t tell you if the rest of that adaptation of Emma was successful because Northam held my exclusive attention. That last proposal scene, oh, I’ve watched it over and again, and I never tire of his hesitance or the ridiculously sweet arch of his eyebrow (which he also used well as Ash in Possession.)
How about you? Do you have any Obvious crushes? Once again, name drop in the comments!
