Blake Ritson - Girolamo Riario

Blake Ritson won a scholarship to St. Paul's School in London before attending Cambridge University and was soon appearing in the West End in the Tom Stoppard play 'Arcadia', for which he received excellent notices. In addition to acting - notable television roles have included 'Emma', 'Upstairs Downstairs' and 'Mansfield Park' with Billie Piper - he has also co-directed and co-written four prize-winning short films with his brother Dylan, another Cambridge graduate and ex-member of the Footlights company. He also plays musical instruments and was one of the backing band on the album 'Cowley Road' by fellow thesp - and 'Mansfield Park' co-star - Douglas Hodge.

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Feeling almost as swish as one of those 15th century bad boys, here at No Cigar we have been plotting; do we wait until Issue 7 to divulge insider knowledge on Da Vinci’s Demons, or give our lovely readers a taster now? Alas, we thought it would be simply far too self-indulgent to continue into the first series knowing and not sharing. The result: all hail an exclusive excerpt from our interview with Blake Ritson, who plays the deliciously dark, Armani-clad Count Riario.

“I’ve played an awful lot of very sweet characters, so suddenly the idea of doing something incredibly dark is quite appealing,” says Ritson, known for his roles in Jayne Austin adaptations and period dramas and not to mention for being a well-versed thespian having made his start at the National Theatre.

“Riario is a ruthless bastard, the illegitimate son of the Pope, and the show’s primary antagonist; he’s somewhere between a CIA expert in forceful rendition and a mafia hit man” – insert your intensified interest here.

With a winning cocktail of British eye candy (Blake Ritson, Tom Riley and the beautiful Laura Haddock to name a few), masterful writing and a fantastical edge it is safe to say that Da Vinci’s Demons is destined to entice.

On further investigation, it would seem that Ritson’s ‘dark’ description of Riario is an understatement: “with my character there’s a lot of torturing and killing. It’s not that he’s a raving sadist it’s simply that cruelty is a part of his methodology and he’ll go to any lengths to get what he wants.” Clearly, Riario is at the exceptionally intense end of the placidity spectrum and worlds apart from the compassionate sensibilities of sweet Edmund in Mansfield Park.

If the historical context that forms the show’s backdrop doesn’t initiate immediate interest, take a peek at the vamped-up tantalizing trailer, where it would seem Goyer’s Batman background is far from absent: “it is far more Gotham City than Renaissance Florence; everyone looks like superheroes and super-villains.” True indeed – the fast-paced, action packed trailer will definitely engage those in favour of theatricality and fantasy worlds.

For those of you sitting with remotes poised ready to tune in, the show is set to air on FOX UK on April 12th. BUT, if the fact that the show’s creation is largely due to one of the writers behind the Dark Knight trilogy and Blake Ritson arguably stars in one of his darkest roles yet still doesn’t arouse your interest, then what about the visual aspect, which is no doubt set to blow you away.

Award-winning costumier, Annie Symons (‘Great Expectations’ (2011), ‘Dr Zhivago’ (2002), came on board to lend her sartorial genius: “Annie said [Riario] should be wearing an Armani suit – so they actually got these handmade Italian leather shoes and this beautiful Armani fabric with very subtle pinstripes – it was beautiful.” What’s more, despite the show’s less-than-expected Swansea-based filming location, the elaborate set will take your breath away, with its castles, ruins and highly stylised set presenting viewers with a high octane 15th century Florence. “To be honest, when I heard it was Swansea I was very surprised. They had looked at shooting in South Africa, the States and all over the place but at the end of the day they thought Renaissance Florence could only be doubled in Swansea!”

Rather humbly, and in contrast to his merciless character, Blake confesses his favourite part of making the show was the cast and crew: “I love the cast and crew. I knew Laura (Haddock) from Upstairs Downstairs, Tom (Riley) I knew a little socially; I actually knew an awful lot of the cast.” As for working with David Goyer: “He’s such a force of nature to have on set; he gives an incredible energy; you can almost feel the whole cast kind of feeding off of his energy.”

Hopefully this will keep you sated until you get your hands on our next issue – by which time we’re sure you’ll be hooked on the charm of Renaissance Florence and its 21st century ‘Goyern’ revival (yes, as David Goyer wrote the series we have aptly invented the word Goyern). Enjoy!