Bradley James KSITE interview 

Let the chips fall where they may.

Oh, Bradley. You always have me in tears.

The usual Bradley answers.

Nothing new on the Arwen front. A little disappointed that, according to Bradley, there won't be much growth in the Merlin/Arthur friendship. Then again, it is according to Bradley-Political-James so I'll just wait and see ;) #sorrycouldntresist #loveyaBradders

LOL, Bradley is such a guy. I think he is trying to keep up a tough guy image. Always focusing on the knigths and figthing.
Lucky for him he is a really good actor. Because he is kind of clueless when it comes to his character.
It is Uther that puts Camelot before everything. Sometimes even before his own son.
Arthur loves Camelot. But he is willing to put his love and friendship first. He risked his life and there by the throne of Camelot to save Merlin. Uther was the one worried about him being the only heir. He chose love over forming an alliance with Elena. And last but not least he was willing to give up his place on the throne and Camelot for Gwen. His place is first and foremost with her.

LOL! Yes, I read the article. Yes, I think he did better than San Diego's one-on-one interview. Yes, he is terminally macho and cannot admit to love...NEXT!

DISCONNECTED at times. Utterly clueless, but give him the lines and he nails it. Guess what...all I care about. One other thing, in the grand scheme of things, it will be Colin that you see at the Academy Awards one day, not Bradley. This is the best gig he will ever land and has massively improved season over season. What next on his agenda is to learn actual social intelligence. Fix that...and he has a longterm shot cause he has comedic talents extraordinaire.

All I care about too. And yes he absolutely nails it.

I take everything Bradley says with a pinch of salt.
Maybe he has a different script to everyone else /:

I WONT COMMENT ABOUT THE ARTHUR/GWEN THING

but what he said about arthur/morgana , i do not accept that there is more questions and devlopment about a psycho sister that want to burn him rather than his future wife and queen of hearts.

NSK, I get why you are angered by this. I do, but this is how it is. I was speaking with someone the other day on the ARWEN topic and it hit us royally, that ARWEN was a complete surprise. It was always meant as a backburner story to an action adventure, magical beasts 2 season jobby. What actually happened however was the rise of ARWEN. Spectacular ratings, bradley and angel knocking it out of the park with the little they were given and the producers and writers went..oh shit...wait a minute. I think. NO, I know that is why S3 had more...and the ratings held exactly as they thought and superceded for their episodes and in the end, dear...this is about money. WHAT WORKS.

Hence S4 is about ARWEN-drama triangle, engagement blah blah blah, MAGIC, darkness and the human heart.

ARWEN was the little romance that could. Meaning, it took on a life of its own and now, having done so, having garnered tremendous praise. Trust me...you don't get 185 divergent zones to buy into something about slash oriented themes/incest oriented themes. It is the hetero-love affair that predominates. The producers know this and titillate the vertical fringe, but will continue to abid by the majority predisposition or as you able phrased it...end game.

Emotionality is not his strength. Never has been. Correction...outwardly expressing emotionality has never been his strength. Listen and read his interviews. That is the nature of the beast. It is okay. For a passion driven individual like yourself this would be disturbing, however, appearances in life are decieving.

Quite often those that say one thing... Do another...

In the end, the actual actions of an individual count for more than endless dramatics and flailing just to be seen. I would rather he say any kind of bullshit he wants to, or on a given day that appeases his ego, because when on camera with angel he transforms and together they more than deliver.

Not everyone is Colin, or Head, or Edun or Young or yes, MacKen, who speak eloquently, are rather bright men to begin with. I think he is a far cry from where he was back in the day where he could have been taken for an outright moron, to be honest all because of his limited experiences in life.

He has come a long way. Give him that. Oh and in case you missed it, woman.

ARWEN WON! Personal feel? He is a sneaky ARWEN...does it far too well...LOL!

Once again I have the displeasure of reading one of Bradley's interviews. Arwen aside, even what he said about Arthur's relationship with the other characters doesn't make sense. He makes it seem as if all Arthur cares about is Camelot and he forms his relationships solely based on what he thinks will be good for the kingdom. He makes the character seem very cold hearted and calculating when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Do the producers of the show not hear about his interviews? Why do they continue to allow him to shoot off his mouth like this?

@NSK and Bone-Bell...personally I've come to the conclusion that either he's an idiot or a self centered dolt...who says stupid things to get attention because the show is called Merlin...not Arthur. This of course is just a personal opinion as I know nothing about Arwen the progression of their story or if s4 will even be Arwen centric. Somehow Epaws gets great scoops. One would think though that if their story was driving ratings she'd get a little more spot light.

Bottom line hoping for a great S4...Here it airs the 1st Sat in Oct.

EPaws, thank you for your bright and heartwarming comment.

Kingie! You showed up! Good girl! Welcome!

I actually liked this.. He said that Merlin and Arthur are best friends, what's not to like. About Arwen, well we all know how he is about that question. No surprise there.
The problem is, we would all want that he is a die hard Arwen fan. That he says the things we wanna hear. But he's not. And the stuff he has said here, they are mostly true. Like it or not. Because for Gwen, there will always be Lancelot. I don't wanna admit it. But the truth is somewhere between his answers and the answers we wanna him to say... At least that's how I feel..

Actually for me it doesn't mater that much what Bradley thinks. He is an actor on the show and not a fan. I don't think the actors really ship anyone. He is just doing his job and he is good at it. I have heard actors talk about their characters before and not really have the insight on everything. They play it one scene here and one scene there. They don't study the whole picture.
As to the Lancelot part I think he is referring to the legend. I don't think it will play out that way in Merlin.

I said so much the last time that I hesitated to say anything again but I'll try not to be so long winded. I guess some of you know I have a heart for Bradley, especially Stacey knows, who has listened to me time and again about the subject. So I especially appreciate her comment and her heart in this because we're together on that.

I agree also that the point is not that he's not a "fan" of Arwen. That's rather complicated so I won't go into it. I'm sure he has his opinion of how the relationship is written and we may or may a not agree with him on it. Often I share Bradley's opinions. Not that I'm happy about that. Again, it's complicated. Please don't get upset with me but I don't think the Arthur/Gwen relationship is like Romeo and Juliet and basically its fraught in tragedy in a different way that R&J. To be honest, I've struggled with that. PM me if you want me to explain better; I don't want to open a can of worms here, but suffice it to say that I love Arwen and wish a few things were done differently. Thanks for the insight, Joppa and Melly. Loved what you both said in the last two comments.

Some of you have made some good rational comments and from my vantage point I see a lot of growth in many of us as fans. We're all growing and understanding our characters better and the people who play them I think.

Joppa and guys , slow down a little bit , for gwen there ISNT lancelot ,
HE ISNT RIGHT AT ALL , it has nothing to do with us wanting him to be an arwen shipper , its the fact that HE ISNT a professional actor AT ALL.
I just want him to be professional like colin and angel.
ARTHUR LOVES MORE GWEN THAN CAMELOT.
GWEN IS IMPORTANT IN HIS LIFE.
ARTHUR WASNT FORCED TO LOVE GWEN JUST BECAUSE SHE WAS THE ONLY WOMAN.
ARTHUR MARRIES GWEN FOR LOVE AND NOT FOR POLITICS.
does those facts seems to be from an arwen fans to u ? not its just fact from the show and its what Bradley should say.

its not shipping , its just sayings FACTS.
i hope i was clear , i do not hate bradley , im just stationg an opinion.

and besides i was complaing about the dumb interviewers who kept asking stuff about arthur/mor and not arwen


SECOND , WTF ? now we all agree with him ? im sorry but OKAY arwen isnt like R/J in the legends , BUT IN THE SHOW ARWEN ISNT A TRAGEDY

( dont mind me if sound cold , ive an headache )

Bradley and Katie like attention. She likes
to be charming and a accommodating and he tries
to be witty.

He knows the storyline of the show, yet he
speaks of Gwen being the "only girl" in Camelot.
Instead of answering a question straight
forward, he continues to rely on his knowledge
of the legend of King Arthur to talk about the
show Merlin.

I certainly don't agree with some of the things
he says, but I''m usually unaffected by his
interviews, because he doesn't write the show.
But I must admit his statements annoy me
because it fuels and validate the hate of Angel
that I see on the internet. I really wish he
would stop, but I have no expectation of him
stopping.

I wish his answers about A/G would be just short and neutral, without giving any of his own insights on the relationship or the legend. I saw a few of his old interviews where he managed just that. That would make it so much easier. But yes that’s just wishful thinking.

Itasmallworld, I think that is the reason why many A/G and Angel fans, myself included, get so annoyed with him. I don't like going on youtube and seeing people making compilations of Bradley's interviews on A/G and using it as a reason to bash Angel. Many of the Gwen haters have a problem separating Angel from the character that she plays and she doesn't deserve to be bashed just because they don't like Gwen or A/G. And these interviews just give them ammunition to use against her.

I take serious issue with that. That somehow Angel needs validation from Bradley in order to be considered worthy. Angel is a complete being all by herself and should be treated as such. What a completely separate entity says about a character she plays has no bearing on her value.

I guarantee you that if it was Angel saying half the things about Arwen that Bradley says we would be seeing responses like “ANGEL sounds dumb” or “ANGEL has no insight into her character or the show”. Not “ARTHUR is a throw-away character” or “BRADLEY was a poor choice for Arthur, even Angel hates working with him” (just some comments I have read about Gwen and Angel). So why must the opposite be true in this case? Bradley is so superior so whatever he says becomes the gold-standard, never mind that what everyone sees, haters and fans alike, is the polar opposite? This is not a slam against Bradley. He is free to say whatever he wants. But if one must judge, then judge HIM on his own words, no one else. Angel is perfectly capable of speaking for herself, she needs no external representation from Bradley.

The fact that, as mentioned above, the haters use things said about Gwen to bash Angel is testament to the irrational nature of the hate. By definition, that kind of hate doesn’t need any real ammunition to proliferate. Their imaginations do the trick just fine. It is all twisting of words and intentionally misconstruing events to suit their agendas. Nothing Bradley says, or doesn’t, will change that.

Daenerys, I not sure you understood my point. I
won't speak for others, but for myself.

I certainly didn't call Bradley "stupid" or
any other phrases you use in writing to
describe what people would said about Angel, if
positions were reverse. Maybe you bringing up
other discussion to mind, because I'll never
said or felt that way about Bradley.

People will find other ways to hate on Angel
and her portrayal of Gwen, I'm fully aware of
it. It doesn't negate the fact that his
statements are used to hate on Angel, because
they're usually not neutral or positive
regarding Arthur/Gwen storyline.

Bradley can say what he want, I not his
publicist. I don't have the right to dictate
what he feels or says. I'll already stated that
I not offended by what he says or how he says
it because he not the writer of the show. I'm
not sure why or what you felt needed to be
defended or disputed.

I didn't say I hated him or he makes me angry
or that Angel need his statements to validated
herself or the her portrayal of Gwen.

I generally like him as an actor on a show that i
love to watch. However, I have a right to feel
annoyed when his words are being used to hate
on Angel. It's annoying TO ME when his poorly
choice words are use to hate Angel.

I hope that by writing this you have a better
understanding of what I wrote before.

As usual, I was not clear enough. Let me try again. I did not intend my post above to be in defence of Bradley nor for it to be an attack on you. I am merely voicing my displeasure at a trend I have noticed over the past few weeks.

My point is if it were Angel making these perplexing statements I doubt that there would be discussions, by any faction, on how Angel's words reflect badly on Bradley. Therefore I am at a loss as to why we are even entertaining the notion that Bradley's words can somehow make Angel look bad in the haters' eyes.

By this: 'I guarantee you that if it was Angel saying half the things about Arwen that Bradley says we would be seeing responses like...' I am referring to what would be said out there. You certainly didn't say that about Bradley, although that would be understandable.

I am a huge Angel fan and will go to bat for her any day. I just disagree that Bradley is the problem. Not trying to nulify your opinion, just stating mine.

No offence intended. I go in peace.

I can't speak for anybody else but I entertain this notion because of sexism and other ugly 'isms that are clearly evident in this fandom and form the basis for the hate that is spewed towards Angel. I agree that Bradley isn't the problem and that Angel does not need validation from him, but since he is a male in a fandom that is full of sexist people, his words will hold more weight in the eyes of these people than Angel's. This is why if the situation was reversed and Angel was making these statements, these people wouldn't be using it to make Bradley look bad. As a matter of fact, they would likely use it to call Angel a bitch.

And I do agree that Bradley isn't the cause of the Angel hate. But I do think that the people who hate her are constantly looking for validation for their hatred and his perplexing statements and poor attempts at joking is being used as a form of validation. Which is why the Angel witchhunt seems to always heat up whenever these interviews hit the internet.

BRADLEY ADDS FIRE TO THE FUEL ALREADY EXISTENT IN THIS FANDOM
HE HAS NO EXCUSES FOR THAT SHITTY BEHAVIOUR.

PERIOD.

look at Colin and Angel! professional , talented , intelligent , having a great insight on the show , objective !

i dont even talk about Katie , she annoys the crap out of me playing the center of attention all the freakin time

D, I get it you feel that Bradley could say
anything and would not make a difference on the
hate Angel receives. But you seem to be missing
my point. Words have power. The can inspire,
inflame, tear down or built up. Word have power
to effected people emotions. Your words inspire
me to respond and obliviously what you have read
about the "trend" inspired you to write. That is the point of all my post about Bradley .

I wonder if the "How Not To Sound Like You Are Just Dredging Up Bits And Bobs Of The Arthurian Legends And Be Able To Answer (Not That Hard) Questions During Interviews For Dummies" book is out yet? Perhaps A and C could buy B one for his next birthday? :)
Yet, all joking aside, while I am not taking what Bradley says to heart too much - I do appreciate the role he plays and I do agree with others on here that he plays his part well.

I am an Angel fan and love her portrayal of Guinevere. The writers have done a wonderful job with developing her character in this way and it has paid off as the Arwen plot has definitely proved a winner with audiences (rightly said Stacey).

Regardless of what the haters say, and as others have mentioned on here; what Bradley says (or doesn't), what's not to love about this talented, classy, and intelligent lady who is able to hold her head up despite all the shite some people write about her and her character on the net, etc?! Granted, some of these folks probably need some stronger meds, but I think we all chose what kind of fans and people we want to be - and I for one, chose to be the kind who appreciate the talented efforts of the Merlin cast and crew, and come here to learn about all that is Merlin with you kindered spirits. Whenever I see the negative stuff people write about Angel and her character on the net I ignore it. Pick your battles and all that..Okay, enough with the sermon and my two cents. Have a great day wherever you are in the world today. xox Islanda

Bradley’s great, lots of admirable qualities but if I’m looking for insight into the show I’d sooner listen to a Colin interview. I’ll turn to Bradley’s when I’m looking for a chuckle.

At the risk of alienating half the posters here may I suggest that we, the Angel fandom at large, are just as guilty, of giving Bradley’s words more weight than they deserve, as the non-fans.

Could it be, that our concern that Brad’s words have an effect on how Angel is perceived is what is fueling their fire; inspiring their vitriol?

We have all heard this at some point: The best way to deal with teasing/bullies - don't let them see that they are getting to you; they will soon lose interest. Sometimes it works.

Just a thought.

Zoe, I can't tell you how much I agree with ALL you have said. Especially in your last comment, as you say, I have been wondering for a while now if we Angel/Arwen fans are just as guilty of taking Bradley's words and stirring and stirring them that they stink, like something else, all the more? Personally, I have felt that we who love Angel/Arwen have been playing right into the hands of the haters.

Also, as was intimated, I have never heard Angel speak of the romance in glowing terms. In one of her interviews she talks about how much she enjoyed having the two men to kiss in 2x04. She seldom talks about Arthur in a way that she makes you feel that Gwen is head over heels in love. She says things like "well, he's there and Lancelot keeps going away" or words to that extent. When she said that it made me ask "What, is Gwen with Arthur only because Lance is not around?" I see entirely what Zoe is saying. If Bradley says something like that, it's taken entirely differently. Did you hear Angel's answer to the kissing question at Kapow? How does she make you feel about her reaction to kissing Bradley? Listen to it again if you haven't for a while. All this to say that Angel doesn't make the big deal about Arwen that many of us would like either. Again, to reiterate Zoe's point. I am a HUGE Angel and Arwen fan, btw. But I am trying to be realistic about all this.

I think both Bradley and Angel can give us Arwen the way they do because they both are really into it. For reasons of their own, they choose not to come across as Arwen lovers. Who knows why? There may be an explanation, but that's another story.

All I know is that for us fans to get all bent out of shape when Bradley does not talk the way we want him to is probably a mistake on our part. I think we make it worse and as Zoe say, we're fueling the fire. I so wish we could ignore it and go on talking about how wonderful our couple is, even if the two people playing it don't say what we'd like them to. As far as I'm concerned, they say far more with their actions than words ever could. And you can be sure that's what makes the haters angry where they need to jump on any little thing they can to trash it.

Jules and Zoe...so exceedingly well said. Pick your battles, ladies. Observe what is acted. Go with the positive. There will always be a negative. We cannot, cannot control what other people do. We as people only have control of our RESPONSE to it. Being bent out of shape is a waste of time, unless you enjoy tilting at windmills.

I adore Bradley on myriad levels. I do not consider him one of the world's great intellects. I do find him hysterically funny and yes, he does need Arthurian Lore for Dummies delivered to his doorstep...maybe I will see about giving Eoin or Ade a copy and either of them can pass it on to his lordship.

By the by...I don't actual perceive this is of any worry to the petite goddess in question. She takes no prisoners. If anyone was going to rip him a new one...IT IS HER JOB (and no amount of puppy eyes and pouting would save him from her vitriol)NOT YOURS. Minor detail but she seems okay with it...yeah..hmmm...enough said and no, this is not going to be a back and forth.

WOW, the vocal minority seems so very important to the fully paid up mortgage on her newly purchased home and solid bank account, doesn't it? Yeah, cause she gives a shit what Kraft dinner living in the basement thinks,who can barely afford their acne meds much less their next psychiatric appointment.

Yes, their hatred is so going to not allow her to go to the next club opening in her favourite designer frock, dance til dawn with...oh wait...isn't that loud mouth and a few others there with her? Oooooooooooooh hmmm...doesn't seem that put out.The hangover is going to be a bitch...but she ain't that put out.

Am I even vaguely making a point?


55 days to ARWEN, I mean Merlin!? Yeah baby! Randomness over.

Facts you must accept. Bradley has no edit mode. Bradley is annoying at times. Bradley can be ridiculously garrulous and unprofessional. Bradley is stubborn as hell. Bradley doesn't give a shit what you think. Bradley would rather not bother with you, collectively, but you pay the bills.

So he puts up with you. When I say you, it means the collective fandom. Not you personally. Bradley enjoys niggling and annoying and taking the mickey out of everything emotional in public.

He is not going to change. Therefore the only person that can, is you. Take it or leave it. Treat him like a grain of salt for stuff like this. The closet ARWEN that he is does a superior job. Only thing that counts.

im so pissed off about B/J comments about GWen! After the Queen of hearts episope he still think Gwen will run away with Lancelot .Why, is Gwen a crazy slut or something?

Thank you Nanna. You are exactly right. Angel doesn't rave about Arwen either. I have a vague recollection of her rating Brad's kissing as 2/10. Made me chuckle because neither of them look like they are having a particularly unpleasant time of it in the kissing scenes. Both Angel & Bradley do a lot of downplaying; like Stacey said: grain of salt.

Don't worry folks, Bradley is just mocking the media. In Australia, we say, he is just feeding the chooks. That is, just say anything to them and send them on their way so they can make their editor happy. Cheers to everyone......Brangel forever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brad's comments annoy me but I think both he and Angel do it deliberately. if they were to show too much enthusiasm over ARWEN fans would take it to mean that they like each other too much even outside Merlin. the rumours were flying just by them being together a lot. I think that is why they are at pains to down play ARWEN. they might not like the way their romantic scenes are written, (and I must admit also not liking the way they handle them sometimes) but they genuinely like each other as friends.