Before his role as Ikaris in Marvel's Eternals, actor Richard Madden played Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, a role that shot his name to stardom.
The 35-year-old actor has also played Prince Kit in the 2015 film Cinderella.
In-between his film projects, Madden, who went to a youth theatre at 11 to overcome shyness, became the face of Calvin Klein's Defy, its new scent for men that was launched this year.
In an e-mail interview, he talked about the campaign and his love for scents.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT CALVIN KLEIN DEFY?
I suppose what I like most about the Calvin Klein Defy fragrance is, what it stands for, this concept of defying your own limits, defying your own boundaries. That's what drew me into working with Calvin Klein on this.
HOW DID THAT CONCEPT ATTRACT YOU?
It was a concept about yourself, self-doubt and overcoming that. That's something I can relate to. So that's what kind of really pulled me in.
IS WEARING FRAGRANCE IMPORTANT?
Personally, I love to wear fragrance. I wear different fragrances at different times of the day. I wear different fragrances when I'm playing different characters. I think a fragrance can give confidence, it can brighten up your day so it's something that I always play around with.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF A CALVIN KLEIN FRAGRANCE?
My first memory of Calvin Klein fragrance was CK One, which I believe was the first fragrance I was ever given when I was— I forgot but must have been eight or nine years old-- and I remember loving it and treasuring that little bottle.
WHAT ABOUT CALVIN KLEIN DEFY THAT RESONATES WITH YOU?
I think the thing that resonates the most with me about Defy is overcoming your own self-doubt. I think this concept of defiance, of standing up against what you think you're capable of as something that, as an actor, you're constantly faced with.
At times you interview for jobs and you don't get them, so you have a lot of obstacles in your way, externally and internally. And that's what Defy stands for.
HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED YOU?
I think the pandemic impacted my life in a way that I'm so used to getting or feeling guilt when I'm not moving and not doing something. I'm supposed to be somewhere, I should be achieving something.
But the pandemic and lockdowns have also given me a sense of peace that I didn't have to go anywhere. I wasn't supposed to be somewhere, I wasn't missing out on doing something.
I think I had a really busy year coming off of Marvel's Eternals, and was in a place where I was kind of forced to take some downtime.
That just helped me take a second and catch up with myself.
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