24 thoughts on “MCM: James Norton

  1. As with Henry Cavill, I see James Norton, and a happy sigh immediately follows, along with a drop in my blood pressure.

    1. Henry was ALL I saw in The Count of Monte Cristo, Guy Pearce be damned. I don’t apply the word “beautiful” to many men, but most assuredly I apply it to him.

  2. He is unbelievably beautiful in Grantchester. My mother and I refer to that series as ‘Reverend Gorgeous’.

    1. It’s those sleepy eyes with the sort of swollen under lids–possibly the ultimate bedroom eyes of our generation. Good actor, too–did anyone here see Norton playing against type in “Happy Valley”? A very scary gent, but still gorgeous.

      1. He was gorgeous but creepy in “Happy Valley”..He said he used to get fan mail saying, “take me to your cellar”, which upset him as he was a murdering rapist and didn’t want to project that kind of appeal

        1. I had to work out that he was the same actor in Grantchester as in Happy Valley, where he is just plain evil, as opposed to flawed and lovable.

          Mind, Robson Green is also a Hottie McHottiepants..

    2. Oddly enough, this was the only show my mother and I watch together. For… reasons.

  3. Andrei Bolkonsky annoys the heck out of me in the book, so it was perfectly right and proper fro him to do so in the series. Same with Natasha.) His green* infantry officer’s uniform was pretty good (not brilliantly tailored, but not done wrong); his white-and-silver one is pure fantasy. It’s actually a copy of a present-day full-dress British court and diplomatic uniform (the embroidery was introduced in 1820 by George IV, who modelled it on the uniforms of Napoleon’s marshal’s – Georgie Porgie adored French military fashion) but done in silver on white instead of gold on navy blue.

    At first I was mystified by this fantasy Prince Charming outfit; the costume designers clearly knew what Andrei’s uniform was, so why? But finally I think I figured it out. Natasha’s ‘love’ for Andrei is actually an infatuation for a Prince Charming who exists purely in her imagination, who she identifies, absurdly, with this grumpy, straitlaced, father-dominated, provincial soldier. This vision in silver and white isn’t the real him, but how she sees him when he rescues her from her wallflowerhood on the edge of the ballroom and whirls her on to the floor at her first-ever grand ball.

    *Random fun fact: during the Occupation of Paris by the Allies after the fall of Napoleon, the Parisians called the Russians ‘les cornichons’ on account of their gherkin-green coats.

  4. Grantchester, unequivocally. A hot vicar who runs along the river, scythes the churchyard shirtless, strips down to his swim trunks, and enjoys sex? What the dickens?!

    1. MCMom…I totally second everything you wrote and am now thinking, “WHY wasn’t that the tagline for the series?!?!”

    2. I’m the opposite. I found his character on Grantchester annoying and unlikeable, and I’ve never found James Norton to be particularly attractive (thought I am dying to watch Mr. Smith). The new guy, Will Davenport, is the only hot vicar I need.

      1. Joni, yes, the new vicar is also a total SNACK. My cousin and I are Grantchester fans and by Sidney’s last episode she was totally outdone with him and over it. I get why he doesn’t appeal to all. Alas, he still appealed to me–which probably had as much to do with James Norton’s overwhelming hotness as the character of Sidney Chambers.

  5. That picture of him sleeveless in Northmen, with his arms showing…are there any others like that? And the one of him in the navy trunks is nice too. Thank you. fans myself, fans the rest of the readers

  6. I know this blog is dedicated to nitpicking costumes, not vehicles, but I have to point out that NO WAY is that a 1930s bus in the second Mr Jones picture. Try 1950s.

    I’ve only seen one episode of Grantchester; wasn’t thrilled. I quite liked Life In Squares.

  7. First of all, James Norton is one of the most GORGEOUS men on planet earth!!!! Thanks for this Man Candy Monday feature. I’ve been a fan of his since season one of Grantchester and have seen a good bit of his work, but there are several things here that I’d never heard of. For me, my favorite of his Frock Flick roles is a tie between Sidney Chambers in Grantchester and, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Lord Hugo Swan in The Nevers (a show I learned of on this blog).

    To Kendra: Just a heads up–Mr. Jones is VERY slow and EXTREMELY bleak. Ditto for Life in Squares (of which I could only make it through one episode). Also, I’m 97% sure that the second picture you posted for Northmen: A Viking Saga is of Tom Hooper (who is also a hottie), not of James Norton.

    Ok, now I’m off to add more James Norton pics to my queue. Awesome way to start the week!

    1. Do you know, I wondered that when the photo came up! I haven’t seen Northmen, but I mused, that looks like the guy from Black Sails! I hadn’t realized how alike they look.

  8. The first thing I saw him in was Happy Valley. I had real trouble getting into Grantchester because I couldn’t shake off the heebie jeebies from him in Happy Valley. I eventually did, and happily so. I did see Death Comes to Pemberley but I don’t remember much about it. I guess it was fine? I remember liking Anna Maxwell Martin’s hats.

  9. Re: Walk Invisible

    His part’s not cut, but it is a bit of a blink and you’ll miss it.

    It’s right at the beginning, where they’re playing with the ‘toy soldiers’ – and writing their first stories about Gondal etc.

    (That really weird bit where the Bronte children are depicted with flames above their heads’.

  10. Late to the party here, but I HATED his performances in Grantchester and War & Peace. I thought he was SO bland in War & Peace in particular (and it didn’t help that Paul Dano was in it as well, and I have an irrational turn-off from that guy). I almost didn’t watch The Nevers because I thought he played a larger part. As it turns out, he doesn’t have as prominent a role there, and it’s a shame, because he’s really great. Not to mention he gets some of the best costuming because he’s both a member of the aristocracy and the founder and organizer of an underground sex club. So terribly disappointed that they got hit by the COVID hiatus and we have to wait for Part 2 of the Season 1 Finale. I really got sucked into that show even though it’s typical Joss Whedon mind-f**kery and will likely get canceled soon.

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