The Scottish actor opens up about challenging himself, taking risks in his career with his first venture into fragrance and his latest role as Ikaris on Marvel's Eternals
The hype and excitement around the release of Calvin Klein Defy, the American luxury brand's first standalone men's fragrance in nearly a decade, was topped only by the announcement that its global ambassador Richard Madden, known for his roles on critically-acclaimed TV series, Game of Thrones and Bodyguard, would be the star of its campaign.
Portraying the real experiences of modern men, which requires vulnerability and self-reflection as much as strength and courage to defy expectations and break boundaries, the campaign juxtaposes scenes of Madden looking in the mirror quiet contemplation with action shots around London, culminating into a leap of faith, a symbolic metaphor for defiance and daring to take risks.
See also: A Beginner's Guide to the Best Men's Fall 2021 Fragrances
In this virtual interview with Tatler Malaysia, the actor talks all things fragrance, from what is important to him when choosing a fragrance to how he feels being the face of Calvin Klein's intoxicatingly earthy new scent.
"The concept behind Defy was this idea of overcoming your own boundaries, the things that you set for yourself. I think as a person, as an actor, that’s something that I’m constantly wrestling with: the idea of my own limitations," he muses. Madden also shares his favourite parts about filming the cinematic campaign for Calvin Klein.
Naturally, Madden continues to reflect on arguably one of his biggest and most physically demanding roles in his career as Ikaris on Marvel's latest superhero epic, Eternals alongside Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan and Ma Dong-seok. He reveals how he felt playing the character and his experience working with the Oscar-winning director who appeared on the cover of Tatler Shangliu's March 2021 issue, Chloé Zhao.
Watch the full interview below: