Remember the little girl, who had a little curl? That old nursery rhyme came back to me last week while watching the BBC’s new adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. It was a bit underwhelming, but there can be only praise for one core member of the cast: Richard Madden. Or, more specifically, his hair: where everything else was muted and restrained, this was The Curl That Stood Out. I was transfixed.
There’s no two ways about it: this crush is founded in narcissism. As the proud owner of a headful of curls and coils, I get a thrill every time I see a curl on screen. For too long, we’ve been told to “tame” our curls, as if they were unruly and in need of discipline. Madden, 29, does no such thing.
I first saw him in Channel 4’s 2011 comedy drama Sirens, and they were in full effect even then, adding a boyish charm. And those curls were just what was needed to play gamekeeper Mellors. Indeed, that hair did about 40% of the heavy lifting, serving as a metaphor for his earthiness, his pure humanity, the simple but complex code by which he lives. If you think that’s too much to read into a fringe, you’ve clearly not seen Madden’s barnet. Pay attention.
Of course, the hair doesn’t work in isolation. It’s a foil for his eyes – limpid, blue pools in which you are likely to drown – and a charming Scottish accent (Madden was raised in Renfrewshire). He used this deadly combination to great effect in Game Of Thrones, playing the would-be King in the North with vulnerability and steely resolve.
But make no mistake: the hair is the star attraction. To paraphrase the poem, when it is good, it is very good indeed.
