Ricky Whittle is a diverse actor with a gift for his craft and it will be a shame to no longer see his talent shine bright on
The 100 as Lincoln. His March win was primarily for his departure episode,
Stealing Fire (3x9), which allowed him to give Lincoln one last heroic farewell. Unfortunately his exit from the series came as the result of behind the scenes drama that no one other than those actually involved can fully understand. The only fact that can be stated is that his loss delivered yet another painful blow to the already hurting fans of the show.
Whittle’s Lincoln was an immediate hit when he debuted back in Season 1 and that was largely due to how charismatic Whittle is on screen. Every moment he appeared on the screen he dominated it which is a big thing considering most of his early scenes were shared with the equally talented Marie Avgeropolous (Octavia Blake). Together they created a timeless love between two people from very different worlds and very different cultures. Through their adventures they taught each other a lot about life and love and did so with effortless chemistry. Whittle always portrayed a gentleness when he shared scenes with Avgeropolous yet when his character was in a fight he went full on warrior and his strength dominated the scene. He has an ability to stand stoic and be completely silent yet still capture the emotion of the moment happening around him through the way he brilliantly uses his body.
The series gave Whittle some dynamic stories early on in his run and put Lincoln through a lot which in turn gave Whittle a lot of great material to portray. He showed audiences how strong and vulnerable Lincoln could be in a multitude of situations. Through Whittle’s guidance viewers got to watch Lincoln brutally tortured and see how he was able to move on from the experience and try to help broker peace. Viewers also got to watch Lincoln evolve into the kind of man his people should have been honored to have representing them. Nothing came easy for Lincoln and Whittle allowed fans to watch him take Lincoln on this incredible journey through his amazing ability to convey emotion sometimes with very few lines. In Whittle’s final season his character took a backseat in the large ensemble and that unfortunately seems to have radiated from the aforementioned behind the scenes drama. Nonetheless Whittle made the most of every moment he was given and never let any real life drama seep into his performance. He gave every single moment his very best and that is commendable given the position he was in. After he so heartbreakingly took Lincoln on the Reaper journey last season it was unfortunate to see his talent be so underutilized this season.
Whittle’s farewell episode at least allowed Lincoln to go out as a hero as he sacrificed himself to give the others a chance to get free of Arkadia. While he had formed bonds with all the others it was in fact Octavia he was mostly trying to save. In the final moments where Lincoln was essentially saying goodbye to Octavia the pain in Whittle’s eyes broke hearts all throughout the fandom. Through Whittle fans got to see Lincoln’s passionate love for Octavia as his voice broke when he asked Kane to get her to safety. He knew that was the last moment he’d ever see her and yet his love for her was what gave him the strength to make the sacrifice he was planning. This moment was a beautiful bit of soulful acting and Whittle handled it with an incredible amount of strength and courage. Even in Lincoln’s final moments Whittle held his character in a strong and in command posture. No one, on or off the screen, was going to take away Whittle or Lincoln’s dignity or courage in those tense and heartbreaking final moments. Whittle exited
The 100 on a somewhat contrived storyline but with some extraordinarily powerful acting. He left behind a massive hole that the show may never be able to fill, nor should it even try to fill.
Ricky Whittle left a lasting impression on fans of
The 100 and I’m confident it is them that allowed him to beat out many other extraordinary performers to earn the title of the most Outstanding Actor of March. He should be proud of the work he did on
The 100 because he gave it his all and his performances were always bold, dynamic, and full of heart. Whittle has been a big advocate against bullying so please help spread his message that bullying is never okay at any stage of life. Bullying doesn’t begin or end in school aged kids and adults are just as capable of being bullies as kids are. Help spread the word that bullying isn’t the way to accomplish anything.
The good news is this isn’t the last we’ll see of Whittle since he is set to take on the lead role in Starz’s new series
American Gods which will premiere sometime in 2017. Even beyond his new upcoming show I suspect he’ll appear on many other projects. An actor with his level of talent will always be busy and in demand. This is goodbye to Lincoln and hello to a whole world of potential for this extraordinary actor.
Ricky Whittle was your fan pick as the most
Outstanding Actor Of March 2016. Hit the comments below to tell others why you think he earned this title and what you most enjoyed about his March performances.
PLEASE READ: This is an article to recognize Ricky’s work and to honor his performance in March on The 100. Shipper related bashing will not be tolerated in the comments even from Ricky's fans. Honor the performer and his performance. Have fun and be kind to one another.
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a newspaper in North Carolina and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. If the show is sci-fi, fantasy, comic book based, drama, or action the odds are good she watches it or has at least watched a few episodes of it. She also has a love for comedies 2 Broke Girls and Mom. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operating under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.
You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
