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Richard Armitage as William Farrow in Obsession© Ana Blumenkron

Exclusive: Richard Armitage reveals his reaction to Obsession's shocking ending

The actor stars alongside Happy Valley's Charlie Murphy in the Netflix series

Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
April 14, 2023
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Obsession star Richard Armitage has opened up to HELLO! about his reaction to the shocking events which occurred at the end of the new Netflix series.

Richard, adored for his previous roles in The Hobbit and North and South, sat down for an exclusive interview to discuss his character, Dr William Farrow, and the series as whole when he shared his thoughts about the final episodes.

Warning! Major spoilers for Obsession on Netflix ahead…

WATCH: The official trailer for Obsession on Netflix

After engaging in a dangerously thrilling and obsessive affair, William (Richard Armitage) and his future-daughter-in-law Anna (Charlie Murphy) get together once again at her apartment. But, William's son Jay makes a beeline for their place and bursts in on his dad and fiancée wrapped up in a moment of passion.

After being shocked about what he sees, Jay ends up walking backward only to fall over the staircase railings on the top floor flat. William charges downstairs to see his son bleeding out on the floor. At this point, Anna walks past the two of them, William sobbing and Jay, taking his final breaths. After attending the funeral and his wife, Ingrid, unsurprisingly demanding a divorce, it's clear William still isn't over Anna.

MORE: Obsession: Meet the cast of new Netflix drama including Happy Valley star 

MORE: Richard Armitage reveals hopes of working with Nicola Walker again - 'She is extraordinary' 

Charlie Murphy and Richard Armitage in Obsession© Ana Blumenkron/Netflix
Charlie Murphy and Richard Armitage in Obsession

Opening up about the final moments and why William wants to continue his relationship with her, Richard told HELLO!: "William says to her, 'I would do it again,' knowing what the outcome was. That is such a random, unpredictable fatal event, that if you were given the chance to go back and most humans, certainly, I would say, 'I would walk away from you.'"

Richard continues: "But he doesn't, he says, 'I would do it all again.' Even knowing that would happen again. The mind boggles because I don't know if I've experienced that level of passion, obsession that would make me sacrifice my entire life for one person."

Obsession had a very dramatic ending© Ana Blumenkron/Netflix

The actor also revealed how he thinks fans will react. "I feel like they might judge William quite harshly," he told HELLO! "But I also would ask them to put themselves in his shoes and imagine what it must be like to feel something so overwhelming. In a way it gives him like a rebirth, he feels reborn.

"There's a logical way of looking at it but I can't find it. I had to find his logic but it's not logical. I'm sure there are people out there that have been 'toes on the line' to having this intensity and have walked away, but I think they maybe live the rest of their lives wondering about that person. They can't get them out of their head forever."

Obsession is Netflix's latest mini-series which stars Armitage star opposite Happy Valley's Charlie Murphy. The full series is available to stream now.

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