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 Freeman, 42, rose to recognition as lovesick salesman Tim
Canterbury on the British mockumentary "The Office." He is
notable for playing literary characters on screen - Arthur Dent
in the 2005 film adaptation of Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy" and war veteran sidekick John Watson in the
BBC's contemporary re-imagining of "Sherlock."
Most recently Freeman was Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's epic
cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." He
returns to the role in Warner Bros' "The Hobbit: Desolation of
Smaug," the second installment of the cinematic trilogy in U.S.
theaters on Friday.
Freeman talked to Reuters about reprising the role, the
challenges of maintaining character and avoiding being typecast
in Hollywood.
Q: Where do audiences find Bilbo physically and mentally
in the "Desolation of Smaug"?
A: They find him very much on the road. When you first
see him, he's scouting around for danger and reporting back to
the dwarves and the wizard about what he's seeing, so we join
him definitely as part of the band of brothers.
And in not too long, we see him not just part of it, but as an
absolutely invaluable part of this group because he saves their
lives on more than one occasion, gets them out of prison and
finds the secret door to Erebor, so he's vital, I would say.
Q: What's the biggest change in Bilbo's character?
A: He's more confident I suppose. He's still essentially
the same person that he was, but the experiences that he's had
have given him confidence because he knows his worth to the
group now, he's not having to prove it. That inevitably is going
to give him a different standing in the group, although he's
still not quite one of the dwarves, and he's aware that not all
of the dwarves have taken him to their heart.
Q: What was your biggest challenge with taking on Bilbo?
A: To have a job over that period of time and what is now
three films. It was going to be two, and when I first took it
on, I thought I've got to sustain this over two films, and now
it's three. It's just keeping an eye on where you are and what
your character is doing, and what he feels or thinks at any
given moment on that day in that journey, because we're
obviously shooting very much out of sequence.
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 Q: You won 'Best Hero' for Bilbo at MTV's
Movie Awards this year, and at a screening for the second film there
were big cheers from the audience when Bilbo first popped up on
screen. Did you ever think that would happen for your character?
A: No, I guess not. To be absolutely honest, I didn't think
one way or the other. I'm certainly glad people think that rather
than booing him. If they were booing him, I've definitely done
something wrong.
Q: Season 3 of "Sherlock" will be kicking off in January.
What will we see of John Watson's arc in this season?
A: He's moved on from what he thinks is
Sherlock's death two years ago. He's moved on and he's fallen in
love. And that is obviously the biggest change in his life. Sherlock
is no longer around, he hasn't got his friend anymore. He hasn't got
those adventures or that life, so he's back practicing medicine, and
with a very serious girlfriend.
That's where we pick him up and not at Baker Street, not living that
life anymore. And he's content with where he is.
Q: What's been your biggest challenge in navigating
Hollywood?
A: My only navigation on those waters is artistic, and that
might sound very precious, but I try and make it true. Some people
have asked me for advice about the film business. I know nothing
about the film industry, I know absolutely nothing ... I suppose you
try not to get too typecast, you try that with varying degrees of
success.
(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Vicki
Allen)
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