Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

Martin Freeman: Unassuming Everyman


Recommended Posts

And I missed both. :( Although it doesn't sound like I missed all that much.

 

Of course, Today interviews would have to feature the SNL appearance heavily as it's the same network. Speaking of which, there were two relevant SNL tweets yesterday: here and here. Also, there's a "guest bio" for Martin on the Tonight Show website; apparently he's going to be on on Friday, going by the scrolly thing in the upper right of the header.

 

There's quite a good Hobbit-centered interview with Martin on Movies.ie. I like how the last line of the intro para is "Movies.ie sat down with the actor, who was sporting a very impressive beard for his role as Richard III on the London stage, to find out how he feels now that THE HOBBIT is coming to an end..." and then the next line is the first question, which is "How do you feel now that THE HOBBIT is coming to an end?" It's one way to find out, I suppose...

Link to comment

 

He also talks about the homoerotic fan fiction engendered by Sherlock, which he's not entirely thrilled with.

Well, boo hoo.  "Sherlock" is practically homoerotic fan fiction of the Doyle canon.  And per the article, the problem isn't the fan fiction, but people who have trouble separating fiction from reality.  Which, I rather imagine there are a number of those among the "Hobbit" fans as well.

Link to comment

Interjecting to say that I loved the Bass-o-matic sketch!

 

Can't wait to see Martin on SNL. I hope it's good!

 

I totally get that the bass-o-matic is classic comedy, especially in the early infomercial era.  But then he (Akyroyd?) DRANK it.  

 

Ew.

 

.......

 

.......

 

Can't think of a way to make this post on topic.  Sorry everyone.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Well, boo hoo.  "Sherlock" is practically homoerotic fan fiction of the Doyle canon.  

 

I have to say that I think that's something of an overstatement. I've watched all nine episodes numerous times, and I really, really, really don't see that--Oh, that Sherlock is fan fiction, certainly; even Mofftiss have said so outright. But homoerotic? Not from where I sit. And not from where the creatives sit, either: Moffat, Gatiss, and the actors have all said, more than once, that that is not something they see as part of the show's universe. So whatever you see--and all fiction interacts with its audience in unexpected ways, so it's valid for anyone see things that were not consciously put there--it is not ridiculous for Martin to feel otherwise, and certainly not scoff-worthy.

Link to comment

 

I have to say that I think that's something of an overstatement.

Well, I was being a little hyperbolic on purpose.  But even per the article, the problem isn't the existence of fanfiction, the problem is people who think it is okay to send Amanda death threats.  Homoerotic fanfiction has existed since before Martin was born and I find it hard to believe it caught any of them off guard.

I agree with you that I don't think that it is part of the creatives' vision for the universe.  But they are making a show about a detective, not a detective show, because it's not the awesomely plotted cases that have kept people interested in Sherlock Holmes for more than a century.  I think they are telling an epic, non-romantic love story.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I agree with you that I don't think that it is part of the creatives' vision for the universe.  But they are making a show about a detective, not a detective show, because it's not the awesomely plotted cases that have kept people interested in Sherlock Holmes for more than a century.  I think they are telling an epic, non-romantic love story.

 

OMG, that is the truth! (Some of the ACD mysteries are really jokes, aren't they? But no one cares, because they are awesome stories.)

 

*** 

 

There's a description of Martin's appearance on Late Night with Seth Myers, as well as clips of Martin's bits, on the NBC website.

 

Also on the NBC website is two-and-a-half minutes of Martin shooting SNL promos with Kate McKinnon. (I am so not into SNL any more that I have no idea who Kate McKinnon is.)

Link to comment

 

I have to say that I think that's something of an overstatement. I've watched all nine episodes numerous times, and I really, really, really don't see that--Oh, that Sherlock is fan fiction, certainly; even Mofftiss have said so outright. But homoerotic? Not from where I sit. And not from where the creatives sit, either: Moffat, Gatiss, and the actors have all said, more than once, that that is not something they see as part of the show's universe. So whatever you see--and all fiction interacts with its audience in unexpected ways, so it's valid for anyone see things that were not consciously put there--it is not ridiculous for Martin to feel otherwise, and certainly not scoff-worthy.

 

Yes, I don't see it either.  But I think the larger problem that Moffat, Gatiss, Cumberbatch, and now Freeman are addressing is the tendency for some segments of the fandom to think they can influence Sherlock "reality" -- either in-universe "reality" or in real life reality -- almost by referendum.  It's fine for fans to imagine and fantasize about any alternate reality they enjoy for the characters.  Where it starts to get problematic is when (a small segment of) fans get irrationally angry that Moftiss have written a story line where John marries Mary (for example) because they really want John and Sherlock to be the married couple.  It's even scarier if (an even smaller segment of) fans start taking this anger out on Amanda Abbington.  I think it is reasonable for the writers and the actors who play the characters to be publicly clear about how they are writing and playing the characters so that fans of all types can understand the creative intention.  

  • Love 2
Link to comment

RadioTimes has an article ("Martin Freeman makes TV history in first trailer for The Eichmann Show") and a trailer for The Eichmann Show:

 

 

The Jewish News likewise has an article ("Martin Freeman stars in BBC Eichmann drama to mark Auschwitz liberation"), the same trailer, plus three additional clips/trailers:

 

 

 

 

It looks like it will be fairly amazing, including genuine footage from the trial like that.

Edited by rereader2
  • Love 1
Link to comment

There's a reasonably in-depth interview from Martin with The Independent: Martin Freeman interview: The actor on hobbits, Cumbermania and his Nazi-hounding role in The Eichmann Show.

 

Bits of it are on site after site across the interwebs, especially the bits about his dislike of Setlock (although he does finish, "Of course you want to be gracious with it. And I obviously very much appreciate, as do we all, the fact that people love it. But also, yeah, it doesn't make you doing your job any easier.") and that while he likes to be done and finished with jobs, Sherlock is an exception to that because it's intermittent and short. (Whew!)

 

***

 

Also being repeated across the Net is a bit that I think came originally from The Irish Examiner, that "keeping up his East Coast accent was a tough challenge when filming The Eichmann Show."

 

(Speaking as someone from New York, and going by the clips I saw, I think it may be a challenge he did not quite rise to.) (Possibly because there really, really isn't one East Coast accent to keep up.)

Link to comment

As always, thanks for the links rereader2

Martin's American accent in clips I've seen still has that flat sort of North Dakota feel to it with some words. I think it was probably hard to shake such a distinctive accent once so much time was spent learning/using it for Fargo. To be fair, for every Hugh Laurie there are tons of others who just can't completely hide their native accent. Simon Baker has been acting with an "American accent" for decades and his Aussie shows all the time. I think once I get into the show I won't notice it as much.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...