An Interview with Martin Freeman

Martin Freeman first found fame in the Golden Globe-winning comedy series 'The Office'; now he's set for the Hollywood big time with his new movie 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'...

It's easy to understand why Martin Freeman was chosen to play Arthur Dent in new movie 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy', because he's just as grumpy and witty in the flesh as he is playing the long-suffering hitchhiker.

He even attacks his career as a comic actor, disliking his everyman persona, and reveals his desperation to turn his back on comedy to work on more serious projects. But he urges fans who enjoy his funnyman status to watch him as Arthur Dent. Meanwhile, he'll be playing with his Action Man...

With high-profile stars like Hugh Grant tipped for the role of Arthur Dent, were you worried you wouldn't get the part?
Cheers for that! Well, I was kept hanging for a while because, as you say, there were other people in the mix. There were actors who the studios preferred because they were more bankable stars. But then it transpired that I had got it and I had a screen test with Zooey Deschanel, to make sure our chemistry would be convincing for the movie's romance sub-plot. And then, thankfully, we were all on board.

You were described by your co-star Sam Rockwell as a 'pie and pint Arthur Dent' rather than the stiff-upper-lipped Dent played by Simon Jones in the TV series. Do you agree with that?
I suppose he means I was more common than Simon Jones. I could have pretended to be posh, but I didn't see any point. I think having the last surviving human as a posh ponce who went to Cambridge wouldn't be as accessible as someone less middle class, like me. Sam probably means it as a compliment, because a more earthy Arthur brings the story into the 21st century.

Is it true you nearly turned down the role because you feared you couldn't better Simon Jones' version of Arthur Dent?
Well for me, he was Arthur Dent. And for many people he still will be for quite a long time, despite my version of the character. So that cast quite a long shadow and was part of the reason why I thought I wasn't right for it, because I'm nothing like Simon Jones. He was great in it, but that's not how I would or could play Arthur. So I ignored the show so I could do my own take on it, otherwise they'd have got in another tall, posh bloke.

There are millions of huge Hitchhiker fans waiting to see what you've done with their beloved character. How does that pressure affect you?
I tried not to think about it when we were shooting the film. I don't really go on the Internet that much or pay too much attention to it. But I respect the fans' fears, because we've all experienced the disappointment of bad adaptations of things. But you literally cannot please everyone, because everyone has their own version of how it should be. And if they don't like it, they can make their own version!

What kind of feedback did you get from the late Douglas Adams's family about your portrayal?
We got very positive feedback, so that was good enough for me. That doesn't necessarily mean we've made a great film, but as far as respecting what Douglas gave us, it made me proud. Douglas's widow and the rest of the family were delighted with the film. I'm sure their sentiments were genuine, because although they wouldn't say, 'You ruined Douglas's legacy,' they wouldn't have gone as far on the compliments unless it was true.

The word everyman is constantly used to describe your performances, after your portrayal of long-suffering sales rep Tim Canterbury in The Office, and your new role as the ultimate everyman, Arthur Dent. Does that bother you?
I'm sick of people using that word on me. One can only hope for a part as a paedophile child killer to break out of it. People keep saying I'm always playing these everyman roles, but I genuinely don't see the connection between Arthur and Tim. We look the same and that's about it. Robert De Niro's the best actor in the world, but he always looks the same. We can only be ourselves, and whatever part we play, we can only draw from our own emotions and memories. There's always going to be a flavour of ourselves in the roles. But it doesn't worry me because I know what I'm capable of, so it's now just a question of moving away from comedy and going for something a bit straighter.

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