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May 2011 - October 2012

Life Outside 'Sherlock': Martin Freeman Anglophenia BBC America

Simon Pegg Recruits Martin Freeman For 'The World's End' Anglophenia BBC America

Edgar Wright’s ‘The World’s End’ Adds Martin Freeman; Production Underway
By Sandy Schaefer
October 2012

Rumors and speculation about when, exactly, Edgar Wright will begin shooting Ant-Man have intensified over the past couple months, following the premiere of test footage shown at Marvel’s Comic-Con panel this past summer. However, before he gets to that gestating superhero movie, Wright has another project to make: The World’s End, a new comedic collaboration with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

World’s End will serve as the thematic conclusion to the trio’s ‘Blood & Ice Cream’ trilogy (a.k.a. ‘Three Flavors Cornetto’) – so named for recurring scenes where characters snack on a certain flavor of Cornetto ice cream - following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, with a script once again co-written by Pegg and Wright. The cast includes players from previous installments such as Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman, whose popularity in the U.S. has increased exponentially recently (thanks to his ongoing role as Dr. Watson on the BBC’s Sherlock).

Shaun of the Dead served as Pegg, Frost, and Wright’s love letter to George A. Romero zombie fare, while Hot Fuzz was a salute to American action cinema that melded buddy-cop conventions with British social satire (similar to how Shaun combined the zombie sub-genre with Brit rom-com tropes). It appears that The World’s End will follow in those films’ footsteps by putting a funny British spin on the apocalyptic sub-genre, judging by the official synopsis:

In The World’s End, 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.

Additional cast members on The World’s End include Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), and Rosamund Pike (Wrath of the Titans). Wright is receiving assistance behind the scenes from trusted collaborators like director of photography Bill Pope (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), production designer Marcus Rowland (Hot Fuzz) and editor Paul Machliss (Spaced), among others.

Pegg and Frost co-wrote and headlined last year’s sci-fi comedy Paul, but the film is not widely regarded as being on the same level as their Wright collaborations. However, every film and television project the trio have worked on together to date has earned them a strong cult following among moviegoers, as well as praise from the critical community. That’s to say: we have little to no reason right now to suspect that World’s End will prove to be their first ‘misfire.’

We’ll let you know when The World’s End snags a release date. Meanwhile, you can catch Freeman on the big screen this winter in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, with Pegg returning to theaters next summer in Star Trek Into Darkness.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits - Rotten Tomatoes - Website for movie reviews

The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) - IMDb

THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS Behind-the-Scenes Images: Collider.com

Martin Freeman's Interview For 'The Pirates! In An adventure With Scientists
Flicks and Bits
March 6, 2012

In Aardman Animations ‘ The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists,’ Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It’s a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure! Aardman are the consistently awesome team behind the likes of ‘Wallace and Gromit,’ ‘Chicken Run’ and ‘Arthur Christmas.’ ’ The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists’ is Aardman’s first 3-D stop-motion film, and Peter Lord’s first film as a director since ‘Chicken Run.’ The film is released in cinemas March 28th in the UK and April 27th in the US.

What was it like being a part of an Aardman Animations film?

Martin Freeman: I’ve wanted to work with Aardman for years really. I first buttonholed Nick Park about it at the Comedy Awards about 7 years ago. I said to him, “I’d love to work with you one day.” He said, “Oh, we’d love to have you.” I assumed that would mean nothing (laughs), but now here I am. I believe “national treasure” is a really twee and overused phrase, but if there are such things, then Aardman’s definitely one of them for Britain. It’s one of the things to be proud of, I’m genuinely quite proud of it.

How was it for you with the filming process, voicing Pirate In Scarf?

Martin Freeman: It was very unique, you don’t even know what their physicality is. I had seen minutes here and there of what my character was going to be, I knew what he was going to look like, but he’s not literally me. I was doing the physicality that you normally are in an acting job, but you leave his actual physicality to the team of animators, a team of people you hadn’t met in another city somewhere. There’s a lot of trust, I suppose, that goes on – definitely on both sides. I think from our point of view you feel quite privileged to be on the film anyway, every actor who was in it was, I’m sure, was quite chuffed to be a part of it, having seen all their work previously.

That must have been a very unique way of capturing a performance for you?

Martin Freeman: Yeah. It’s nothing like making a film or being in a play, it’s actually, on the face of it, it’s everything I don’t want acting to be (laughs). I don’t want to be alone, the thing I love about acting is the other people you’re doing it with. Genuinely, it’s only because it’s Aardman that I would stick it out, seriously (laughs). Because I trust it and trust what it’s going to be because their output makes me laugh, and sometimes makes me cry. It was honour to be a part of this knowing that. The process of it is definitely not what I got into acting for to be fair (laughs). I got into it for good stories, which is great, but also hopefully the process is a bit more community based. For the most part you’re alone recording this. There were times when I was with other actors, but not many times. It’s a very prolonged process as well. As an actor you don’t ever really get to do this, you don’t normally get to do 25 different readings of “Captain!” without punching the director. But with this you were really happy to be there, you’re in the zone.

What was the inspiration behind Pirate With Scarf?

Martin Freeman: Pirate With Scarf is the Captain’s right hand man. We kind of agreed on him being a bit like John Le Mesurier in ‘Dad’s Army.’ I don’t think I was doing it anything like that (laughs), but that was the jumping off point, someone who was a bit cleverer that his superior. Certainly not posher, I’m not posher than Hugh Grant….because I’m not Prince William (laughs). But just a bit more level headed, a bit more unflappable I suppose. John Le Mesurier was the jumping off point, because he’s cool under fire, who keeps grounding his superior. He’s like a sort of perfect right hand man, and I think the Pirate Captain knows that as well. He takes him for granted sometimes, but at the end of it he knows that he can rely on him.

He gives the Pirate Captain a much needed booster when he needs it.

Martin Freeman: Yeah. The crew would walk through broken glass and hoops of fire for the Pirate Captain. I think the trouble is that he has a sort of crisis of confidence and doesn’t kind of realise that, or he forgets that, forgets how much esteem they hold him in. So when he gets a bit self-loathing, it’s always up to me as Pirate With Scarf to boost him up again and remind him of his position and his importance and his responsibility to his crew – with nice silly touches added to it (laughs).

He’s a bit out of place in the motley crew of pirates?

Martin Freeman: They are a motley crew. None of them have names, like Pirate With Scarf, Curvaceous Pirate, Pirate With Gout. So they’re sort of like stock characters in a way, bordering on charactertures. They’re sort of like our folk lore or memory of pirates, it’s all that chucked in there. If anything, Pirate With Scarf is definitely not that because he’s not flee-ridden, he’s not grotesque – he’s like a Clarke really. He’s the one who I think is in the wrong job (laughs). The Pirate Captain is not always very good at his job, but he definitely wants to be there, he’s in the right job. He would never be a solicitor, while I think Pirate With A Scarf could be mid-management somewhere. But he’s found himself on this ship full of grotesque types. He does fit in quite well, but he doesn’t seem the same species as the others.

Martin Freeman to star in new music industry movie 'Svengali'
NME.COM
February 23, 2012

Former The Office star Martin Freeman is set to star in a film version of the online music industry comedy, Svengali.

Freeman will appear alongside Vicky McClure (This Is England '86) and Michael Smiley (Kill List) in the film, which is based on the satirical YouTube show. Of his role, Freeman says: "A friend of mine told me about Svengali after about the third episode. When he'd described it I was actually annoyed that I hadn't been asked to do it. I went home, watched the lot, and knew I was right to be annoyed. It was charming, sussed and very funny."

Former Oasis guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, ex-Libertine Carl Barat, Goldie Lookin Chain's Maggot and former Creation records chief Alan McGee all appeared in the online version of Svengali, which ran to nine episodes and was written by Dean Cavanagh and also featured Shameless actor Jonathan Owen.

Says Owen of the film: "The web has changed everything. Svengali was originally an experiment to see if people wanted stories. It seems they did. To be making a movie now shows that anything is possible."

The film will see a host of bands and artists making cameo appearances as themselves.

Martin Freeman joins 'Svengali': YouTube series adapted as feature pic
By Adam Dawtrey
Variety
February 22, 2012

LONDON -- YouTube hit series "Svengali" is being turned into a feature film starring Martin Freeman ("The Hobbit").

The privately-financed comedy, directed by first-timer John Hardwick, starts production next week in London, and will shoot for six weeks.

It's the story of a smalltown guy from Wales who travels to London to fulfill his dream of becoming the manager of the best band in the world.

Writer and actor Jonny Owen, who plays the leading role, originally created the Svengali character with co-writer Dean Cavanagh in a series of nine "webisodes," which aired on YouTube in 2011.

The series used real-life rock stars and music business personalities to play themselves.

Now Owen has teamed with designer Martin Root to launch Root Films, which is producing the feature version of "Svengali."

Aside from Freeman, who plays a cameo role in between his "Hobbit" filming commitments in New Zealand, the cast includes Vicky McClure ("This Is England") and Michael Smiley ("Kill List").

Movies to See Before the World Ends: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
By Kevin Carr
Film School Rejects
February 17, 2012

The Mayans, the wise race of ancients who created hot cocoa, set December 21st, 2012 as the end date of their Calendar, which the intelligent and logical amongst us know signifies the day the world will end, presumably at 12:21:12am, Mountain Time. From now until zero date, we will explore the 50 films you need to watch before the entire world perishes. We don’t have much time, so be content, be prepared, be entertained.

The Film: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

The Plot: Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) discovers that his house is scheduled for demolition to make way for a freeway bypass. Thanks to his unique friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def), he also discovers that the planet Earth is scheduled for demolition to make way for a hyperspace bypass. The worst day of Arthur Dent’s life soon turns into the most fascinating one when Ford takes him along on a trip through the galaxy by hitching a ride on passing spaceships. Dent learns that Ford is a writer for the interstellarly famous book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” which offers plenty of advice for would-be travelers, including “Don’t Panic” and to always bring along your towel. During their travels, Arthur and Ford meet up with the two-headed galactic president Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell) and quirky Earth girl Trillian (Zooey Daschenel), who are looking for an ancient supercomputer that will provide the answer to the ultimate questions of life, the universe and everything.

The Review: Even though Hitchhiker author Douglas Adams was extremely open – and often involved – in the adaptation of his classic book into various forms, a big-budget movie was a risky bet. In reality, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an extremely popular book among a relatively small audience. That is, science fiction fans. But not just any science fiction fans… science fiction fans who read… and love British humor. As well-read as these books were, the audience wasn’t a sure bet to make the movie a hit.

I read the first couple books while I was in college, and while I enjoy reading, science fiction and British humor, it wasn’t my favorite series. The first installment is pretty clever, the second book (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe) was okay and the third book (Life, the Universe, and Everything) seemed more concerned with being silly than telling a story. Don’t get me wrong, silliness is an inherent and necessary trait of these books, but it just gets a bit too much as the stories goes on. As a result, I never did read the fourth or fifth book in the trilogy (ha ha, get it?).

Still, with my favorite of the series being the first installment, I looked forward to the film.

It’s a non-standard story if I’ve ever seen one. And it’s quite well adapted form the general randomness of the novel. Using clever animation and narration, the viewer is given a taste of the Guide (and with plenty of other deleted entries found on the DVD and Blu-ray) without getting bogged down. The acting is quite good, especially from the supporting cast which includes John Malkovich in a non-canon role to further the story. Utilizing solid actors who can play comedy in a deadly serious fashion allows people like Malkovich to say “Zaphod Beeblebrox” with the deadpan delivery as if he were saying “John Smith” (or “Arthur Dent,” for that matter).

While many hardcore Douglas Adams fans will tell you that the BBC television production is superior for its faithful adaptation, the 2005 film is special because it uses state-of-the-art special effects to tell the otherwise ludicrous story against a realistic-looking backdrop. But even with all the modern tools at their disposal, the filmmakers brought in Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to build not just Marvin the maniacally depressed robot (one of the funniest characters in the film, voiced by Alan Rickman) but also many of the aliens including the bureaucratic, poetry-reading Vogons. In a day and age when CGI creatures are used more than they really should be, this offers an organic and warm feel to an otherwise cold and potentially depressing universe.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy may not be the greatest space adventure film to ever have been made, but it’s easily one of the funniest space adventure films ever to have been made. Right up there with Galaxy Quest.

But why spend 110 minutes watching this film when you only have 442,111 minutes left to live?

Whether you’re a fan of the original book series by Douglas Adams, the resulting radio program, the low-rent but faithful BBC television production or any of the other forms that his world-famous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy took, this is required reading (or viewing or listening, etc.) for a the science fiction enthusiast. If not, at the very least, you’ll get a hearty laugh before the end of the world. The snippets from the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” book that Ford helps write offer some choice advice, just in case you can hop on a Vogon construction cruiser before the Mayan predictions come true. The destruction of the Earth may happen within the first 15 minutes of this movie, but the film not only shows there may very well be life after the death of our planet, but it also reminds you to bring your towel and above all else, don’t panic.

The Press Association: Martin Freeman set to save Santa
January 27, 2012

(UKPA) - Martin Freeman will be rushing to Santa Claus' aid in a new animated Christmas movie.

The Hobbit star will voice an awkward elf who has to rescue Santa's headquarters when a villain called Neville Baddington discovers its whereabouts.

Variety reports that Martin, 40, joins a host of fellow British actors who are lending their voices to characters in Saving Santa, including Noel Clarke, Joan Collins, Tim Curry and Craig Fairbass.

Leon Joosen, whose animation credits include The Little Mermaid and Aliens In The Attic, will direct.

Production on Saving Santa is set to start this week and the film is expected to be released around Christmas this year.

Martin Freeman joins 'Santa'
By Diana Lodderhose
Variety.com
January 26, 2012

Noel Clarke, Tim Curry add voices to toonpic

LONDON -- Brit thesps Martin Freeman, Noel Clarke and Tim Curry will all lend their voices to U.K. toonpic "Saving Santa," which is set to begin production on Friday.

Pic marks the first toon to come out of Gateway Films, the shingle behind local pics "Anuvahood," "Shank" and "Sket."

Joan Collins, Pam Ferris ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"), Craig Fairbass ("Call of Duty") and Chris Barrie ("Tomb Raider") will also voice characters in the 5 million pounds ($7.8 million) pic.

Story sees a clumsy elf who doesn't fit in with the other elves, but after discovering the secret of Santa's time control device, he sets out on a journey to save Santa's Kingdom after its location is discovered by an evil character.

Leon Joosen, whose animation credits include "The Little Mermaid" and "Aliens in the Attic," is set to helm the pic, while Ricky Roxburgh ("The Wild Bunch") penned the script.

Gateway's Terry Stone and Nick Simunek will produce alongside Tony Nottage, while Max Howard is exec producer.

"We've always wanted to have an animation studio under Gateway," Stone told Daily Variety. "And this is our first step into the animation world. We're not going to stop making feature films, but going forward an animation studio is going to be an arm of our company and we plan on doing one to two animations per year."

Gateway is in negotiations with a studio for world rights.

Gateway is also in production on $3.1 million "Get Lucky," toplining Luke Treadaway, T.J. Ramini, Emily Atack and James Cosmo, which Universal is distributing in Blighty and Oz.

Articles - February - December 2011

How life is all a stage for Amanda Abbington
Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
December 5, 2011

Sir Ian McKellen has just finished delivering a speech at the foot of a mountain in New Zealand, and actress Amanda Abbington is still a little bit starry-eyed.

Together with the distinguished cast of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, she was watching as Sir Ian took part in a ceremony to welcome the movie cast and crew onto native Maori soil.

“It was sacred ground, so before they could start filming we had this thing called a ‘powhiri' where the Maoris accept you into their family,” she says.

“Ian McKellen made a wonderful speech about how actors are a tribe of people as well, who don't recognise colour, creed or religion. They're just thrown together.

“That's what it's like over here. You've got loads of people from all over the world coming in and it's like a lovely family. We came back a few weeks ago and it's just like coming home.”

Abbington (37) has taken her two young children, Joe and Grace, to the other side of the world to watch their dad, actor Martin Freeman, take on the biggest role of his life to date as the lead hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

But far from being in Freeman's shadow, Abbington - the star of Married, Single, Other - has plenty of acting roles to keep her busy.

In June, she starred alongside Jason Isaacs as Detective Constable Louise Munroe in an adaptation of Kate Atkinson's Case Histories, which was filmed in Edinburgh.

She'll be shooting another series in the New Year, but before then is back on TV in hard-hitting CBBC drama, Postcode, which shines a light on immigration.

Playing a lawyer whose son befriends a Somali boy whose family threatened by deportation, she relished the opportunity to explore serious issues for children.

“I liked it because it wasn't dumbing down for kids, it was actually telling them things they need to be told. I think it's something that's lacking on television at the moment,” she says.

While she admits her own two are still “more CBeebies”, she thinks Postcode will appeal to children over eight, and will definitely let hers see it when they're old enough.

“These heartbreaking stories about people seeking asylum are relevant in today's society more than ever before,” she says.

Postcode also gave her the opportunity to work with her Married, Single, Other co-star Shaun Dooley again.

He plays her husband, who's being investigated by the tax office. “I think he's one of our standout actors and he's a good friend as well, so it really was joyful.”

Abbington admits that while filming the first series of Case Histories, she was plagued with text messages from friends wanting to know if she and Isaacs, who plays private investigator Jackson Brodie, were going to kiss.

“He's a bit of heartthrob, and I kept getting texts saying, ‘Are you going to kiss him, do you kiss, are you kissing him?' I think the way we left it in the last episode, there is that capacity that maybe we could do,” she says, laughing.

“He's delightful. We're both very family-oriented and bonded over talking about our spouses and children a lot.”

The curly blonde actress met Sherlock star Freeman on the set of Channel 4 film Men Only in 2000 - and it was love at first sight. “I was sitting in the make-up bus thinking, ‘I really need a boyfriend' and said to the make-up artist, ‘I want a nice boy, I feel like I haven't met anyone for ages'.

“She said this guy had just been moaning about not having a girlfriend and she'd introduce us.

“He got on the bus and there was a thunderbolt. I looked at him and thought, ‘You're nice' and apparently he thought the same. He asked me out on a date and two months later, I moved in with him. We've been together ever since.”

As for marriage, Abbington admits they recently found somewhere they'd like to tie the knot in the future. “We went to Sorrento on holiday for a week - it's the most wonderful place in the world.”

Postcode begins on BBC One on Tuesday.

Amanda Abbington was born in October 1974.
She wanted to be a dancer from the age of five but, due to an injury when she was 18, turned to acting instead.
From 2006, she starred in adverts for Maltesers alongside The IT Crowd's Katherine Parkinson.
She has two children with fellow actor Martin Freeman: Joe and Grace.
She will appear as a vampire in an episode of BBC Three's Being Human early in 2012.

Abbington: Hobbit cast like family
Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
December 3, 2011

Amanda Abbington has revealed The Hobbit set is like a big family.

The 37-year-old actress has taken her two young children, Joe and Grace, to the other side of the world to watch their dad, actor Martin Freeman, take on the biggest role of his life to date as the lead hobbit Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's big screen adaptation.

Amanda revealed: "It was sacred ground, so before they could start filming we had this thing called a 'powhiri' where the Maoris accept you into their family.

"Ian McKellen made a wonderful speech about how actors are a tribe of people as well, who don't recognise colour, creed or religion. They're just thrown together.

"That's what it's like over here. You've got loads of people from all over the world coming in and it's like a lovely family. We came back a few weeks ago and it's just like coming home."

She's aware that when the first part of the highly-anticipated prequel to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is released next year, it's going to throw a huge spotlight on her partner of 11 years, who came to the nation's attention as Tim in The Office, but says they're ready as a family to cope.

She said: "I think that's inevitable, he's got to be prepared for that, and we'll be there supporting him, making sure he doesn't fly off."

Amanda added: "I know I'm biased because I'm in love with him, but I do think he's doing a pretty excellent job, I'm really proud of him."

Amanda stars in children's drama Postcode which begins on CBBC on Tuesday, December 6.

'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' coming to iOS
By Scott Nichols
Gaming News - Digital Spy
August 11, 2011

Hothead Games has announced that it is creating an interactive Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Previously thought to be a game based on Douglas Adams's works, the studio is instead creating an interactive version of the guide itself.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy promises to include all of the important information on towels, vogons, Milliways, Babel Fish and Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters that one should need in daily intergalactic travels.

"We really focused on taking existing Guide entries and presenting them in a new, interactive way," said Hothead's producer Joel DeYoung.

"We have so much respect for the original that we had to stay true to the style of Douglas Adams, and deliver an app that feels familiar to fans, but updated for today's devices."

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was created by Douglas Adams and first appeared on BBC Radio 4 in 1978.

A film adaptation starring Martin Freeman was released in 2005.

A date has not yet been announced for the interactive Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy app.

New Promo For Aardman's The Pirates! Movie News Empire

There's ham-loving buccaneers, a brash seadog played by Ari Gold, a dodo that thinks it's a parrot, a chimpanzee that thinks it's a person, and a pirate ship built out of bits of two other ships bolted together. There's actor-turned-national-hero Hugh Grant as the slightly hapless Pirate Captain, Martin Freeman as his smarter, Gromit-like sidekick, a pirate-loathing Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and a seriously loopy quest for the prestigious 'Pirate Of The Year' award on Blood Island.

Two Trailers For Aardman Animation's 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits'

Comic-Con 2011: Schedules Announced for Preview Night and Thursday, July 21st; Includes BREAKING DAWN, DRIVE, and GAME OF THRONES

The Pirates! Band of Misfits - In the 3D, stop motion-animated The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Hugh Grant, stars in his first animated role as the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain - a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It’s a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure! Director/producer Peter Lord will be live on stage to talk about the movie.

Amanda Abbington on loving life with Martin Freeman
By Vicki Power
dailymail.co.uk
June 17, 2011

Martin Freeman is taking a break from filming Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, a prequel to The Lord Of The Rings.

Martin takes the role of Bilbo Baggins, the film's 50-year-old narrator.

Somehow, you can easily picture the actor - who plays the stuffy Dr Watson in the BBC's Sherlock and love-lorn Tim in The Office - as the home-loving hobbit, which makes the thunderbolt of passion which struck his partner Amanda Abbington on their first meeting a little bit, well, unexpected. 'I'd seen him in a TV sketch show and thought he was gorgeous,' says Amanda.

'My ideal man. As I sat watching I said to my friend: "He's lovely, isn't he? I'd love to meet him." Then a couple of months later I did.'

They met on the set of TV movie Men Only in 2000.

'I was moaning to the make-up girl that I hadn't got a boyfriend, and she said there was a guy on the same job who'd been saying the same thing, that he was looking for a nice girl.

'At that minute Martin walked in and I just had a thunderbolt. It dawned on me: "Oh, God it's him!" We flirted with each other all day and when I went home he texted me, saying "You left and I wasn't done flirting with you. That's a bit rude", which I thought was really smooth.

'The next night he invited me for a drink and a couple of months later I moved in with him. That was it.'

At 37, she's the mother of Martin's two children, Joe, five, and three-year-old Grace, and has seen his career soar.

But now her star is on the rise, too, with a role opposite Jason Isaacs in Case Histories, the six-part BBC1 adaptation of the best-selling Jackson Brodie novels by Kate Atkinson.

An animated and pretty blonde with a dry sense of humour, Amanda lights up when talking about her other half, even when disclosing how she's had to deal with the fact that Martin's fame has made him hot property to women.

Sometimes, she says, women throw themselves at him even when she's standing there.

'But he always says: "And this is my girlfriend." Only recently some girl came up to him and shoved me out of the way.

'And he said: "Excuse me, this is my girlfriend, don't push her out of the way".'

She does admit to the odd pang of insecurity, however, when Martin was cast opposite Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow in the 2007 movie The Good Night.

'I was eight-and-a-half months pregnant and bigger than a house. And Penelope's so beautiful and talented, who wouldn't fancy her?'

Any speculation that she might be remotely jealous of her other half's career is quashed immediately. She is clearly Martin's biggest cheerleader. A favour she says he returns: 'He's so supportive. He always says: "You should be having my career!" I say: "Thanks. Tell (The Hobbit director) Peter Jackson that."

Surprisingly, Amanda says marriage is not on the cards, even though they often call each other husband and wife.

'I don't know why, really,' she muses.

'We don't want to spoil it. We've got two children together, two dogs and a cat and a house, and that's such a big commitment.

'Maybe one day we will, but we wouldn't want a huge hoopla; we'd run away and do it on our own and have a party afterwards.'

The family has had to deal with forced separations due to Martin filming The Hobbit - an adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien books featuring Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom — in New Zealand and Amanda being on the set of Case Histories in Edinburgh.

Despite being offered the lead role of Bilbo Baggins, Martin nearly turned it down, she says, because he was already committed to a second series of Sherlock.

But Peter Jackson, who won three Oscars for his Lord Of The Rings trilogy, was so keen for Martin to play Bilbo that he rearranged his filming schedule to accommodate Sherlock's.

'I was so excited,' she says.

'But Martin is never fazed by anything. He's never starstruck.'

The same can't be said for her mother, when she discovered Amanda was going to work with Jason Isaacs.

'My mum fancied Jason Isaacs! She was watching the trailer and said to my dad: "He has a lovely chest."

'Jason does have something of the George Clooney about him. He's like one of those old-fashioned heart-throbs.'

Amanda plays DI Louise Munroe, an Edinburgh detective who has a love-hate relationship with private eye Jackson Brodie.

'Louise is a glass-half-empty kind of person. She has had a hard life and doesn't let love into it.

'She's a single mum and she works in a man's world. She finds it very hard.

'She hates herself for being attracted to Brodie. She helps him out with inside information even though she shouldn't.

'I think he loves her back, but they keep missing each other and he infuriates her.'

There was one person, she reveals, who was distraught to discover who Amanda's co-star was.

'My son, Joe, was frightened at first about me working with Lucius Malfoy [Jason Isaacs plays the villain in the Harry Potter films].

'He was frightened I wouldn't come back! So I had to explain that Jason is just playing a part like Daddy does. Then he had a good long think and said I could go.'

Waving goodbye to the children to go off filming is hard, she says: 'I would only be away filming Case Histories for four nights at a time, but it was me who'd go off in tears; the kids would say, "It's OK, mummy."'

It's a different scenario for Martin, however.

'When he first got the part in New Zealand it was going to be for 18 months with no break, which would have been terrifying; but we knew he couldn't not do it, so we'd have to work it out.

'But, of course, he has been able to come back to do Sherlock.

'Although when he'd been out there for over six weeks he really needed to see us. His heart ached a little bit. But we know the film is going to be huge.

'He does get stressed, though. Sometimes he rings me up at 7am to say:

"I've been covered in c**p, hanging upside down and I've got bloody ears on." But he knows it's for the greater good and he does it with a smile.'

Case Histories is on BBC1 at 9pm on Sunday and Monday.

Martin Freeman wins BAFTA TV award
May 23, 2011

British actor Martin Freeman was all smiles on Sunday after winning a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) TV Award.

The Love Actually star was named Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr Watson in UK TV series Sherlock, which was also voted the Best Drama Series at the London ceremony.

Accepting his prize, Freeman told the audience, "I know it's very fashionable to say you don't care about this stuff but I'm very chuffed (happy)."

The actor flew in for the ceremony from New Zealand where he's filming the Lord of The Rings prequel, The Hobbit.

Other big winners at the prizegiving included funnyman Steve Coogan, who accepted Best Male Comic Performance for The Trip, and comedienne Jo Brand who won the female equivalent for hospital sitcom Getting On.

The BAFTA TV Awards, held at the Grosvenor House in the British capital, celebrate the best in TV programmes.

WENN.com

Martin Freeman with the Supporting Actor award at the Philips British Academy Television Awards at the Grosvenor House, 90 Park Lane, London.
PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo

Hugh Grant Takes the Lead in 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits'
An Aardman Production for Sony Pictures Animation
PRNewswire
May 5, 2011

Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Brian Blessed, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen Also On Board.

CULVER CITY, Calif., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hugh Grant will voice the lead role alongside an all-star cast in The Pirates! Band of Misfits, the new stop-motion, 3D, animated film produced by Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation. The film, which will be distributed by Columbia Pictures, will be released March 30, 2012 in North America.

Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Aardman's most ambitious stop-motion film to date, will be created with the same beautiful hand-crafted technique that the company brought to the Academy Award®-winning film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Chicken Run. The film is directed by Peter Lord, a founding partner of Aardman, director of Chicken Run (with Nick Park), and a two-time Academy Award® nominee for his short films at the company. The film is co-directed by Jeff Newitt. The screenplay is by Gideon Defoe, based upon his books. Production Designer is Norman Garwood. Producers are Peter Lord, David Sproxton, and Julie Lockhart. Executive Producer is Carla Shelley.

Commenting on the announcement, Lord said, "I'm so grateful to the entire cast for their talent and energy. The characters that they've created fill the screen with life and fun. As the Pirate Captain, Hugh Grant has given a stand-out performance – he combines an effortless on-screen warmth with brilliant comic timing. And as the leader of our motley pirate crew, he shows a real barnstorming, swashbuckling side of his character as well. Only Hugh could anchor this story of love, loyalty, greed, and nautical high-jinks."

HUGH GRANT most recently starred in Did You Hear About the Morgans?, Music and Lyrics, American Dreamz, Bridget Jones's Diary and its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, both with Renee Zellweger; the ensemble comedy hit Love Actually, and Two Weeks' Notice. He won a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA for his performance in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and was nominated for Golden Globes for his performances in Notting Hill and About a Boy. His many other feature film credits include An Awfully Big Adventure, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Sense and Sensibility, Mickey Blue Eyes, Small Time Crooks, and Extreme Measures, which he also produced.

MARTIN FREEMAN has worked extensively in theatre, television, and film. He will soon begin production in the title role of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. His many film credits include Swinging with the Finkels, Wild Target, Nativity!, Nightwatching, Hot Fuzz, Dedication, The Good Night, Breaking and Entering, The All Together, Confetti, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Love Actually, and Ali G Indahouse. Theatre includes "The Exonerated," "Blue Eyes," "Kosher Harry," and "The Comedians"; Freeman's last stage performance was late 2010 in the smash hit "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris at the Royal Court. Television includes "The Office" (BBC – Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais & Nick Jones), "Micros Men" (BBC – Saul Metzstein), "Boy Meets Girl" (ITV – Alrick Riley), "The Robinsons" (BBC – Mark Bussell & Justin Sbresni), "Hardwear" (ITV – Ben Kellet), "Charles II" (BBC – Joe Wright). Last year Martin starred in "Sherlock" playing Dr Watson opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, produced by Sue Vertue for BBC.

DAVID TENNANT is best known for his three seasons starring in the BBC's "Doctor Who" – and was voted by the fans as the Best Doctor in the long history of the show. Tennant's many film roles include the forthcoming Fright Night and The Decoy Bride, as well as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, Glorious 39, Bright Young Things, LA Without a Map, and Jude, among others. He also voiced a role in How to Train Your Dragon. His television work includes the BBC's forthcoming "United" as well as "Hamlet," "Einstein and Eddington," "Learners," "Recovery," "Secret Smile," "Casanova," and "Blackpool," among many others. In June, he will star in "Much Ado About Nothing" in the West End. Other theatre includes "Hamlet," "Love's Labour's Lost," for the Royal Shakespeare Company, "Look Back in Anger," and "The Pillowman" at the Royal National Theatre.

IMELDA STAUNTON is an Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award nominee for her performance in the title role of Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, which also earned her a BAFTA Award, among other honors. Her many film credits include Alice in Wonderland, Taking Woodstock, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shakespeare in Love, Nanny McPhee, Much Ado About Nothing, Peter's Friends, Twelfth Night, Freedom Writers, Crush, Bright Young Things, and Antonia and Jane. Her voice was heard in Chicken Run, and she is currently voicing a role in Aardman's/Sony Pictures Animation's Arthur Christmas, set for release this fall.

Her television credits include starring in the series "Up the Garden Path," "Little Britain" (during the third season), and "Big and Small." She was a member of the repertory cast of the television series "Thompson," with Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, and Robbie Coltrane; and has starred in such notable miniseries and telefilms as "The Singing Detective" (written by Dennis Potter), "David Copperfield," "The Wind in the Willows," "Fingersmith," and, most recently, "Cranford." On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards, for Alan Ayckbourn's National Theatre staging of his play "A Chorus of Disapproval," and for Richard Jones' staging of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Into the Woods." Ms Staunton was also an Olivier Award nominee for her performance in Richard Eyre's Royal National Theatre staging of "Guys and Dolls."

JEREMY PIVEN's upcoming film projects include the ensemble thriller I Melt With You, the indie drama Drift, and Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World. Piven has received acting honors for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the slick, fast-talking super agent Ari Gold in the smash hit HBO original series "Entourage." For his work on the show, Piven won three consecutive Emmy Awards and garnered six consecutive Golden Globe nominations, taking home the award in 2008. In addition, Piven has been honored by his peers with six Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, earning three for his individual performance on "Entourage" and three more as part of the series' ensemble cast. In 2008, he made his Broadway debut in a revival of David Mamet's play "Speed the Plow." His many other film credits include Rocknrolla, The Goods: Live Hard Sell Hard Runaway Jury, Old School, Black Hawk Down, Serendipity, Rush Hour 2, The Family Man, Very Bad Things, The Kingdom, Singles, Smokin' Aces, and The Player. On television, Piven was a series regular on "Cupid" and "Ellen" and appeared numerous times on "The Larry Sanders Show." His credits also include the telefilm "Don King: Only in America."

SALMA HAYEK received an Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, a SAG nomination, and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress for the title role in Julie Taymor's Frida. She is currently filming Here Comes the Boom with Kevin James. Upcoming projects include Puss in Boots, Americano, and La Chispa de la Vida. Her film credits include Grown Ups, Ask the Dust, Bandidas, After the Sunset, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Hotel, Timecode, Dogma, Fools Rush In, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Desperado. Hayek won an Emmy for her directorial debut, "The Maldonado Miracle," which she also produced. She also served as the Executive Producer on ABC's award-winning program "Ugly Betty," starring America Ferrera, based on the enormously successful Colombian series "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea."

BRIAN BLESSED's many film credits include roles in Trojan Women, Flash Gordon, Man of La Mancha, Return to Treasure Island, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Tarzan, Alexander, The Conclave, Day of Wrath, As You Like It, and Back in Business. On stage, he created the role of Old Deuteronomy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's highly successful musical "Cats," for which he received a SWET nomination. He also starred in the West End musical "Metropolis." While a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company he played roles in "Hamlet," "Henry V," and "Richard III." At the Royal National Theatre he appeared in "State of Revolution" and "The Relapse." He also played Henry II in "The Lion in Winter" and created the role of Baron Bomburst in the original cast of the hugely successful musical, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." His countless television roles include such productions as "I Claudius," "Z Cars," "The Three Musketeers," "The Little World of Don Camillo," "My Family and Other Animals," "Blackadder," and "Tom Jones."

BRENDAN GLEESON's many credits include his starring role in The General, which gained him awards for Best Actor at the 1998 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, Best Actor at the 1999 ALFS (London Film Critics' Circle Awards), and the Best Actor in a Male Role at the 1999 Irish Film and Television Awards. Gleeson also starred in Braveheart, Mission: Impossible II, AI: Artificial Intelligence, The Tailor of Panama, Country of My Skull, 28 Days Later…, Gangs of New York, The Village, Cold Mountain, Kingdom of Heaven, Breakfast on Pluto, Troy, Black Irish, Studs, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One, The Tiger's Tail, Beowulf, and In Bruges, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. His most recent work is The Raven with John Cusack and Albert Nobbs with Glenn Close. Gleeson also won the Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the HBO movie "Into the Storm." He most recently starred in Green Zone, The Guard, and Perrier's Bounty.

RUSSELL TOVEY is best known for his work as George the werewolf on the BBC series "Being Human." He also stars on the BBC series "Him and Her," which will soon begin its second season. Tovey first came to international attention in the role of Rudge in the theatrical, radio, and film productions of The History Boys. His many television credits include guest-starring roles on "Gavin & Stacey" and "Doctor Who" as well as roles in "Little Dorrit" and "My Family and Other Animals," among others. His theatrical credits include "A Miracle" at the Royal Court, "The Sea" at the Theatre Royal, "A Respectable Wedding" at the Young Vic, the title role of Tin Tin at the Barbican, and "His Dark Materials" at the National Theatre, among many others.

ASHLEY JENSEN's breakout performance came as the loveable loser Maggie Jacobs on the BBC/HBO series, "Extras," in which she stars opposite Ricky Gervais. For her work in "Extras," she has received two British Comedy Awards (Best Actress, Best Newcomer), the Golden Rose of Montreaux award, Best Actress at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival, Glamour Magazine's Comedy Woman of the Year award and she was nominated for a BAFTA and Emmy award. Other notable television work includes ABC hit drama "Ugly Betty" and the new CBS comedy series, "Accidentally on Purpose."

Jensen's film credits include Topsy Turvy for director Mike Leigh and Tristram Shandy, opposite Steve Coogan, for director Michael Winterbottom. She recently completed production on television drama "The Reckoning" and will next begin production opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal in new feature film Hysteria. Her voice may also be heard in Gnomeo and Juliet and in Aardman Animations'/Sony Pictures Animation's Arthur Christmas.

About Sony Pictures Animation:

Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its 2009 worldwide hit, the mouth-watering 3D comedy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the 2007 Academy Award®-nominated Surf's Up with a full slate of feature films including the live-action/animation hybrid film The Smurfs (3D) and the family comedy, Hotel Transylvania (3D). The division is also in production with Aardman Animations on two feature films, the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas (3D) and the stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3D). Open Season 3, the third adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's successful Open Season franchise, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray January 2011. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.

About Aardman:

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK), co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, television series and television commercials for both the domestic and international market. The studio has won over 400 international awards including 4 Oscars

Aardman's highly creative stop-motion style and creative sensibilities have proven popular with critics and audiences around the world. In 2000, Chicken Run, their debut feature, took in nearly $225 million worldwide; since then, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit grossed nearly $200 million and Flushed Away, their first CG feature, earned $176 million. All three films have achieved enormous critical acclaim, with the three films earning a total of 27 Annie Award nominations (the animation community's highest honor). In addition, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was honored with the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. http://www.aardman.com. In addition to The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Aardman is also in production on the CG-animated Arthur Christmas.

SOURCE Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Aardman Animations