'The Hobbit' star Martin Freeman calls Bilbo Baggins 'pompous'

The book is charming and whimsical, NOT a comedy. This aspect seems potentially over-done, IMO. However, thanks for sharing the article! [:)]
Much of the comedy comes from seeing his correctness face danger for the first time.
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He said "much of the comedy" probably meaning, "much of Bilbo's comedy". He didn't say "much of the film."

I think when he is not being funny, he may feel more like Bilbo. A "You will promise that I will come back." genuine personality with a bit of talking to himself throughout the film is enough to have me sold that Martin is Bilbo.

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Here is Freeman's quote:

When asked what he thinks separates the two hobbit characters, Freeman said: "He [Bilbo] is intrinsically more correct than Frodo, more pompous. Frodo is more open – Bilbo has to be broken open like a clam. Much of the comedy comes from seeing his correctness face danger for the first time."
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That is, almost to a T, precisely where a lot of the humor in the books finds itself. Furthermore, Freeman's description of Bilbo seems spot on, and very consistent with his book counterpart.

If anything, this description reveals how much PJ distorted Frodo's character for LOTR. Frodo was far more "British" and less "open" in the books than he was in the films, where he was essentially a blank cipher.
 
Not blowing it off with cool, "comedic" replies as we've seen in (at least a bit) of Bilbo's character in the film. Though granted, the characters we saw in the LotR trailers and TV spots were pretty much what we got in the films.

Bilbo being more reserved, more proper, in the novel, doesn't result in his making light of the trolls and Gollum as he does (as least at some point), in the film. Hearing MF articulate that this is the route they've taken is a tad worrysome, is all...I really hope the films are not all-out comedies. For Bilbo to have MORE of a dry English wit, say when he's not in immediate danger, I don't really have a problem with.
 
MF has a wonky way of saying it maybe, but the actual meaning of what he said there is great

^my own sentence there was wonky lol [sly]
 
Just imagine for a moment that you've only interacted with pleasantly polite folk all your life, and then suddenly you're in the way of some folks who want to harm you. Would your immediate reaction be silence and screaming? I think for Bilbo, reasoning is his tool in this situation, and it is quite humorous. I think particularly with the "joking with trolls" bit we haven't seen the full lead up to it, but I think the reaction fits in tone with his character. The cordiality of his talk with Gollum is definitely there in the books, and people are just bagging on it because it's different. The trolls make even more sense for his reasoning side to come out, since it's the first encounter he has. This is one of the arcs, I think, where Bilbo will soon realize that he can't talk his way out of everything, especially once they get to Mirkwood.
 
That is, almost to a T, precisely where a lot of the humor in the books finds itself. Furthermore, Freeman's description of Bilbo seems spot on, and very consistent with his book counterpart.
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I always pictured Bilbo as being slightly self-centered and pompous. Although I still liked Frodo's portrayal in the movies I think Bilbo can actually draw more of a connection and love from the audience. He's quirky and out of place on his adventure, and IMO this seems like something that would be more enjoyable to watch than a character who slowly deteriorates as the story progresses.
 
a fantasy adventure comedy. The inherent situation and plot of The Hobbit is comedic. Stuffy english man gets thrown into medieval notions of adventure and mayhem.

comedy. [angelic]
 
What worries me about this is that PJ will overdo the "detached quality" of Bilbo for comedic effect. The Bilbo being "clam-like" makes him seem outwardly impervious...remember the Bilbo of the book was prone to funny queer fits, tended to be quite adamant about not being eaten/smooshed/cooked, ETC.

But in any event, we've yet to see too much of Bilbo's role on-screen, so it's for now unknown just how he'll fare (I know I brought it up, but I don't want to get to off-track seeing as we've discussed it recently anyway). [;)]
 
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remember the Bilbo of the book was prone to funny queer fits, tended to be quite adamant about not being eaten/smooshed/cooked, ETC.
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[size 2]We've a[size 2]lready heard Freeman complain about possible "incineration" and then faint [size 2]in the presence of the dwarves[size 2], so we'll certainly be seeing some of those funny queer fits.[/size][/size]
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But, I'm a bit concerned it is portrayed OTT though how he stops turns and then just drops like a stone after saying his whole line of dialogue. Seems to me if it bothered him that badly he would have been speechless and simply fainted at the thought of incineration instead of turning to look at the camera say no and faint. Things seem to be being played up as outright comedy instead of has been said charming and whimsical. [;)] OTT is not always better IMO [unsure]
 
My worry is that PJ, as is his wont, is choosing the most over-the-top takes out of a number of more subtle ones. I wonder if that sort of thing will irk an actor like Freeman, who is very self-critical.
 
From "An Unexpected Party":

Poor Bilbo couldn't bear it any longer. At may never return he began to feel a shriek coming up inside, and very soon it burst out like the whistle of an engine coming out of a tunnel...Then he fell flat on teh floor, and kept on calling out "struck by lightning, struck by lightning!" over and over again; and that was all they could get out of him for a long time.
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It's not quite the same, but the fainting might work better on film than the fit.
 
Its the OTT portrayal and comedic style that I'm not a big fan of. I would figure fainting would work a bit better than the way it was in the book but it just looks like a staged faint to me and not someone genuinely fainting. Kind of reminds me in the three stooges how they faint to be honest.
 
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