Hobbit and MCU actor Martin Freeman calls method acting “self-aggrandizing, selfish, narcissistic f—ing bollocks”

In the world of filmmaking, method acting is seen as the holy grail of performances. In rare instances, actors will put their all into their portrayal of a character. The goal is to thoroughly become that character in order to give your absolute best performance. The Hobbit actor Martin Freeman thinks it's all a pile of pish.

Martin Freeman on method acting

In an interview on the Off Menu podcast, Freeman heavily criticised method acting in Hollywood. For example, the actor cited Jim Carrey's infamous performance in the 1999 Andy Kaufman movie Man on the Moon. Carrey’s performance is so infamous that an entire documentary was based around the actor's actions on set: Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond.

Freeman explained that the British actor tenancy to “get on with it" is hampered by method actors. The actor said:

“[It's] the most self-aggrandizing, selfish, narcissistic f—ing bollocks I have ever seen. When younger, I think it’s quite common to think that completely losing yourself is the goal [of acting] because it feels grown-up and it feels proper. But the older I’ve got, the more I don’t really look to that. To be honest, it’s quite a pain in the arse when someone ‘loses themselves.’ It is a massive pain in the arse because it’s no longer a craft and a job.”

Transcribed by The Telegraph

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Notable examples of method acting in Comic Book movies

In recent years, there have been a few examples of method acting that Martin Freeman surely wouldn't approve of. Surprisingly, there's been a large number of comic book movie actors that have taken part in method acting.

In 2016, Jared Leto decided to go “full method" for his Suicide Squad performance as Joker. The actor gave co-star Margot Robbie a live rat and sent a dead hog to other castmates. For comparison, Heath Ledger also went method for The Dark Knight, he locked himself in a room for a month and wrote diary entries as the Crown Prince of Crime.

There are loads of examples of method acting out there. Unsurprisingly, there's also a load of examples of method acting going too far as well. It's not surprising to see why Martin Freeman doesn't like it.

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