Martin Freeman is starring in the Trafalgar Transformed production of Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’, directed by Jamie Lloyd. Photo credit: Jay Brooks, via the Telegraph.
Martin Freeman’s screen credits show a lot of variety — The Office, The Hobbit films, Sherlock, and Fargo, to name a few. But this summer marks the actor’s first professional foray into Shakespeare. Freeman is currently appearing in the title role of Shakespeare’s Richard III, directed by Jamie Lloyd and part of Trafalgar Transformed: Season 2.
In a recent interview with the Telegraph, Freeman commented on a surprising parallel between Shakespeare’s “rudely stamp’d” villain and a familiar Tolkien character: Gollum:
I’ve just been rehearsing a scene where Richard is having a little diatribe to himself, where his schizophrenic personality comes out. And it’s absolutely Gollum, it’s totally Gollum. It’s like Shakespeare invented Gollum 400 years ago.
The Telegraph’s interview ranged over a number of topics, including Freeman’s take on his current role, how he landed the part of Lester Nygaard in Fargo, and hints about series 4 of Sherlock. You can find the entire interview here.
Richard III opened for previews on July 1, 2014, and runs through September 27. You can find ticket information here.
Video: “Trafalgar Transformed — Richard III — What is Richard III”
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