A new role created for the film, Alfrid is the Master of Laketown’s ‘conniving’ civil servant. As described by Peter Jackson himself [Click here].

In the second Hobbit movie, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”, Alfrid is introduced as one of Bard’s main antagonists along with the mayor of Laketown. Alfrid uses his position as right-hand man to the mayor as an excuse to meddle in Bard’s affairs. He is suspicious of Bard’s motives and misses no opportunity to relay those suspicions to the mayor.