Our geeky Swedish message board member “macfalk” has pointed us to a couple of interviews with Mikael Persbrandt over at SVD.se concerning his role of Beorn in the upcoming Hobbit films.
In Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, Mikael Persbrandt plays Beorn, who has the ability of transforming himself into a bear. It was revealed that Tolkien was a childhood hero for Persbrandt.
“I read all the [Tolkien] books. I went to second-hand bookshops searching for the first “Bilbo books”. I was a fantasy geek. Jackson’s Tolkien-movies are absolutely magnificent. He’s the man. The whole project will be so exciting. It is about 700 people in the crew, I am to stand in a corner and try to be pliable.”
Persbrandt compares his role in The Hobbit to his first job as an extra for Ingemar Bergman, and the performance anxiety that occurs.
“I think I share that sense with many of the people in my profession, we never allow ourselves to be truly happy – instead, we begin thinking about the impacts. How am I as a bear? One start thinking about stuff like that instead of thinking that this could be damn fun.”
In this episode of Hobbit in 5 we take a look at ways you can help New Zealand post earthquake, Aidan Turner, dwarf beards and more of those fanatic Hobbit character studies that you have grown to love.
On this episode of Hobbit in 5 The Dwarves and Bilbo make there first press appearance since arriving in New Zealand a month ago. Also Sir Christopher Lee receives a Bafta Award, location scouting, character studies and much much more!
Ok so maybe it ran a little long this week but there was a lot to cover!
In this episode we offer full details on our creative writing contest with Sideshow Collectibles and announce the official start date for the Hobbit. More Character studies including a complete outline for Bilbo Baggins.
Like the character Bilbo Baggins he’s going to portray in the upcoming “Hobbit” films, Martin Freeman is daunted but excited about the journey he’s about to embark upon.
“It’s very daunting – the daunting part is leaving home… I’m a real homebody, even before we had children, I was a homebody, so with children it’s like aww… I’m very excited though,” he told Modcast host Eddie Piller.
Martin initially turned down the role because of his commitments to the BBC detective drama.
“I had to turn it down because of being contractually obliged to do the second series of Sherlock for the BBC, which we are doing in the middle of this year,” he recalled. “I turned it down with a very heavy heart because things like this don’t come your way very often. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as far as scale is concerned. It’s a huge, huge deal. But I was contracted to do Sherlock. I wanted to do both. When I found out I couldn’t do both it was very sad. And then it was very flattering when Peter Jackson rearranged the filming around my availability.”