Now they'll all be shouting Bilbo at you...

Martin Freeman
(c) New Line Cinema and MGM, h/t about.com

I thoroughly enjoyed Stephen T. Colber's interview with the one and only Martin Freeman during Hobbit Week. Here are my initial observations:

Freeman's real accent sounds identical to Christopher Guest's fake accent as Nigel in Spinal Tap. That's a pretty good fake accent Mr. Guest, or else your character was so influential on anglophone society as to influence Freeman's modes of speech. Either way, kudos to you. 

Colbert has an easy beginning. He asks Freeman, who has played many luminaries, form Tim on the original Office, to Arthur Dent in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to Dr. Watson on the BBC's most recent iteration of the Sherlock Holmes franchise, does he ever worry that these characters will consume him?

Of course Freeman is simply happy people don't yell, "Hey TIM!" at him on the street.

But that's about where Colbert's control of the interview evaporates. Freeman truly spars with Stephen. He keeps Colbert on his toes with reminiscence and almost details some questions. This is not your run-of-the-mill interview where the subject rides the rapids of Stephen's interview. Freeman could guide groups of elder adventurecationists through those rapids, such was his adroit handling of it.

Not only does he take the agenda and run riot with it, but he even calls out Colbert for not listening while he prepped his next gag.

The end of the interview is as solid as they come. Enjoy...