An Unexpected Journey

A Hobbit hired by the wizard Gandalf to accompany 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug. In October 2010, Freeman revealed that he had been approached by the producers to play Bilbo in the films, but was forced to turn it down because of scheduling conflicts with the BBC television series Sherlock. However, he was quoted as saying, "[I]f something could be worked out, that would be great. I did it [turned down the role] with a heavy heart, definitely."[7] Weeks later, it was confirmed by the studio that he had officially been cast in the role. On his casting, Peter Jackson was quoted as saying, "Despite the various rumours and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us. There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin Freeman. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave—exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit."[8]
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