Cmwissy said:
Do Americans even know who Martin Freeman is? He's big over here, but I imagine the majority of people would rather of seen a big face as the main role.
I'm pretty happy with it, I'd rather British actors play the roles, like they did in the original trilogy.
But hey, the viewers are idiots.
I'm never disappointed to find out big actors didn't get big roles. First I think it's always a good thing to let the B, C, and D list actors with potential get a chance to spread their wings. And second, if a big name actor gets too big, I have trouble enjoying the movie for what it is.
Let's take Tom Cruise for example. He is such a big celebrity with so much drama around him I can't watch any of his movies anymore and see the character he's playing, and can't take it seriously. All I can see is Tom Cruise.
On the other hand, after I saw Elijah Wood as Frodo, it took me a long, LONG time to be able to say "Oh, that's Elijah Wood" rather than "Oh, that's Frodo Baggins." To me, that's what good actors are. They ARE the characters they play, not their public persona with a costume on.
