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29 Jan 2026 8:07
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Martin Freeman "likes" being jealous of people

    The 53-year-old star insisted all humans have flaws and he is happy to admit he experiences pangs of envy when he sees other actors do well in great roles


    He told Jessie and Lennie Ware on their 'Table Manners' podcast: "I like being jealous of people in a good way because, you know, I don't think any of us are going to pretend we're not faulty human beings who have all the vices. Jealousy is one of them.

    "It's like, well, of course, you're jealous.

    "Sometimes I like it when you're jealous and you think, good for you, mate. That was f****** great."

    The 'Hobbit' actor - who has Joe, 18, and Grace, 16, with former partner Amanda Abbington - isn't a fan of method acting and admitted he feels embarassed when he opts to maintain his character's accent when he is communicating with his loved ones or agent during brief breaks on set.

    He said: "I remember someone said, I can't remember who it was, it was someone with a good turn of phrase. Someone made the very good point of, why does no one ever stay method when you're not being a ****? Why does no one stay in character really, really hard when they're just being lovely and fun."

    He then added of his own experiences: "I felt a bit, not pretentious, but I felt slightly t****** when I would be calling home to, you know, to my kids or if I'm speaking to my agent, or my missus or whatever, and you're doing it in the accent, but it's just if you've got 10 minutes off and you're in your trailer, you don't want to then come out speaking like come out speaking like this, when you then have to go back in 10 minutes speaking like completely somebody else, making different shapes with your mouth and your tongue and your lips."

    'The Hobbit' legend will watch a project that he starred in - even if he did not like it - because it is "instructive" to him.

    Martin said: "I will always watch everything once, at least.

    "And sometimes I genuinely do like things I've been in, some of them, but I will always watch something once, even if I don't like it, because I find it instructive."

    'Table Manners' is released weekly and is available on podcast streaming platforms.

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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