There’s high praise for Bilbo Baggins actor Martin Freeman today from The Hobbit director Peter Jackson.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times Jackson discusses why Freeman was the only choice for the role.

From the report:

Jackson added: “I can’t imagine anyone else doing Bilbo, which is one of the reasons, really, we signed him up even with having the ‘Sherlock’ break — normally on a movie you wouldn’t want to do that with the schedule,” Jackson said. “But we literally couldn’t figure out any other actor and we auditioned, you know. There is no other actor.”

Asked to elaborate on Freeman’s affinity for the role, Jackson chuckled.

“He’s Bilbo-esque,” the filmmaker said. “You might not always want to say that about you, right? But seriously he has the essential features of this little English gent, this country gent who is slightly old-fashioned and has to go around in the world and try to cope with it. That’s not exactly who Martin is as a person, but as an actor he does that so well. The fish out of water with a sense of courage but also a wonderful sense of humor. The things that happen to him and the way he reacts to them — things he’s never seen in his life before as a stuffy little Hobbit — his response to it all is part of the charm. And he does have a great openness in his face.”

Read more at this link! I think we too are equally excited to see Martin Freeman in the role.