Martin Freeman is pleased that he didn't just have to play the 'cute' hobbit in The Hobbit franchise.
Freeman is set to return to the role of Bilbo Baggins next week in The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, which is the third and final instalment in Peter Jackson's trilogy.
And Freeman reveals that he was thrilled that he got to take Bilbo on a real journey of change and tackle some very dark aspects through all three films.
Speaking to SFX magazine, the actor said: "Bilbo goes through an awful lot of changes, a lot of light and shade.
"I wanted to know early on, when do I break through the ingénue thing? When do I break through the Stan Laurel, wide-eyed 'What's going on?' thing.
"I knew that wouldn't be very interesting, to be a cute Hobbit all the time.
"I was always chomping at the bit, 'When can he go dark?' That's my natural inclination, to just root around in the dirt."
The movie have seen Freeman team up with director Jackson for the first time, in what is the biggest role of his movie acting career to date.
So far, the franchise has grossed almost $2 billion at the global box office, but Battle of the Five Armies is set to be the biggest instalment yet.
Freeman has mixed movies with TV projects this year, finding success with Sherlock and Fargo on the small screen. He is back working on movie projects as he is currently filming The Eichmann Show.
The Eichmann Show is directed by Paul Andrew Williams, and will see Freeman star alongside Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, and Rebecca Front.
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is released 12th December.
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