I guess like most real human beings, Martin is a complicated man...

Did he really use the word „stalinists“? (I didn´t watch the video Liberty posted yet...)
If yes, then it´s a bizarre overreaction from otherwise very professional actor.
 
Bullying on the internet is wrong and it is certainly unpleasant if people criticise your work harshly, but come on... let´s put that into a perspective.
 
Martin Freeman is a successful man. He gets plenty of offers for interesting projects, is financially self-sufficient, travels all around the world, is recognised as a good actor by both critics and audience, enjoys good health, dresses in designer clothes and on top of his normal work, he is also active in music, promoting a new album. Quite an enjoyable life. And somewhere on the internet, in the fan zone, a few people may have negative opinions on him and they voice it online.... but that can only reach you, if you actively search for such posts.
 
Are you sure that can be compared with summary executions, forced deportations, gulag internation, relocation of thousands of people, even whole nations, from their ancestral lands into some remore areas with harsh weather and barren land, wiping out your likeness from photographs, forcing you to work at the gunpoint, falsely locking you up in an institution, i.e. the crimes of stalinism?
 
Incomparable and he should know that. How can an actor promote his new work and at the same time label his audience like that? If I will buy his jazz album and I would like it, what label will I receive? A nazi?
 
If he is sour because series 4 of Sherlock was badly received, I can to some extend understand it, but hey – Sherlock was not the only series in the world which had such a fall out. Concluding series of very successful „Poirot“ was heavily criticised from fans for its dark, depressive atmosphere and for its lack of fidelity to Agatha Christie originals, for example like this:
 
http://at-scene-of-crime.blogspot.sk/2012/05/sequel-to-curious-case-of-unnecessary.html
 
That could certainly be hurtful for the people working on the project. And yet I cannot imagine David Suchet badmouthing his viewers and giving them names.
 
In acting, there´s always a risk that people will dislike your role or the movie or series you were a part of. But in this case, I´m doubtful. I read many of those maligned „Johnlock“ blogs after S4 was broadcasted and although many of them hated S4, they all unanimously praised Martin Freeman and his work in the series. So why all the outrage?
 
"Me and Ben, we have literally never, never played a moment like lovers. We ain’t f***ing lovers."
 
Is it just me, or he really does not make any distinction between himself and his role here? „Me and Ben aren´t lovers...“ why does he equate Sherlock and John (fictional characters) with himself and Benedict Cumberbatch? He and Benedict, they embodied the roles, but people shipped John and Sherlock, fictional creations of Arthur Conan Doyle. What harm could that bring to the actors, I wonder?
 
On the other hand, I can understand his dislike to Johnlock then. If you hold your real personality and your role for the same thing, then indeed, your role becoming a gay lover onscreen would mean that you became gay lover in real life too.   
 

I don't think it's that at all.  He doesn't seem to have anything against the general idea of Johnlock.  It seems to be the misinterpretation of his acting, and the implication that he (and the team) are homophobic if they don't play it out.   I don't think he's confusing himself with the character either.  I think he's just trying to explain that that's not how he played the character. 

As I said, I do think it's a tiny minority who have upset him.  But it does exist!  I did have a little look around the net at the time, and yes, there were people insisting that he was playing the character as fancying Sherlock and also people insisting that they had to make them a couple or else it would be "queerbaiting", etc.  He did say that his complaint was not about S4 being badly received, but about this specific issue.  I don't think there was a similar issue with Poirot. 

(Although who knows? We all know that a lot depends on how things are reported). 

The video I posted is just an old one, that I'm sure we've all seen before.  I was just reminded of it by his comments!

Liberty wrote:

As I said, I do think it's a tiny minority who have upset him.  But it does exist!  I did have a little look around the net at the time, and yes, there were people insisting that he was playing the character as fancying Sherlock and also people insisting that they had to make them a couple or else it would be "queerbaiting", etc.  He did say that his complaint was not about S4 being badly received, but about this specific issue.  I don't think there was a similar issue with Poirot. 

I too had an impression that he was playing the character as fancying Sherlock. And so what? Having an impression about a character is not illegal.... yet.

And I still think that healthy, rich and successful man who had voluntarily chosen acting as his profession looks a little ridiculous when he complains that people have "impressions" about him or that they like his work "too much". Isn´t acting (and the whole celebrity culture connected with it) about creating such dreams and impressions in the first place?

@Vhanja: If Sophie Hunter complained about the "dark-side" you mention, I would understand. There are bizarre and malicious haters who pointedly target her as a person, her husband and kids, her career... I am very much surprised she didn´t sue some of them to scare these people off. Because what they are doing is really criminal and it should be stopped.

But I honestly didn´t see anything like that aimed at Martin Freeman, ever.

Just a critique of the series and writing, even extreme one, is not the same thing as such awful personal attacks for me, so I simply can´t force myself to see him as equally harrassed, sorry. But I admit I do not have the whole story - only he could say what actually upset him. I think that it could be a combination of personal and professional issues and fandom was probably just a final drop that overturned the glass....

Well, I didn´t see any hate-sites targeting him in a similar manner.....

Of course, it's fine to get the impression that he was playing the character that way.  I think the issue was more with people insisting (I imagine the more extreme end of the TJLC community) that he was lying when he said that he wasn't, and that it would be homophobic to not follow through on it.   It's not just a critique of the writing, it's a criticism of his acting, and implied accusations of either lying or homophobia.  Yes, he's in a privileged position, but that doesn't mean he's not allowed to be bothered by it. 

I don't think he's claiming that it's illegal to state these opinions at all (thankfully, we still have a certain amount of free speech!), but just maybe being honest about how it has made him feel.  I'm getting the feeling that he's now being criticised for even mentioning it. 

Liberty wrote:

I'm getting the feeling that he's now being criticised for even mentioning it. 

He shocked the fans, but these are the usual reactions I saw regarding him:

http://johnlockedness.tumblr.com/post/172008769698/worth-the-not-too-long-wait-in-the-snowy

http://yorkiepug.tumblr.com/post/171969992500/so-now-all-the-dust-has-settled-i-just-wanna-say

http://johnlockiseternal.tumblr.com/post/171927127607/i-am-not-even-particularly-angry-at-martin-or

Three different blogs, all of them as Johnlock as can be - and their attitude towards Martin is just as mellow and friendly as before.

Maybe people should actually post some evidence of hatred before they accusse others of it?
 

Vhanja wrote:

We can't tell him "No, from an outsider perspective, as a critical fan giving my view from my couch, I do not think you should feel particularly upset about this". 

That´s true, but we can tell him: "I don´t understand what you are talking about, man."

If he is free to state his disgust with fans, I as a fan am equally entitled to state my puzzlement with that.
 

My thoughts entirely.

I know this is behind another firewall thing...but thought I would at least acknowledge it for balance, until a better version comes up...
https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/lifestyle/entertainment/martin-freeman-denies-he-thinks-sherlock-is-not-fun-anymore/?utm_source=twitter


Oh, it's come up ok.

Last edited by besleybean (March 27, 2018 8:04 pm)