Martin Freeman is one of the most sought-after actors of his generation. Whether it’s Tim in The Office, John - the mild-mannered porn actor in Love Actually, Watson in Sherlock, Bilbo in The Hobbit, the stressed parent in Breeders, the Liverpudlian cop with personal problems in The Responder and Everett K. Ross in Marvel Cinematic Universe smash hits Captain America and Black Panther - Freeman is a star, and to date has won two Emmys and a BAFTA.

In this episode, Martin reflects on his childhood as the youngest of five (comparatively modest when you consider his mother was one of fourteen!) as well as the lasting impact of losing his father at ten years old. We talk about parenting, the people who’ve inspired him (hello, Michael Caine), the future of AI from a technophobe’s perspective, his unease with fame and the quieter failures that sit behind public success. Plus: strap yourself in for much hilarity. I don’t think I can remember a guest who made me laugh QUITE this much.

Martin can next be seen as the determined Superintendent Battle in Netflix’s new Agatha Christie adaptation, Seven Dials.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction

02:22 Dealing with Fame and Anxiety

05:12 The Everyman Label

07:35 Exploring Anger and Authenticity

16:28 Academic Struggles and Early Acting

20:33 Personal Reflections and Family

28:08 Comparing to Heroes

32:15 The Office and Sherlock

40:29 Technology Struggles

44:20 AI Concerns

47:47 Meeting Michael Caine

💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

You should say no to your kids. You should let them know that life's gonna kick 'em in the ass... that is a manifestation of love for me.

There is a great deal of value in making a child bored... How else are you going to paint, or make up a story or learn a trade or learn a skill if you are literally mouth agape looking at a f***ing screen?

The people who say it [success] doesn't solve your problems are obviously right... But love is a good start to it - it does more than anything else.

🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:

Seven Dials is available to watch now on Netflix.

Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content

Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/

📚 WANT MORE?

Stephen Merchant - on feeling like an outsider, learning to live with rejection and being banned from High And Mighty. swap.fm/l/Lta5mlFbVnPHyFb8R1n2

Adeel Akhtar - the actor’s actor on the humbling impact of parenthood, cultural expectations and learning to let go of ego in order to grow swap.fm/l/eWxKBXUJZAAkfovquzwi

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Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson

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Executive Producer: Alex Lawless

How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.

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