‘Sherlock’ season 4: Martin Freeman reflects on botched first audition

At the moment, it is hard to imagine anyone playing John Watson on the BBC’s “Sherlock” other than Martin Freeman. Yet, at one point this was almost a possibility following a first audition for the actor that did not apparently go too well.

Freeman made an appearance this weekend at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, and one of the most noteworthy quotes came when telling what the initial perception was from producers after he first tried out for the part, and how it took getting another audition with Benedict Cumberbatch before ultimately landing the gig:

“[After the first audition], my agent told me, ‘They kind of hated you; they thought you didn’t want it and were a moody prick.’ But I did want it, although maybe I was a moody prick [at the time]. So I went back and did it again with [Cumberbatch] and got the part.”

Now, this part has made Freeman into just as much an international star as “The Hobbit” has, and he has managed to snatch roles in other great work, including FX’s excellent “Fargo” this past season.

During the conversation, Freeman said that he had a chance to see Cumberbatch in his stage version of “Hamlet” recently and he thought that he did a very good job. The two actors reconvene next year to film the fourth season of “Sherlock,” which will air more than likely in late 2016 / early 2017. They have already filmed a special together, and you can expect this to come on the air at some point this December in Britain (and hopefully America, as well).

As always, you can head over here if you do want to read even more of our “Sherlock” coverage right now! Also, you can sign up here to get some more TV updates on everything we cover, sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: BBC One.)