Freeman steps up to join A-list

By Nicola Dann
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Freeman also starred in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Martin Freeman is best known as the unassuming Tim from the multi-award winning BBC series The Office.

His latest movie, The Good Night, centres around his character Gary - a former pop star turned commercial jingle composer who is heading for a mid-life crisis.

He joins an all A-list cast including Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Danny DeVito and Simon Pegg but Freeman is not intimidated by that.

"What I really care about is, are people good? Penelope Cruz is a fantastic actor, Gwyneth Paltrow is a fantastic actor, Simon (Pegg), one of the best things we've got and Danny DeVito, I mean please, enough already."

'Huge honour'

To escape what has become a humdrum life, Gary enters a dream world where he meets Anna, played by Cruz. And as this is a dream world he has created, he gets to kiss her several times. So how did he find that experience?

Freeman's character lives out his fantasy with Penelope Cruz

"Awful," he says with a huge smile on his face.

"It was good for her, she loved it. She couldn't get enough of it."

The Oscar-nominated actress has, in turn, said Freeman is one of the best actors she has worked with.

"If that is true, that is a huge honour," he says.

"It is always nice to know that someone you like reckons you. And we did have a really good time working with each other, it really worked I think."

The Good Night is also the directorial debut for Jake Paltrow, Gwyneth's younger brother.

"I tried not to annoy either of them in the other one's presence in case I got beaten up by the Paltrow gang," he concedes.

Donkey dreams

"So anything I had to say, I would say individually."

As for brother and sister teaming up for the film, he says it was Gwyneth's idea.

"She wanted to be in it I think before he wanted her to be in it. Because he didn't want it to look like he was just relying on his sister. It is really sweet watching a brother and sister work together - it is an interesting dynamic."

As for his own recurring dreams, he holds his hands up.

"Dreams about donkeys. Not weird ones. But one was so strong I remember thinking we have got a donkey and I went downstairs and was really disappointed to see in the kitchen that there was no donkey," he says.

"I have also had dreams about Stevie Wonder quite a lot, just getting to hang out with him. Then you wake up and think, 'I'm nowhere near meeting him or making a record with him.'"

He may not have met Stevie Wonder in real life just yet, but if this film is anything to go by, things are certainly looking up for Freeman.

The Good Night is out in UK cinemas on Friday.