Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Star Martin Freeman Slams Method Acting, Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon

When it comes to acting, there are many different approaches, and one of the most controversial styles is method acting. Method actors often embody their roles on and off camera/stage which can lead to some unfortunate behavior depending on the character they're playing. An example of method acting is Jim Carrey's performance in Man on the Moon in which he played famous comedian Andy Kaufman. There was even a documentary released titled Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond which chronicled Carrey's journey to becoming Kaufman and the production difficulties his method acting caused. Recently, Black Panther actor Martin Freeman slammed method acting during an episode of the Off Menu podcast (via The Telegraph), calling it a "highly impractical way of working."

"For me, and I'm genuinely sure Jim Carrey is a lovely and smart person, but it was the most self-aggrandizing, selfish, narcissistic f*cking bollocks I have ever seen," Freeman shared. "When younger, I think it's quite common to think that completely losing yourself is the goal [of acting] because it feels grown-up and it feels proper. But the older I've got, the more I don't really look to that. To be honest, it's quite a pain in the arse when someone 'loses themselves.' It is a massive pain in the arse because it's no longer a craft and a job."

"The idea that anything in our culture would celebrate or support it is deranged, literally deranged," Freeman added. "You need to keep grounded in reality ... That's not to say you don't lose yourself in the time between 'action' and 'cut,' but I think the rest of it is absolute pretentious nonsense and highly amateurish. It is not professional. Get the job done, do your work."

Freeman will soon be getting to work on the Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In fact, he recently told ET Online that he's heard the movie's entire new plot from Coogler. "I had a Zoom call with Ryan Coogler, the director and co-writer about seven or eight weeks ago, I suppose," Freeman shared. "He sort of meticulously took me through all of my character's beats in the film. He took me through the film, but incorporating my character's beats."

"Some of it was very odd, and I think [Coogler] could see from the reaction on my face to some of the things he was saying," Freeman added with a laugh. "He kept sort of stopping, and he kept going, 'Stay with me, but this is going to work.'" When asked if the sequel will live up to the hype, Freeman replied, "I mean, we've not done it yet, who knows, we might make it awful, but I'm hoping we won't ... I hope people will be in for a treat."

Do you agree with Freeman's comments on method acting? Tell us in the comments!

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to hit theaters on July 8, 2022.