Martin Freeman thinks the potential influence of ‘Black Panther’ has been overstated.
The 46-year-old actor stars as Everett K. Ross in the widely acclaimed Marvel movie, which features a predominantly black cast, but Martin doubts the film will spark a significant social change in the US.
Reflecting on the response to ‘Black Panther’, Martin said: "People have felt a need for it, and people don’t always feel a social need to go and see a film.
"Certain members of certain communities feel that, ‘Yes, this is my film.’ I’m not making any claims that now America will change – of course it won’t. If America didn’t change under [Barack] Obama, then …"
Martin – who has also starred in the ‘Hobbit’ movies – said it’s important to keep the potential influence of films in perspective.
He told the Guardian newspaper: "You have to be realistic about what we do. We are making films, which are really important, but it doesn’t change everything.
"It’s just very nice to be part of what has been a very important film to a lot of people."
Meanwhile, Martin recently claimed that, contrary to popular perception, acting isn’t a glamorous job.
The British actor explained: "There’s no glamour really on any job, but that’s not why you do them, otherwise you’d be on a yacht in Barbados all the time.
"Which would be nice for two days, but after that you’d want to get dirty, you’d want to do something else."
Martin Freeman suggests Black Panther influence is overblown
