Basically, the note said the role was his to lose, so relax, Freeman explained. And while his read/taping went well, there was a problem: his schedule for BBC's Sherlock, which would not allow him to do The Hobbit, Freeman said. Del Toro would later be replaced by Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It seemed all hope was lost, the actor said, and Freeman was trying to accept he would not play Bilbo, a role he very much wanted.

"And then I got a call from [my agent] who said there's been a change of plan. Peter Jackson has rearranged the schedule of The Hobbit around you, so that you can start The Hobbit, then go off and do Sherlock and then finish The Hobbit again."

Freeman continued, "That was an amazing thing to hear, because talk about a vote of confidence. He could have had a lot of people doing Bilbo Baggins, and the fact that he had that much faith in me, that was astonishing really. And the fact that he could move a schedule as titanic as that was going to be and a production, which does not move quickly, was kind of amazing. And I felt like an extremely lucky person."

Freeman would go on to star in two more Hobbit installments, all directed by Jackson.

Watch Freeman's career breakdown below.