There’s no substitute, of course, for the real thing – and the filmmakers were so intent on bagging Freeman that production went on hiatus to allow the actor to shoot the second series of the BBC’s Sherlock.

For his part, Freeman was thrilled, after believing he was out of the race. “I was sad but I thought, ‘I’ll just hate whoever plays Bilbo’,” says the actor with a wry smile.

Happily, he’s now in the thick of it – often literally. “The hardest thing is staying ‘up’ and peppy when you’re covered in snot or mud, day after day… I’m sure there’s more to come.”

But he’s eager to dive in, figuratively at least. “So far, what we’ve filmed has been more comic than heavy. I keep asking Pete, ‘When are we going heavy?’ He assures me it’s coming!”