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Freeman: We 'Bullied' Evangeline On 'Smaug' Set

By Zach Seemayer

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second installment in the wildly popular trilogy, and it's about to hit theaters in a big way on Dec. 13, 2013. The cast of the highly anticipated sequel stepped out on the red carpet to celebrate the film on Monday night, and revealed the harmless hazing that went on while shooting the epic film.

One new addition to the J.R.R. Tolkien story is the sexy, rough-and-tumble elf Tauriel, played by Lost star Evangeline Lilly. While not appearing in the books but rather added by director Peter Jackson, Lilly's addition to the group added a touch of female resonance to the predominantly male cast.


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According to Hobbit star Martin Freeman, who plays the titular Bilbo Baggins, the guys in the cast all made sure to give the 34-year-old actress a really difficult time. "We bullied her," Freeman, 42, joked. "She kind of came along and ruined it, because it was a sort of manly band of brothers, and then she came along and insisted on being all girly and all that. So we sort of ostracized her as far as possible until we were told off by Peter Jackson."

Freeman, deadpanned, added, "I didn't even see it as mean. I saw it as our duty to a certain extent. Just to make her really work for it."


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However, Lilly presents a very different picture of the relationships and camaraderie on set. "Nothing could be farther from the truth," she said when asked about Freeman's supposed bullying. "The boys treated me like a gosh-darn princess. They flirted with me, they doted on me, they were chivalrous to me. I was in heaven. I was surrounded by gorgeous, charming men every day for a year. It was wonderful."

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Check out the video for more from the cast of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, including Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, the voice of the dragon Smaug, who responds to his position on Glamour magazine's list of UK's sexiest actors.