Rowan Atkinson
Mr. Bean’s Rowan Atkinson Slams Cancel Culture: “The Job of Comedy Is to Offend”
Rowan Atkinson, star of Mr. Bean and Netflix’s new series Man vs. Bee, has slammed cancel culture in a new interview with The Irish Times, claiming, “The job of comedy is to offend.” It’s unclear what he sees as offensive about Man vs. Bee — in which a bumbling man tries to remove a malicious insect from a house full of breakable objects — or why Atkinson is so riled up at the thought of people criticizing famous comedians. But after cancel culture came up, he said, “It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential. Every joke has a victim. That’s the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous.” Atkinson has spent his career p...
Rowan Atkinson on Playing Mr. Bean: “I Find It Stressful and Exhausting, and I Look Forward to The End of It”
Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean For decades now, Rowan Atkinson has consistently and perfectly captured Mr. Bean’s penchant for silly faces and wholesome, childlike slapstick. However, the 65-year-old actor revealed in a recent interview that playing the iconic character has been anything but joyful and fun — actually, quite the opposite. While speaking extensively with the UK’s Radio Times, the British actor opened up about the “responsibility” he feels to accurately depict the beloved character, which has transcended its original ’90s TV series to become a global franchise consisting of spin-offs, films, and books. “I don’t much enjoy playing him,” Atkinson said of the Mr. Bean role (via Variety). “The weight of responsibility is not pleasant. I find it stressful and exhausting, and I lo...
