Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson has recently revealed that he's no longer enjoys playing his iconic character in a live-action setting. He said as much while speaking with the Radio Times, adding that he is "in the foothills" of developing an animated Mr. Bean film, a project that only requires him to voice the character. “It’s easier for me to perform the character vocally than visually,” he said. “I don’t much enjoy playing him. The weight of responsibility is not pleasant. I find it stressful and exhausting and I look forward to the end of it.”
In addition to sharing his thoughts about continuing to play Mr. Bean, Atkinson also addressed his disdain for cancel culture, saying that some individuals online are a “medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn.” Atkinson then added, “The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either you’re with us or against us. And if you’re against us, you deserve to be ‘canceled’.” He then concluded, “It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn. So it is scary for anyone who’s a victim of that mob and it fills me with fear about the future.”
While Mr. Bean might only be found on the animated screen from now on, Atkinson also told Radio Times that it's "certainly not impossible" to bring Blackadder back after a 30-year absence. Written by Atkinson, Ben Elton, and Richard Curtis, Blackadder took place in the Middle Ages, a time when Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother. Atkinson starred in the series alongside Elspet Gray, Tim McInnerny, Brian Blessed, Robert East, Patrick Allen, Stephen Fry, and Hugh Laurie, among others.
Beyond the physical demands of the character, I can understand why Atkinson no longer wants to play Mr. Bean in a live-action setting. Despite being hilarious and in some ways visually mesmerizing, Mr. Bean is often an inconsiderate sort who gives no thought toward others to get what he wants. That might have played well in the '90s, but we're a different society now, and Mr. Bean might be seen as a character of poor taste in a time when people desperately need to come together. These are just my personal thoughts, of course. I'd be lying if said that I didn't grow up watching Mr. Bean or that I don't find him funny. I think he's a laugh riot, but I'm also of the mind that he needs a swift kick to the breadbasket every now and again.
Are you excited by the prospect of a Mr. Bean animated movie? Where do you stand on cancel culture its tendency to exacerbate situations online? Sound off in the comments section below.