Morgan Freeman // Interview Collection

[Music] I'm Michael Kay I'm Morgan Freeman I seem to be an anarchic we're doing the wired autocomplete interview more difficult than it needs to be I think is Morgan Freeman a dancer no Morgan Freeman is not a ballet dancer is Morgan Freeman a beekeeper in a manner of speaking I am I have a lady of Gardner who is the actual beekeeper they're my bees but she keeps them happy and healthy yeah we did what is Morgan Freeman like in real life well it's a bit of a pain in the Bible if you ask me we can vouch for that yeah back him up on that one I don't lie what movies is Morgan Freeman guarded that God good God I played God in Bruce Almighty and a little bit in real life as well is this my on the same thing is this in my turn or not okay what had Borger frame was done for society very little does Alan Arkin yes he does does he all right does Alan Arkin speak rushing there yeah I know I don't speak Russian by stood I can still remember the lines from the Russians are coming she's not the quiet Capitan story story Dillinger just out so reckon it's very kind of worked for three months that wonder you got the part does Alan Arkin live yes I want Rock and so forth those did not say that it says where we oh I live half the year in Canada and half the year in the instance see me later I'll tell you exactly no don't you dare all right never speak levity kevin pollak does alan arkin yeah he does a mean version of me to these thing where he's left messages on my answering machine as me and I thought it was me hey this halogen right knee was I in heart have you ever do some well yeah yeah I was a producer Laura go yes B now that's Michael Caine Ooi does Michael Caine have a son no I don't I have two daughters but I was very lucky I've got a grandson and he looks just like me at least better look it it does my cocaine have a gold tooth Laura couldn't afford it I've got a metal one it tastes better than gold metal is more masculine does my I own the lagoons yeah I under to language what's whittling wood Langan soup I was doing a picture with a Sidney Poitier and he said you're always on about opening a load like a pole in Paris and he said the chef where I go he's always on about it and it was a guy called Peter lang him the restaurant was a massive success but but Peter ended he killed himself trying to murder his wife no language it was a great big browser II okay so you what here the menu Oh pull this thing that's Michael Caine doing pressure yeah I do great impression of me my name is Michael Caine you're selling yourself short all the time yeah his name is sir my Chuck I would never bet that go no matter of fact I want to change my citizenship English so I can become so it would be a sir instantly how did Michael kind of Shakira meet it was in the days of disco and everything in out getting bombed and staying out till two o'clock in the morning my best friend and I we were tired and we decided to stay in one night and do something we've never done which was watched television and there was a commercial for Maxwell House came on and there was his vet in from Brazil like coffee beans and there was this beautiful girl telling you was it got a lot of coffee and presented all that she was extraordinary and I felt like why am I being good I sent my friend we were going to Brazil in the morning and find her and I went down to discotheque them we hadn't gone to that night the man came in he said what are you doing here the three of you know girls I said I fell in love with a girl on the television tonight in a commercial I said Maxwell House he said we make that commercial he said she's not in Brazil she lives in the Fulham Road in London so I phoned her the next day and she wouldn't go out with me hmm and I found it for 10 days since she would go out with me hmm but on the last day she did hmm and we've never left each other since hmm let's have a bet Bob life I know he's asleep already being sleeps a lot do you know of what old people are like no this is different oh the frame a gun moving does Morgan Freeman have yes Wow they got blue rings around them oh I got red ones does Morgan Freeman have a tattoo yes I do have a tattoo I was in love with the girl and I had I was gonna put her initials on my arm inside this heart and when they put the tattoo on either side of wait a minute this was gonna be here the rest of my life yeah does Morgan Freeman like from Morgan Freeman does his own stunts if it had anything to do with a woman yes how does Morgan Freeman get his freckles - uh doc come on what is what is the whole American famous for falling asleep Alan Arkin is famous for quite a few very very good portrayals and you some very good movies thanks for finding over I I could name some for you but would them bleed really be here all day what a sell in Arkansas I used to be 510 1/2 and now everybody thinks I'm a for some reason what nationality's on earth I'm American you know you aren't born America was born ask anybody since a LaMarca even the name will tell you you put somewhere else what is our Kansas for speech English my speech was English what a silent Arkans Twitter I have I have no Twitter idol do any social media life is too short all right so much for that all right now wait a minute wait well I'm not gonna do this unless you give short answers okay sure all right when did Michael Kane start acting I started acting in in school when I was 10 years old Rex was yeah wait a minute and I played bad fits noodle who is the father of the ugly sisters in Cinderella and I got a laugh because my flies were undone and I took up acting based on the laughs when did Michael Caine forget his lines I've never forgotten me lines Zuma never forgot I have a memory like a computer what happened there is I forgot to read the question my name is a my name is I never said it was invented by Peter Sellers when did Michael Caine died I haven't made the reviews yet but I've died in several reviews and a quite a few pictures I remember India Michael Payne ever paid the equalizer equalizer the equalizer whistles guy who goes and takes care of people's problems a gangster power and stuff I sort of might get Carter Oh an equal light you know I paint an equalizer and get Carter here very a very very very tough gangster but I've never killed anybody you never expected them to run on like that did you what's happening we out of here Black History Month you find ridiculous what you're gonna relegate my history to a month oh come on what are you do with yours what which month is white History Month no come on don't damn I'm Jewish okay which mother's Jewish History Month there isn't 100 why not yeah do you want what no no no I I don't either I don't want a Black History Month black history is American history how we gonna get rid of racism stop talking about it I'm gonna stop calling you a white man yeah and I'm gonna ask you to stop calling me a black man I know you as Mike wall as you know me as Norman Freeman the whole thing especially the President and Democrats aren't talking about income inequality that's basically what you know when you talk about the riches 85 people on the planet right yeah it's income inequality do you think that's looking at you know what's happening in the news now is that a good idea it's a great idea it is a greatest idea we have a much more vibrant society when we don't have such a vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots we need of that middle ground that we call the middle class the people who buy everything people who use the products that the rich are creating if they're creating anything other than right so it's what's happening with the Chinese economy right now they're changing their whole outlook because they need consumers and without a middle class and I kinda have consumers you're not gonna have it at the level that we normally would have it so can we can I go back to you guys I thought what you said was fascinating could you call it ball when you said people can't you know pull themselves up do you think that race plays a part in wealth distribution or either a mindset that you can today not yeah no you don't know I don't know you and I will proof what race have anything to do with it stick you put your mind to what you want to do and call for that it's kind of like religion to me it's a good excuse for not getting there yeah you know I said probably get me in trouble but I said to some of my colleagues recently said so I know that it's an issue but I've been it seems like every single day on television I'm talking about race and it's because of the news cycle it's in the news but sometimes I get so tired of talking about it I want to I want to just go this is over can we move on and if you talk about it it exists it's not like an existent we didn't refuse to talk about it but making it a bigger issue than it needs to be is problem we have so I understand you recently had a birthday you're 27 no no no no get that all 37 37 37 little advice for you can we get it there you go oh no that's more like it there's happy birthday sir thank you now thank you for joining us here oh it's pleasure to be here here's one thing I can tell you if you're looking to improve your the sound of your voice you're on a lot you own a lot yawn a lot yeah why tell me why it relaxes your throat muscles it relaxes your vocal chords and as soon as they relax the tone drops the lower your voice is the better you sound so if I you on the lot yes I might start sounding like Morgan Freeman no but you would certainly get a deeper voice but every once in a while a symbol of hope breaks through where you annoyed that he got the trailer voice over and man look I mean I've done voiceover work it's Morgan Freeman man like what are you gonna do you know like take it raw like I can't compete with that do you ever talk just to hear the sound of your own voice if you're talking just to hear the sound of your own voice you don't have anything really to say I love Christine I am well thank you Christine morado HLN Belgium one second here I have to adjust my dress please I wish you wouldn't well what do you want me to do I'm in the catbird seat here no that's good all looks good to me it's gonna ask you you know there was not a lot of women on set so did you miss the women at all uh am I not a lot of women but you know nobody and I had a whole container hold hold tip full did you not notice I actually didn't notice it no hun yeah I'd like three four wives no oh they were there they were there yeah no I would like to know like why did you why did you say yes to this project because obviously you don't have to do it for the money anyway on the contrary oh yeah Oh point well no money fame all of that though it doesn't matter you what do you want to do it for it you want to keep you just it's a job you want to keep keep getting them you want to keep I stay out there and work and a chance to spend some quality time in Rome yeah and it keeps you young and you look great so there you go thank you I was just talking to Toby we were talking about forgiveness and I said he thinks that you should forgive everyone but there's one person I can't forgive so what do you think about that should I forgive everyone no I think there you can't I know you i I don't I don't propose or purport to forgive everyone forget yes sometimes I forgive and not forget mm-hmm other times is not forgive just forget and it's also gonna ask you um you know because like I mentioned before you look really great so what do you do when you're not shooting it seems like you're in like every movie nowadays not much not much I noticed how quickly I started to collapse as it were so I'm happy to get back home and get back into the gym and start rebuilding muscle and bone mass but also I have time to play golf mm-hm and just move around more because when I'm on the road is either on the set or in a hotel room yeah I don't get the chance to like walk dickwad go for a walk or run or whatever that is it just it's too heroin yeah well Tony gave me the wrap so thank you so sorry I know Morgan Freeman is here in 1992 he started with Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven of them which redefined the Western this year they team up again in the boxing drum a million dollar baby and here is the trailer Franken I've seen a mess almost every day for 23 years person comes to church then which is the kind of can't forgive himself for something [Music] you can leave me [Music] he also narrates the upcoming PBS miniseries slavery the making of America here is a clip from that series this is a story of resistance and the struggle to maintain human dignity it is a story of the demand for freedom told through the lives of enslaved people and it's the story of the founding fathers you never knew Morgan Freeman was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his acting in Million Dollar Baby I am pleased to have him back at this table welcome back thank you so much Charlie so nice to be back so nice to see you happy new year and all the hell of that thank you so much Liz into this best picture The Aviator Finding Neverland Million Dollar Baby director Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby actor in a leading role Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby actress in a leading role Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby actor in a supporting role Morgan Freeman Million Dollar Baby you said to me as you sit down something like this comes along once in a while what is what are you talking about that confluence elements that goes to make what for lack of a better word we could call perfection as a lack of a better word perfection there's a high high high place and as the script that director and its component actors you know I think I can name a few places where I was lucky enough to do that I think this was one of the top echelon another one a short shank which we taught that was that was thinking that yeah Unforgiven there's another mistake it's been driving this demon yeah you've had more than most I've had more than my share about if I was gonna lay any kind of labels on what he is and does I would say the first thing is respect that's the first thing you think about his respect for others and his work other respect for him and his work is he different does he just have more of it does he handle it gives you it gives me such a sense of assurance and my own work because sometimes you working on with a director who says all right let's do it again and you want to know well okay what are we looking for why we're doing it again no we're just just to see what happened you know behind if that's what you want let's go you know but yeah - Clint that's the total waste of time and money and he didn't do it to Texas to text three takes to most in his he's if he feels he's got it if you feel you've got a few want to do another he's perfectly happy to let you do what nothing but you can't go you know it's not just doing to see what happens now give me a reason to do give me a reason to do it what do you want you know because I like what you did you to have some special relationship though or not I'm gonna say yes because I really admire him a lot and as a person to work with us just somebody said that we're like an old married couple me you know when we when we're in the traces together while we're working on a scene together that's what you feel like I'm comfortable here you know each other yeah you know what each other can do yeah you know what to expect for me to know what to expect and you know this is as good as it gets that's a good time and then she comes along Hillary I mean he said that he didn't know at the beginning the belief in her but didn't know at the beginning that she had the capacity to do the physical stuff it's a lot of hard work I mean seriously hard work and she did it so you see her fight you know she knows what she's doing for months I guess 60 hours a day just that just really just light and invite her some guy here in New York I think yeah yeah yeah and she had all those women right she was fighting with the I think that you're a dutch champion right who was also woman would train us very pretty woman what's amazing about the story too he's no Million Dollar Baby say okay this is a story about him young woman who wants to be a fighter mm-hmm it's about all this other stuff in that spot like a relationship between you and Flint relationship between plantain I play some between she and I relationship between she and Clint the relationship between Clint and himself telling that your character because we don't see scene yeah you know I think of scrap iron as being one of those journeyman fighters the kind of guy who was really a good fighter at one point he probably could have been a worthy contender but as time goes on they take too many shots to the head and then you become just that guy who if you're a young fighter can get past probably has a future you know and the relationship between he and Frankie goes back to probably scraps last fight run fight one fight too many yeah one pipe one two minutes and he got a cut over his eye and it didn't have a manager man of manager was off somewhere getting drunk as the script explains it and Frank it was a pickup on a man did cut work real good cut wearing the bet yeah and check the blood it down so he could finish the 5 to 15 rounds got cut along about tonight no seventh round I go celebrate round kept the blood back until the 15th round but until going velocity I Wow Frank is character decides that he took that upon himself you know I shouldn't have I shouldn't have done that I shouldn't do I should have thrown in the towel he didn't have the right throw in the towel so he couldn't have have he'd wanted to but for their entire relationship scrap knows that he blames Frankie blames himself but that scrap doesn't blame but he knows Frankie does blame exactly yeah but it was crap was begging them to do it didn't air I ask Clint about this their narration just scrap is a narrator for this story he tells Clint's story clenched relationship with his daughter yeah he writes her every week and she never never has that never answered sorry for reasons we don't quite know rights could we did who knows we don't know that the letters come back they did come back and that's part of the story yeah let me keep writing yeah every week and he's got lots of guilt going on this boy it's a and it's a it's a really deep and meaningful part of the story you know that this man's trying to work out in his life just he he he's such an act is such a he so immerses himself and you just you know it's hard to believe because you know the audience has such a habit of accepting you in a Roll Morton need to stay there really Harry oh you mean Dirty Harry and all that yeah but that's his genius and I'm neither genius whatever he's evolved out of everything spaghetti western - Dirty Harry - always refused him to be defined by what he just did totally and reaching out to do some and now everybody believes this is amazing what's true but you - but everybody believes he's doing his best work ever in his life some of it yeah some of it I mean Unforgiven which is ten years ago and then Mr Gruber as a director and now well I mean I got to do all the way take him all the way back to to play misty Thea whatever type role misty was important for him but his first directorial effort run it was his first directorial effort and she was coming out of that breaking that mold of the man with no name play misty for me playing a very vulnerable person you know it's never been scared of vulnerability no and as an actor that's that's your biggest plus weight to be able to get vulnerability give it up - give it up yeah just just that's that's the only way you can really do it is to be lonely yeah but some can't do that unfortunately unfortunately all right here is where you got to understand this is that part of this dialogue - is that Frankie has his flaws played by Clinton who is the trainer he's a flaw includes the fact that he holds on to some of the fighters he manages to long doesn't give him the early title shot that they oughta take back to that guilt factor about Hugh yeah and so they leave him they have to if they're gone we'll keep moving yeah but there's also beyond guilt fact this relationship I mean he basically listens to you too doesn't necessarily you don't see him agreeing with you but it is about him his character he absorbs what you went scrapp tells him it's orbs it went to old married people do there's a respect because they've been through that much I you know we'd been this far darling and bigger and one of us yeah but if they bicker even though they take a church that roll tape this is a first thing you'll see between Morgan and Clint here it is Mickey's got the connections access Frank is about you not believing in him well I'd found him I stuck with him for eight years how's that for not believing in him you could have got him a tie to fight two years ago hell he knew that I'm amazed he stayed around this long yeah well get in there and taking home the belt or two different things what was I supposed to do just put him in over his head not protect him the other thing is that deadlines about I had my chance and this is also about her she just wants her chance my shot and I let the chips fall where they may after that yeah I mean a lot of people feel that way if I have my shot win lose a draw at my shot right you know right I don't have any more complaints exactly just don't keep me from having my shot for whatever reason give me my shot all right here's another scene I want to see this and tell him about it this is about because Clint likes this scene a lot Anthony said Gordon the conversation we have this is where Frankie s crap about the holes in his socks as much so tell me about the see you know it's just one of those it's one of those marriage scenes they're just they're just going at it for a minute you know rotate here it is just big holes in your socks only not that been well if I give you some more money you buy some new socks please well I'd be tempted I couldn't say for sure what you're smiling at this just because it's about marriage couple more to it than that yeah yeah I mean have you seen this right three time the movie yeah what is that about the way you do it yeah you look at it once and then they did it look differently than the way you thought when you were making it no no it's a movie you made yeah because he doesn't shoot that much to choose from at your place how do you prepare I mean do it where you're at now did you want to know anything that wasn't in the script no I can ask that question a lot how did you prepare for the role and my answer is pretty stuck I read the script right that's why I said it yeah because there isn't a whole lot to I mean if you're gonna play somebody who's extant some living person then you've got to learn who they are mannerisms look all of that you'd want to get it down to Jamie Foxx Rachel there you go right but if you created the character you're not worried about it you know I have to worry about it you don't have to create it I mean nobody knows but you to write an out all right but Hina gives it to you but he's done it yeah he's done all the work so you just chanted yeah and but there's the other end of that would you know mommy out what do I know it is this notion that the writer or the director knows the reason he hired you you only take it on the page yes and that's where a lifetime of work comes in take it off the page take it out the page and and do and surprise us and let us know you own the park and you know you could give that same part to mm actress and get two different two dozen different nuances in interpretation and still have this the perfect character exactly so there's no one way to do it no it depends on the skill and experience of the actor can you imagine what you would do if you didn't do this yes I can what would it be I don't know but I would I could be a professional pilot you could do I could yeah what I wanted to fly when I was a kid and wonder why didn't you well I went into the Air Force yeah and just I'm not military material and that's part of the reason you're great actor rely on you you know yeah you were out to be the your own architect yes right yes thank you so so you thought about being a pilot hell yeah what is it about was a wire that what was it about that that appealed to you flying yes at that time and this was just as following World War Two in the Korean War right we had moved into jets right and the idea of flying is a little different than the reality of flying but the idea of flying to the freedom of being in the hair it was so much space and you know if you fascinated about by birds right and I've always been me - yeah I learned to be but then there is that thing of having mastery in the air floating yeah just being able to looking down over everything yeah you know yeah but you were a sailor - yeah well that was the that was the D that is a type of flying you know so I thought when I found sailboats that I had satisfied my desire you ride on the we ride the wind yeah because that's that's another accelerating very exhilarating so did you come to flying later in life yes [Laughter] instructor for you in an airplane I went over and I said the you and you were flying instructor and I got information I called him up and he apologized you know I didn't know who you were what do you mean you know I was you know not to know why I'm I just wanted my school oh yeah but I'm sorry I didn't know you was at the big star blah blah blah well he did that for months and months and months yeah told the story of how right he was telling you how to plot and so he took you six months to a year learn I solo after about 40 hours that's the great thing about acting you can between roles you can focus on what you do but learn the plot right and so I I went at it this way I go after things I get interested in something I go headfirst you just can't Hill down drill down Brandon with the blinders on blind saw how many things have there been in your life like that sailing sailing flying yoga yoga yeah you still do that I just had my first and five years I went back to yoga class this morning is that right yeah five years yeah because well I'm not religious about thing yeah you know I'll go for a while and then say would you religious about flying I'm not even religious about flying really no I'm not religious about anything not about acting not about anything maybe acting maybe acting that's but acting is what defines me everything else is overlay is part of what defines me but acting is all I am I think you said before what would I be doing if I wasn't doing this to tell you the truth yeah I have no idea you don't know right it's I mean I think I would always be doing because it isn't a career that chose me I mean it's not a career that I chose this one that chose me as it well I would have quit years ago because it's just you know the claim is hard hard because you're a black man or because you can give it any excuse you want yeah yeah I think it's hard for everybody I don't think blackness has a whole lot okay because I mean as I say 5% of the people of a car to work right there it is now back in 1961 or two I remember reading about these percentages like 5% of the actors who have screen actors guild membership are working the rest are looking for work and out of that black actors the percentage is even lower and it's just part of this was given to me as a reason not somebody told you not to are you told yourself well no I assist you just given this information as a an eye opener you know what you're going for is really really difficult it's like climbing Everest you know only if you are going to get there I don't know whether it is it just makes you tougher and more determine if somebody tells you that and so I don't necessarily instantly blame those people who say look you know you know I can do this because the guards against you and you know you know you're not this and you're not that when they do they bet they tell you they may be giving you incentive I mean how many people in this we talk about this film we are talking about this film you know Hillary Cara already 32 years old right 32 years old never fought in her life and you want to be a fighter you should have started when you were like 16 17 years old training and now there's a reality about that there's a real reality about that serious reality about but those of us will learn to overcome and going to overcoming yeah whatever it is mostly it's just elephant doubts fears insecurities you know you know I had a lot of those because you're going at it and you're going out and you're going at it and you're going at it and you don't see you don't see the results you don't see anything coming back you don't see any and then every now and then something comes along just when you're ready to fall off the edge of the cliff yeah something stranger back up and you know you'll keep going it's like that's just when I was ready to give up this one I mean Hillary tells her story of the fact that she had just been fired somebody said you know this is not for you from a job and she thought oh my god and then four months later along comes boys don't cry and all of a sudden her life has changed what changed it for you serendipity the real change came in 1967 that Driving Miss Daisy no no 67 five days were twenty years later some friends were going up to Stowe Vermont to do summer stock and I've never been able to have some stock job ever and that was I've been trying for four musicals I thought I was so they said why don't you come up here and play with us so what I had nothing else at all to do so yes of course and I'm gonna they had a magic summer and I got started sailing somebody gave me a boat the head of Stoke prep as a matter of fact gave me a boat you know if you like and I don't have time for it it needs to be used so take it I as I said head first and if you want to learn something someone has written about it mmm so back to New York to the library books on sailing you know to New York nautical right and while I was here I went to an audition for a play called the nickel of us and they said thank you and I left went back up to Vermont and got a call back came back they said thank you I went back to Vermont got another call back and the head of the artistic director guy named Jim Lahey said what do they want I said why they want me to come back on audition again and he said why you've already earned twice they should know by now I want you to stay up here and do my fall season so he's a tell him no stay here with me so I told him no not coming back I'm not coming back to audition again I said well you got the job if you tell them no you get the job at the top it's a very magic word in this business no no makes them want you more somehow it you know anyway or at least you're not dependent so yeah you so I go back and it's just boom I get press I go right from that to a Broadway play what was the play hello dolly well he'll be right you know a big lesson 11 months of watching a serious professional then Pearl Bailey watching a serious profession Oh serious professional work seven eight performances 110 percent every time every time mmm in the theater on time no attitude Orton it's amazing to me because you hear people say he's a pro and what they mean is just what you just said you come prepared you know your work you understand that this lot of people dependent on you you understand how the dimensions of what you're doing yeah you know and you treat it seriously she got trouble with the cast at one time cause after the show she would do this little routine we'd all have taken out valves and we're standing in this line and pearl would go out and she would a mouse whoever was in the house invite them up on stage play with them a little bit you know and then just a little extra something for the office and they paid it up she was pearl then she wanted the best entertainers in the business you know okay that's got resentful they didn't yeah we've got a job we standing out here watch it the one whatever it is she doing us yes yeah you know when this job is over you people are gonna be begging for work don't you see that this little act or something here is just for the people who make you count and would the st. James theatre one of the biggest houses so I you know I I'm just well what I took that experience was that knowledge from probability but what is professionalism how do you get in this business and stay in this business well then that was a transition working from I may get out of this I mean I make it I mean I don't know what's going on why am I in this - I'm in this and this is what I yeah I'm an actor I'm actor yeah so and it just you know my career was on that upward slant finally and it stayed there for 15 or 16 years is that right 1967 you seven know as Matt 1587 than my 77 that's ten years right Haiti is 13 years right 13 years on that slant this is what happened in Haiti phone stopped ringing stop just I did a TV movie and it wrapped just before Christmas and I got my next job in 1980 late 1982 two years two years now two years after the first year you become certain that your 15 minutes are up to you you know so that was what I was thinking it's okay well hey you have 15 minutes are up you better start thinking up an alternative so what would you do what do you do now well I could go and get a hack license try to get jobs the limousine driver I love driving so why don't I do that and I was you know every day telling myself getting up going on to the Taxi and Limousine Commission and get your license applying but as I did I would mind my fantasy was that I'd be driving a cab or something and some print am I will get it see what you're doing he that was your fantasy of the air you know I would just know that you know you're just like yeah yeah come on and all my friends would say you know you you one of the best you can't you can't reason one of the reasons I was able to stick just because of friends telling me that you know told you how good you were yeah yeah so and then what was it first film role uh well after that or the first film role at all you know at all at all was in 1969 Jack Klugman was producing and starring in a little movie called variously poor old New York P period old period in period Y period or who says I can't ride a rainbow and was about these kids who were trying to save one of these ponies that was used on it a riot and center parkour his means and these children didn't want the sauce to be sent to the glue factory so they were keeping it in their pain with the parties taking their bet Driving Miss Daisy is what did that catapult you - no Driving Miss Daisy was concomitant what does that word mean along with same time with street smart yeah I did this movie street smart it came out in the spring of 1987 I was on I was off Broadway in the spring of 1987 with Driving Miss Daisy so on the one hand there's this movie with this really vile violent pimp and on the other hand as the stage played with this wonderful old man so that was it so if everybody saw everybody saw so the range right there and today you have all the work you need no no no it appears that I work a lot yeah it appears that you it does yeah it appear here's my hit my impression you know and because you think of all the great performances and you're not talked about many I'm Shawshank and Unforgiven and everything but it appears that you represent something in the movies that they need I mean somebody who who is who could do almost anything you bring talent to the stage to the endeavor which we know stage is a good term and and so therefore you know for all movies that are not yeah but they're just not that enough of them they're not being made there's not what Wow yes that's the reality is a different mattress yeah but they're not a lot of Morgan Freeman no there aren't but that's the thing that used to bother me the most is the idea that one actor is all nobody else can do this right that stops a lot of young people can getting work yeah I feel like it stopped me you know what do you mean I can do so yeah I'd like to work more like you know but it's okay I'm not complaining oh did you get oh yeah yeah I got a guy who's gonna sit at home and cry you've got to go flying you can go sailing you could read all the books you want to read you can do all the things you want to do you I should mention this you're narrating this documentary about slavery on PBS getting a lot of requests with that no narration or narration yeah I would think so yeah I mean you could earn a great living just doing that it's not what you want to do what you want to do is find out how good you really are yeah but do you think that um you think that things that the inside of you that you haven't even pulled out and and accessed yet well hopefully yes I'd hate to think that I peaked yeah I would so I'm dependent on writers come on with it did clip call you up and say what's the conversation when Clint calls you up the real conversation was I have this script Million Dollar Baby it's and I understand you interested in it because I already had given to him a script some time before and I said yeah I'm very interested in it he said what I'm getting ready to read it so now I know that you're in Sudan and I'm definitely gonna go ahead wait and now that I know you're interested I'm gonna read it or I'm reading it with that in mind yeah and he did and they call back he's two-thirds of the way there you know if you are on investigating me you know I didn't you know my ego goes and you like the script because you like the relationship between the characters I love the script for all of that relationship between those characters Maggie's just you know you know incredible incredible opportunity for some acts and and of course when it gets in the glanced hands and he calls me up yeah just it's like things falling into place there I want to see you with Maggie with elders right here it is in which she tells him about how Frankie wish she'd stop the fight in which you lost her I would you've gone better least was the right moment roll tape 15 rounds next morning stop that fight thing is if you want to get to the Tyler maybe he's not the one to take you there me invoice is important to in it yes very when I was in school I took theorized at Los Angeles City College had a wonderful voice coast air his name was Robert Whitman and economic women here and I took voice and diction and voice development and he plays such a nice foundation for you and then of course when you get to New York and you start working on stage it's always you working voice because in a large theater you really have to be able to speak from here all the way back there without yelling yeah leaving it conversation mm-hmm and that just it all it takes is practice in O'Hara you want to come back and do any stage one minute that you really want to do that yeah that making movies is what I wanted to do was make movies yeah all my life ever since I first realized that somebody told me that I was a natural at this I want to be in the movies are you natural do you think yeah I mean what does that mean means I'm intuitive need to find out which me yeah just instinctively know yes you don't need to have somebody say everything to you you don't have to go read it in a book no part of you match the instruction with it looks that I have read most of course you know you adopt what agrees with your thinking you know and Bobby Lewis's book I read years news years ago called an actor prepares so you just read about how different accomplished actors of the period who went about working how do you prepare for a role you know so battle I get asked a lot how do you prepare how do you what do you do well as I say first it's just not on the script can't get it you know what I think I think that somehow understanding what an actor understands would be something would be great benefit to all of us not only because you'd appreciate what happens on film on our stage more but to genuinely appreciate it because they most I would just enjoy performance we don't know exactly what goes in and that's fine you know we don't need to know what goes into being a great violinist or whatever a great painter but look at the art and say I like that it just appeals to my eye it appeals to me I like the feeling of it you know same thing about an actress crap too but there is a thing about I would think almost as good as psychiatry is to access be able to access who you are and to be able to express yourself and to be able to be in touch with who you are would serve you in every way immensely I think and just immensely and I never thought of that in those terms Charlie that part of the game is being in touch with who you are I think we were always trying to get away from phones they are put on the other clothes you know where are the costumes I know some actors who are if they can't hide they can't act you know I'm gonna do it well but the minute they are hidden layers make up in costume it's extraordinary they can do it they can do it yeah some people talk about needing to find something clothes shoes well all of us need that I think all of us well maybe not I don't think Jack Nicholson I think Technic it's gonna probably do it naked well we've seen that too actually remember that movie he just made yeah in the backseat yeah good I find that there is something about the costume or or the makeup that will like stamp the character for me I had pair shoes what was it scrap anything out of hat yeah yeah and a haircut I didn't cut my hair off in this thingy out of here so if you cut a short it looks I look like I've got male pattern baldness look really bald up there so yeah it was perfect and I we said we'd cut my hand I looked at and said there's a guy there he is you saw him something you know into you could get inside him like walk around an issue is easy yeah yeah what are you doing after this are you making a no Clinton through this movie about I think it's Iwo Jima I think yeah yeah it is it's a huge Eamon his sonís and I don't have a job yet but are you interested in I thought there was some question about you and some movie about world war tours I'm producing that that's a movie about the 761st Tank Battalion an outfit that fought World War two 186 days in combat without let-up in what battles well and what part what's that you're everything they were gonna bow in France Belgium they bought the belly bulge yeah and there was the first group to the Rhine River oh yeah oh yeah which was a big accomplishment everybody was trying to get to the run first well you know what they were they were the tip of the spear yeah Third Army did you see that yeah of course I did remember when when they found out that the 101st was surrounded after the breakout the balanced approach right and he was sitting in the staff meeting pat and say my guys I can do it my guys were marched 100 miles and fight a battle part of that group was they it was this a story you wanted to do I mean how'd you come yeah yeah yeah well I some along these things you know like a lot so many of the stories about black involvement in the wars in this country have not been told just beginning to do it just beginning to do it and which is fine because they don't know it's probably my time you know yeah it was a morgue and this is what you were meant to do you were meant to tell these stories so fine so so you have got it this is gonna happen it's gonna happen you're not gonna appear in you're just gonna produce it yeah it's yep I'm it was a young man's head right here yeah right right yeah but we have set up with DreamWorks they're underwriting it do you want a direct ah or smaller I maybe maybe I don't think I'm gonna break this yeah I like to get a really like you know really Scott or something yeah yeah that's another but but that's because it's a lot of true for moving a lot of things around but a small picture like this you could be interested in oh yeah I could I could and I direct it and I loved it but I'm basically lazy directing as a long-term engagement and one project you're basically lazy basically I'm lazy but what do you call them if you're lazy why do you go up and fly if you're lazy what do you how am i learning new you know I mean in that travel a lot and I love travel I mean work as honest as you are tell me what it means to have this nomination Oscar nomination this is is - it's the same as getting a good review someone saying you did really good work yeah you know that's as far as it can go now what they're saying is that we have now narrowed the season down to five outstanding performances by a lead actor/actress Supporting Actor Supporting Actress movie after that Samba trance far as I'm concerned because there's no way to be best once you get nominated they said once you get nominated all the films made and when you look at the company you're in always whoever it is whether you or Clint are Hillary you know the point that you've made in this conversation with me that's I think is important to know is that there is not one person in the world who only do one room no matter how many directors or producers or actors might think that no you know that there are a whole range of people with lots of talent out there and if you get the chance to meet there moment yeah you know and if you get that if you get five of those in a career it's amazing all heavens you know you were you're walking in gold yeah yeah that's I I absolutely have no no complaint I'm amazed the luck I've had in terms of that you know getting these roles on this please have a chance to take a shot Thanks as you said I had a chance great to see you it's always that the place at the top view Thank You Morgan Freeman nominated for Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby along with Clint Eastwood professed actor and Best Director he was also nominated for Best Picture Hilary Swank was nominated for Best Actress we'll see you next time all right my next guest is a two-time Academy Award nominee who's been in such films as Driving Miss Daisy street smart and Unforgiven he's about to make his directorial debut with the film called Bopha so it is a pleasure to welcome to this show Morgan Freeman are you doing I want a photo by him so how you think I'm doing I don't know you tell me all right all right you know actually um I what I first time I saw you was actually an electric company I remember people you were easy reader yeah that was a good show they was did you have fun doing it easy reader was a cool care I had a lot of fun I just I I was I didn't think I was gonna be doing in his life well it's not as I didn't mean to do that you know how long did you get would you do it for we did it for five years right I know I say well you know it's the TV show come do if a couple years get out move on you know steady gig though you know you're not going anywhere gnome it was a show for kids but actually it was had a lot of sketches that had a lot of energy in it it was a great show it was great you know but you know the fear is I I think of myself as oh it's an act or you know serious and I was getting this feeling that in my 80s I'd be hobbling down on the street and someone I would say easy reader yeah but you moved on you've done a lot of great movies I'm actually I'm a civil war yeah right now on TV at night I've done all this stuff and way that come on in was he safe no I'm sorry I'll get over that no I I mean I also I loved glory I love the Civil War I thought that was an amazing movie it is very proud to be part of that one it was about I mean the recreations they're recreations of the battles of the what the regiment is that it's the 54th Massachusetts which was the first official black regiment in the Civil War mm-hmm and they formed I don't know how many more after that one did so well you know but and that monument has been sitting there in Boston common sense about the trend of the century the guy Kevin John who wrote that script happened to be walking through the common to saw that meinem ensue those guys black it's true no it's a lot of people don't know I mean how far they fought for the north they fought in a lot of battles fought very well and and the movie the the recreations of the battles were incredible that's amazing yeah there are people who make their entire life's work we creating Civil War battles there are Civil War battlefields that are protected historical sites right and these people organize these things and they go there they call it reenactors they lived Civil War they have official authentic I mean uniforms like if you see buttons on the uniforms they're bone in that plastic they have these they go all the way they take that seriously the whole trip so they're a little crazy you'd have to be wish you didn't hear that from me and so you use them making a movie yeah we use them to great effect because they live it you know so for instance those little scenes little pan scenes through when you see these guys sitting smoking pipe reading papers writing lessons up yeah actually doing that they they're they're home true you know I said it slick with the director you know guy with big ears my big ears when we talking about directs with big ears means you can say to them let's try this and they go yeah good idea let's go so well ed these guys are living this way why don't just get a Steadicam and walk through and get these vignettes brother to set him up you know it's a good idea and that was how he did it was amazingly realistic and now you're actually you just directed a movie yeah how long do people seen it have you seen the movie hasn't come out yet come on just feeling that you know you show up for a gig and people go yeah yeah okay good quick no but this movies coming out what's coming out September 24th right and what's it about well it's said in South Africa and this one deals with a man and his family he's a he's a policeman black South African policeman mm-hmm I mean imagine yeah and it's you know it's not the most populous job and his family sort of comes apart when he realizes finds out that his son whom he fully expects to follow in his footsteps into this very prestigious job is a political activist and they're at opposite camps totally right you know and he's pushed to the wall and I've seen some I mean I've seen some clips from the movie it's it's on a big scale I mean there are lots of scenes where that looked like there are you know hundreds and hundreds of people fighting on streets yeah and you directed this it's your first time out directing yeah yeah I was very what was that like wow you know you come out and say you go over there you go there you do this no it was it was a great fun time was it difficult I mean to directly use this thing I've ever done aside from Unforgiven you see you shouldn't say that why not no you should say it's hard that way you know you can't go around saying it's sighs no because I think for some people it probably is hard cause they're really busy directing well I found a trick is not to direct just let it happen right okay everybody's here and they'll go yeah and what do you know we're ready then so okay let's do it and then it gets done all right that's what directors do so we can all do it huh yeah well you know uh you're gonna direct a picture you don't go out and get a bunch of people don't know what they're doing to do it right you get experts I mean studios this you're gonna have this one that one that one that can I have a CAD imme award he has two Academy Awards he has four nominations what are you gonna do go and tell these people what to do right not on your life I want to show a scene that looks like this how do I do it so well let's see you can do this business this and this what do you recommend this good let's do that all right listen I understand you have a plane to catch right now I actually had who's had a plane to catch I have a premiere of this movie that I me alone directed and we're opening the festival festivals in Toronto go mind me which is Italian for mañana what does don't mind her listen thank you very much for coming an investor morgan freeman has won an oscar two Golden Globes his films have grossed over eight billion dollars worldwide so when he lends his voice to a project people listen earlier this year it was the lego movie one of the most popular films of the year so far with proper training you could become a great masterbuilder I could the prophesy chosed you in it but I can't do any of this stuff that the prophecy says I'm supposed to do all you have to do is to believe very nice Morgan Freeman is now opening our eyes to the wonders of science in season 5 the science channels through the wormhole and Morgan Freeman joins me now good to see you so let's talk about this because this has really become a passion project for you through the wormhole why is that well it's it's number one it's a my company Revelations entertainment we we come up with it we produce it and it's caught on for some reason or other and we're very proud of the fact that we have a lot of young but we have a very broad range of viewers from young people to old well it's very mystical it opens your mind about the universe and if you have a different concept of what a higher power is this show takes you there and in a non preachy way ya know because we don't we don't set ourselves up to preach we just ask the questions and was one of our mantras ask questions and you're also very provocative because this is season five now in the first episode asks a question that I think is very provocative you say is poverty genetic or siccola Pharaoh's kings great industrialists and CEOs throughout history a select few have claimed enormous wealth as a birthright some of them say they also inherit qualities and virtues that keep them rich to the chasm that separates rich and poor really be the result of our DNA sciences are trying to discover if there is a biological reason the rich stay rich and whether equality and prosperity for all contradict the laws of nature you also get personal you share a bit of your life story in the show you talk about growing up collecting bottles to go into movie theaters do you think poverty is part of genetics answering your questions no ah it you can't say that I don't think well personally I don't think wealth and and genetics have anything to do with each other actually if you're born in the US it really doesn't matter that the condition of your birth what matters is what you inherit from your nurturing from your environment whether or not you go if you I mean I'm just as from the standpoint of having being born with little you can hear you can always get out of that poverty is just to the environment effects yeah if say you're born as one of the untouchables in India there you are if you're born into the super-rich there you are here you can be born to the super-rich but three four generations down the line it's gone that's sex here's your second here's a stat from from your show and it's just the richest 85 people on this planet have as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion yeah on the planet however thanks it's not far off but in America no it isn't far off in America but we still and we still here don't abandon the idea that it isn't finite yeah it isn't finite if you were born where were you born me yeah Louisiana General Hospital there you know Louisiana I was born in Memphis Tennessee had a long haul from where I came from to here but here we are right so proof is in the proof of the pudding is in the eating and here we sit at the dining table but it's hard to when you say that to some people because they say oh there you go with a pull yourself up by the bootstraps thing and you know you're just being respectable not everybody can do that look everybody can but it doesn't courage courage is the key to life itself there are a lot of people who are born in situation of a survive just I'll never get out of this so they won't I say to people say well I would like to have done so and so and so so you could have done it so well I couldn't get out of here man the bus runs every day exactly you exist if there if there if you can conceive it in your mind if you can think of it you can do it that's a human condition we can imagine that we can do it right and I think that the condition of each individual human right so when this the whole thing especially the President and Democrats are talking about income inequality and that's basically what you know when you talk about the richest 85 people on the planet right yeah it's income inequality do you think that's looking at you know what's happening in the news now is that a good idea it's a great idea it is a greatest idea we have a much more vibrant society when we don't have such a vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots we need of that middle ground that we call the middle class the people who buy everything people who use the products that the rich are creating if they're creating anything other than right so it's what's happening with the Chinese economy right now they're changing their whole outlook because they need consumers and without a middle class you're not gonna have consumers you're not gonna have it at the level that we normally would have it so can we can I go back to you I thought what you said was fascinating could you called it Bowl when you said people can't you know pull themselves up do you think that race plays a part in wealth distribution or either a mindset that you can today not ya know you don't know I don't know you and I will proof what I would race have anything to do with it stick you put your mind to what you want to do and go for that it's kind of like religion to me it's a good excuse for not getting there yeah you know I said probably get me in trouble but I said to some of my colleagues recently say so I know that it's an issue but I've been it seems like every single day on television I'm talking about race and it's because of the new cycle it's in the news but sometimes I get so tired of talking about it I want to I want to just go this is over can we move on and if you talk about it it exists it's not like it exists on we did with fuse to talk about it but making it a bigger issue than it needs to be the problem we have so I understand you recently had a birthday you're 27 no no no no get that all in 37 37 37 we have a little surprise for you can we get it there you go no that's more like it that you happy birthday sir thank you now thank you for joining us oh it's pleasure to be here [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the place goes crazy how you doing I got a cold yeah how long have you had it all day am I gonna get it now don't kiss me you mean don't kiss you again only had it all day last night we were good are you still through the wormhole yes yes I was watching it all day today so what is it what does it mean wormhole it's a scientific reference to something in the universe they someone came up with the idea we're never sure that a lot of the things that we imagined out in space are out there but they think that there was probably something akin to a black hole right that if you wander into it you can wind up in another universe somewhere mm-hmm it's scary any is there a proof of this no no proof it's just it's just our our best scientific country yeah right now speaking of something that's not a scientific country any longer is the god particle yes the Higgs boson what is that you know I don't know they say that it is the element or whatever that holds all of the matter in the universe together keeps from flying apart Wow yeah and it's it's a subatomic sub subatomic sub subatomic yeah tiny little party it's like yeah they say when you get into quantum physics you get down that's small things don't happen until you look at it so wait a minute it exists but it will not happen until observe exactly is this the thing they use the linear accelerator to bust out the Higgs boson the part they keep going faster and faster with a sending protons around this 17 mile circle it's didn't genève understand and they coming up with all this different it means I think that the thing travels the speed of light no not quite this not quite the speed of light yeah below it but then and they after how long do we see the higgs boson particle you never see it you never do see it they never see no you never see it oh you never see it it's not like whoops there it is nope not at all they they make they can see like a paper trail type of thing they can see the trail of it yeah and you know there was the they proved something about that matter didn't travel as quickly as as I'm Stein said it might travel but it turned out that was a mistake that in fact it does travel as fast as Einstein said it traveled well you know it's like I suppose just like any theoretical science we look up and we decide something it's got to be that way it kind of be like you know the world being flat for instance it's gotta be flat mm-hmm put this flat right here that's exactly right so we were wrong right but it's it's one of those things if you let your mind begin to examine existence you just go crazy yeah now you went to a Switzerland to watch them spin the I wasn't to actually went to Switzerland the to host a an awards show hmm this businessman from Russia has decided that these physicists doing this incredible these incredible things need some recognition right well I think that's true don't ya yeah I do and so that was Alice down with the all of these incredible scientists are you are you already there are you worried of knowing what you know as a human on earth and knowing what you know as a scientist scientific interest in mind are you worried about the future of the planet I am are you yeah I just want to get through this and get out of here [Music] 1971 who says I can't ride a rainbow 1971 1971 first was with Jack Klugman first film yeah how are you a kid then right uh very nearly I was 22 them apart you audition for part you recommended for how did you get that role no I don't know Jack just called me and asked me if I would do it mm-hmm now we have we have a 9 year hiatus 1971 to 1982 did not make a film for nine years is that it was that that's true yeah I didn't make I didn't make any I made some TV stuff okay yeah 1980 Brubaker directed by Robert Redford or with Robert Redford I'm sorry with Robert Redford right about 1984 harian a son directed by Paul Newman who also starred in that with Ellen Barkin yeah yeah and Ellen and I've been in three Lewis and never seen each other oh is that right do different schedules 1987 streets streets smart Eat Smart yeah so that was your first Academy Award nomination with Christopher Reeve 1989 a little something called Driving Miss Daisy Jessica Tandy what was she like she was wonderful in this story days away that just doesn't like this guy being around her or a house or nothing so when we started shooting the movie Jessica was wouldn't have me around her mm-hmm this is she's using method acting then Britt and wet see ow yes but you later had a friend oh no he had a wonderful wonderful month for friendship 1989 glory Matthew Broderick Denzel Washington that you and Denzel Washington in a movie that's all you need in terms of actors Denzel Washington and you are you have that same kind of thing where it's oh thank God it's Denzel Washington oh thank god it's Morgan to feel that way about him he's set to well no it's the same you have the same thing a very few small handful of actors have that and you're one of them I wonder wonderfully you say that one thank you for 1990 bonfire of the vanities 1991 Robin Hood for instance these vitaweight hey please we've got a ways to go ladies gentlemen we're just barely into the 1990s 1992 Unforgiven oh man yeah I first arrived the Clint Eastwood this this was a fantastic film starring Clint Eastwood he also directed Gene Hackman yes another one of those actors yep I got and Richard Gaines that come on back to work to this he has he retired pretty yeah yeah that's too bad yeah you have no plans to retire do you none yeah good 1994 The Shawshank Redemption oh my 1995 outbreak Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Spacey what do you remember about that movie [Music] meeting somebody Dustin Hoffman is also in that category of guys everywhere you want to see him all the time I remember having seen that movie and and my memory of it is Dustin Hoffman almost in every scene we have got to stop that monkey that's what I that's what I remember yeah 1995 7-7 Brad Pitt he he was just beginning then in 1995 well you just come off that one he did with Tony Hopkins go on help me somebody meet Joe Black no no no no that would that's a second when he did this one was uh sorry yet laws California mother California legends of the fall legends of the fall ladies gentlemen yeah it would vote effective man on the planet that year sexiest men on the planet animal that's a new one every year yeah that's right Oh 1997 Amistad yeah figures Steven Spielberg Anthony Hopkins the 1998 Deep Impact Robert Duvall Robert Duvall also in that group don't you think a great actor yep yep yeah and then in 2004 you won an Academy Award for Million Dollar Baby how about that by God I think clearly switch should have gotten an award that uh he's doing all right though yeah he's very good alright but the current movie that we're talking about where you and your buddies get together and you go to Las Vegas have you ever have you ever done that said heck with it no no no why wouldn't you do that have you ever done it no to see but you could you could do it you could - come on I'd get arrested ah yeah I might also but it's it's it's it's kind of a dream for everybody but you do you gamble do you like glow don't I don't I mean I let me tell everybody on the gamma with my life I don't get more with money was winning it but how long were you guys in Las Vegas it's you and I say we shot the Opera Nero and me and Robert De Niro Michael Douglas and Kevin Kevin Kevin Kline Kevin Kline that's right look out what you what did you do in Las Vegas for fun did you do anything after I I went to I saw three shows while I was saying what I'm seeing I saw Elton John's show and I saw Barbara Streisand's show and I saw Hey pretty good huh and I saw Cirque de Soleil de Soleil oh yeah I would like to see the people tell me that they're fantastic they are they are unbelievable there are young people for the most favored yeah well you get an A to do what they're doing yeah yeah and did you guys was it like a Rat Pack getting together to kind of roam around Las Vegas and no no no that's that rack Pat sort of thing is very as a temporal thing you know it's not real like the god particle yeah and I'll just throw this out there babes that's it let's show them a clip of the movie Last Vegas everybody has a fantasy about this what is the clip going to be Morgan this is me I think complaining about my drinking okay Las Vegas opened today here's Morgan Freeman take a look well everyone who sees him perform from movie goers to film critics comments on the fact that Morgan Freeman embodies a certain dignity in every character he plays but for someone with such an indelible screen presence he continues to be more actor than movie star in 2005 he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby and he's been Oscar nominated for unforgettable roles in films like Driving Miss Daisy the Shawshank Redemption and street smart that CV does not make Morgan Freeman sound like the guy next door who lives in Charleston Mississippi population 2100 but that is in fact the town where he owns a 120 acre farm a blues bar and a fine dining restaurant as it happens Charleston is also a town where the local high school has had a tradition of still segregating black and white students when it comes time for the annual prom and in the late 1990s Morgan Freeman offered to pay for an integrated prom where the high school would throw one party for all the students black and white but no one took him up on it and her Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman two years ago when he heard about Morgan Freeman's offer he petitioned the actor to try it again Morgan Freeman did and the results is Paul saltzman's new documentary prom night in Mississippi and Morgan Freeman joins me now live in studio Q hello sir hello sir very nice to have you here thank you very much nice to see you didn't watch your room handsome face well you make a man blush mr. Freeman any town has traditions that surprise newcomers that seem commonplace to the people who live there but how did you feel about living in a Mississippi town where there were still a aggregating prompt I expressed that to those children once you find that Alan I could see you know when you drive through town in the weekends that they're sitting in different parts of the town just what they do you know and it's not like they're mingling so that's kind of like a hint that his children or not you know there's no end of course here they're not endure relating they're not something of all my grandmother always told us that we were all put on this earth different and when we all start integrating there's not gonna be any more individuality and we're all gonna be the same and if that's the way God wanted us he would have made us all the same to start with so then you find out they're not encouraged and let me just clear up a couple of myths representations here please Blues Club and the restaurant are not in Charleston no they're in the town of Clarksdale quite a ways away big big big town but I don't want you tossed donea to think they've gone around reporting that they have a blues club there right but anyway yeah so did I address your questions at all yeah I think so okay I mean the broader question especially I mean you say they you you talk about them living separate lives but this is legislated up until recently legislated separation when it comes to the prominent seventy percent of the people living in Charleston are black and Mississippi is the American state with the highest per capita instance of black elected officials black police chiefs black fire chiefs how could this happen I mean how could the segregated prague segregated problem yeah well what's happening politically you you say 70 percent of this town is black a good 35 percent of the state is black and wants all of those black voting you're gonna change the the color of the politics but kids by and large are in these little rural areas these little farming communities which is what this it is his time when I was a kid this town was surrounded by fields and it still is except that now planting and harvesting and all that's done mechanically so we don't have the need for that large low paid workforce but the traditions of separateness still persists and parents are teaching their children that however in it virtually sometimes my parents taught me about racism if you're what God wanted you Y to be with white and if you're black God wanted you black to be with black and you can't try and change them not somebody that's much older than you not a whole nother generation you can't change them they've done live their life but they try to tell you how to live yours and that's where the conflict comes in it's a and you make the point the point in the film well the film makes the point over and over again that it's rather top-down it's not this isn't coming from the kids it's never does and never will kids don't know you know they don't know what you teach them and it's interesting how we teach children things by and large children do not listen to what you say by and large children watch what you do and that's how you teach you made this initial overture about ten years ago where you said look I'll pay for this I'll get him no I didn't you didn't know what did you do ten years I said you should do it you should do it yeah they didn't take you up on it no why not they didn't what happened then that wasn't enough that wasn't enough push I wasn't gonna be there with them in this situation I'm saying to them okay you I'll make this move if you'll have the courage to come together and do this and you have plenty of it plenty of courage I will pay for it now that's incentive do you have this big problem Morgan Freeman's gonna pay for it and make a difference in your not only in your community you're gonna talk to this this time you came with cameras though - with the doctor I come with cameras this well they were cameras right what's the name okay with the Canadian yeah yeah but how much of that do you think made a difference I mean in other words how much were these school officials because it's kind of hard to tell in the film whether they're coming by this honestly or whether at this point they can't say no because Morgan Freeman's gonna pay and there's Kent in there on camera yeah but I'm going to say that the camera didn't make that much of difference I'm gonna say that what the camera did do is after the fact that now that they've done it they see that they have done it and I'm talking about the parent to school and all that their their sense of having accomplished to something is magnified because they can they can see it and now it's running around the world and they're gonna learn that people are reacting to their children's courage their children's move into the 21st century I want to give people another taste of what they would see in this film and here in this film speaking of the kids this is a girl named Jessica a white teenager talking about her parents reaction to her friendship with Calvin who is black my stepfather taught me not to be around in there and if he caught me he would beat me to death and actually one day he did it's that drive made doubt he pulled up a yard ask me what what in the hell was the black boy doing there and I was like that's my friend he's welcome here you're not if you if you feel that I'm comfortable you can Lee here's like if that's less I gonna do it I'm a killing what do you think what goes through your head when you hear that that's just painful that you know here's this young lady with finally we hear from the kids speaking out what they feel what they think about this backwardness that surrounds them socially that keeps them called to a situation that then frankly actually don't want to be associated with you hear it yeah are you does it surprise you that that oh I was I was yeah yeah it does surprise me in spite of the fact that I grew up there and I'm really was quite comfortable with segregation you know well that's a perfect segue cuz that you you grow up mostly in Greenwood right yeah Mississippi yeah and and watching this film did it stir up memories of your your days in high school no we didn't have an issue of integration when I was we wouldn't think it was off the table yeah was off the table wasn't on the table and and neither group was anxious to try and mix with the other group I don't you don't really need to be mixing with people who don't want to mix with you that's you know if you don't like me I don't like you either forget you the schools were segregated separate different parts of town you didn't even see each other so it's not a question but here now these kids have been going to school together for a number of years and this is not just this class but class upon class upon class upon class since the seventies take me I think maybe the 60s I don't know you you started acting in junior high school you performed in a play that won the state championship and you were chosen as best actor can you give me an idea of how racial attitudes at the time might have affected something as as simple as a high school play no because I would again we were totally isolated to all intents and purpose even when you win the state champion when you win the state championship black championship yeah I don't know if the whites have even had anything like that take the truth but this is interesting the more we learn about you because you also grew up go to the movies yeah and you've said that you're acting heroes where people like Gary Cooper Gregory Peck yeah Humphrey Bogart yeah yeah white guys white guys yeah so at the time did being a leading man in the movie seemed like something primarily done by white men who is this something that you thought you know absolutely yeah I mean that's what we was there and that's what you saw there were no black leading men until sitting 48 came along and of course I glommed on to his image and and kept it in my hip pocket from then until now see this I relate to this because I remember the first time I saw Omar Sharif I mean years after he first died you know in in Lawrence where you know I'm Middle Eastern oh yeah that's good enough he's good enough close like really that guy gets both of the white girls in dr. Zhivago you know I mean that was that was an opening right but did but did you think when you were that kid and you're watching people like Gary Cooper that you could ever be that guy yeah you did yeah if you don't think it you're not gonna do it of course I thought I wonder he's one of these days that's gonna be me and what he stays I'm going to be in the movies I have to do this you joined the Air Force at age 18 yeah you stayed until you're 20 to 21 it's around 1959 you left the service right what made you decide to become an actor at that point what's the what's the moment where Morgan Freeman goes I'm going for this I I got into the Air Force because I was it as it turns out I was romanticizing that whole idea you know we were refighting World War two as I was growing up so we had all these heroic movies and I fell in love with the idea of flying and then when I got into the Air Force had just big eye-opener that racism was rampant there also and that I didn't I not as qualified or suited this better word for a military life that kind of unquestioning obedience to a lot of things that I think of stupid didn't quite go over well yeah so when I got out I was I was an early discharge it was almost dishonorable you know because I just really didn't fit but the catalyst actually was I did get to sit in a jet trainer because I had a lot of people behind me to get me into flight school in this town but sitting there it occurred to me that this is absolutely not what I want it's it isn't movies it's for real these men on this little red button on a joystick controls guns with real bullets and I'm sick I said that for quite a while and knew that if I made a strafing run and needed a camera here and I needed the people to be able to get up and go back to number one so I got out of that plane on the runway at North Island Air Station a Naval Air Station and I walked away from that and towards acting I knew that it was all about the movies it was all about the movies you had and eight years later you end up in New York but when you want to be in the movies but you actually end up on stage yeah right and that we could say what might be your first big break in 67 at the age of 30 or in a theater production called the lovers yeah and then you had all this information and you didn't do research gosh okay and I knew and then you also are in all-black production of Hello Dolly Yeah right but you're on the stage you're not in the movies right how did that go over for Morgan Freeman it went over fine I was working I was a working actor after what 1959 to almost 1969 in 1967 we did the middle of us late 1967 segue right into Hello Dolly what does Jermaine about the time and me is that I was a working actor I was on stage making money that's very hard to do but I thought every production was going to uncles all my friends would always say this is gonna take it to the coast man yes this is what you know the West Coast the way so you are the East Coast doing well but you really just wanted to get to the west I wanted to be in the movies so in the 70s if you remember the blaxploitation period sure and all of my friends were leaving in New York and going to how to Hollywood and getting into these movies I said to my agent one time I think I think I should should go out to California I think this was like after the electric company had and ended I should go out to californee you were in the electric um I was in the electric I was told I'm not supposed to talk to you but okay not talk to me about I wasn't actually told that somebody wasn't yeah my agent told me after I said that he said no I wouldn't do that when Hollywood wants you they'll send for you hmm so as well bet you enough that's what happened it just take me back for a second as we draw the line from the guy who is in the state championship but for with a black high school that actor now you're in New York you're on stage and you're often cast in roles that have been previously performed by white actors hello dollies an example of that how did you deal with that in terms of what she did on stage was that something that was in your consciousness no no no no whenever you do it but I don't care what it is you know you do a part you're gonna do it out of you I'll tell you an interesting story about black and doing I was once sent to audition for The Odd Couple can't wait to find out which role Lord I I don't have no idea what you know but if I was gonna take an Oscar or maybe yes maybe matter really you know but I saw it I'm at this audition and it was you're gonna do it you're gonna do a blank version of The Odd Couple yes why well and we think it's a good idea okay are you gonna write new scripts and oppa gonna go with the ones we got well that ought to be very interesting I didn't you know I'd I decline yeah you know you you would you want a slew of theater awards through the 80s but it really it wasn't until 87 that when you receive your first Oscar nomination for your role and street-smart which is your that we see you breaking out in a big way in film now you're 50 years old yeah at this point in terms of an actor's dues it seems like you had paid a heavy price did you know a lot I have a price a male's working actor you're working actor for 20 years but do you feel like a guy who at that point with you know I've paid my dues of course I if I only get an Oscar no no that was my first phrase good role first real meaty role that I had in the movie you know I had a short good moment in Brubaker that brought me to the attention of a few people but that was the first time I had a shot at really dancing and that's what you call it well yeah when you if you're working with other actors and you know I I just thought that can't debate Baker and I danced well together listen people talk about a moment we had that was memorable mm-hmm so yes you that's what you do with other access your dance it does well people can see you're doing it well but what were you asking me I was asking if you felt like you'd paid your dues oh yes of course I felt like I'd pay that is right I was not yeah but I wasn't it wasn't anything you can say well I'm deserve this because you don't ever deserve it there's no there's no nothing printed anywhere I'll stand anywhere as it says that you would do or this is do to you this is owed to you isn't it is it it's a national ongoing thing with actors that point I am blessed to be here blessed to be able to do this notwithstanding street-smart you often play these noble dignified characters and movies you're known for this audiences have come to expect this from Morgan Freeman do you take pride in that now that's something that starts to bug you after always say it's it is a box you know it's a box I played a couple of characters which I was killed dead and audiences said well no do that yeah so that's not it isn't good to let audience a dictate story right but you don't want to be dead too I mean I heard that you only agreed to do glory if your guy doesn't get killed you you've been off not and that's no such thing no such thing no no no no no but you didn't want to play black characters that just get knocked off somewhere no I don't know because you would say well the black guy is you know you know he's gonna die yeah look at a lot of movies you see the black guy comes out early is gonna die early right right you don't mind dying it's just not Earl no I don't mind dying if it's a you know if it's a yeah like a dramatic death yes I'm gonna be gobbled up by a shark or or dinosaurs yeah no I got killed in the movie um sum of all fears I mammoth you know big Holocaust actor explosion and I I was caught in in and and I died but the movie is almost over by then and of course the producer said later on do you have any film roles that you regret Morgan Freeman no I don't do things I'm gonna regret hmm I try not to anyway so no I don't think I have any not any that survived hmm let me bring this back to prom night in Mississippi and your real life role is in this film is certainly want to be remembered apart from making an integrated prom happen when Paul Saltzman this Canadian filmmaker initially approached you about making this doc why did you think this would be a good film I didn't know whether it was gonna be good or not and I know what kind of a filmmaker Paul wasn't care if he wanted to document it go ahead and find I'm only interested in doing this with these kids and what comes out of it after that comes out of after that and if this guy wants to come down and and make a documentary that's okay that's good that's probably going to be going to help things along a bit I had no idea he'd do such a good job helping things along a bit this documentary is it's shocking at times we talked a bit about that some of the racial attitudes in this film you think would have been erased 20 30 40 years ago yeah this is happening today what effect do you think revealing that attitudes like this still exist will have on people come to see this film we talk a lot about the fact that we don't talk a lot about race anywhere but I think this might help facilitate a dialogue on some level it might and again it might not is there a downside to people to folks who aren't from Mississippi seeing this and going wow that still happens down there and not maybe maybe not looking in their own backyard that I don't think that the downside because you you only have to listen to these kids to see that they represent the hope of tomorrow for all of us and if you live in Mississippi you can see that we have no business teaching our children that Barack Obama elected president well we know we've talked a lot about the symbolism of that yeah there is an integrated problem now in Charleston Mississippi spoiler alert I don't want to yeah I'll go any further than that yeah let's not stop though how Michelle Obama's first lady there you go how optimistic are you about berry-berry race really hot in your country around the around the world yeah you know I by Barack's campaign slogan yes we can we set our minds to whatever change we want in our lives and we can and will do it and I think I hope but I'm fairly certain that these kids will never go back and their kids will be the benefactors of this legacy I've had white lovers as well as black lovers I mean there's really no difference it's all what's inside you how you feel about that person that's what the world needs to see I mean right it's not all about skin color it's not all about what people think about you it's about how you feel you're gonna do what makes you happy I'll do it makes me happy people who try and stop that are the people who are gonna be sadly disappointed in the long run when I talk about race relations and I think about the pioneers or the the biggest players in ever if not in our lifetimes Nelson Mandela is something that comes to mind Matt Damon was on the show a couple months ago talking about how bold over he was about with your your performance playing Nelson Mandela in a film called Invictus what was it like to be playing Mandela it was interesting because you know there was a long lead up to it and we we had the script a couple of three years ago I guess and so I'm going to be playing Madiba well so well you know it's great I can't wait to see you play Mandela thinking oh man you know I don't do accents and in order to play mind Ally gonna have to at least try to sound like him and I thought I was that was my concern I write whatever yo yeah I'm a pretty good actor I can you know but did this is gonna take serious channeling and I've done it before I did it with a guy named Joe Clark and a picture called lean on me sure and I'm just completely knocked my socks off to see the Jamie Foxx do Rey and Ben Kingsley do Gandhi they were just inherent in inhabit the role that person be it looked like it sound like it act like it and so here I am going to play one of the world's leading icons of dignity and gravitas am I going to be able to pull that off you know with any kind of believability or I'm gonna walk away from this with people calling Jesus Christ but when we got to filming and when we got to the end of time to go on all right Clint never says action is this any time it just all fell into place I'd been watching him on tapes and videos and things you know and paying very close attention to the way he did things so it just all came together well for me my favorite part of that whole story you just told this knowing that Morgan Freeman still gets intimidated by roles oh yeah hey I mean you've got to play somebody who's who's living who everybody knows you there's a challenge there no reason why one must like to play God why don't we change god it might play God sure I would for the God look like what does it sound like is it a he oh it's good to meet you it's good to meet you thanks very much for doing this you're very welcome do come back I might you'll be sorry oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman he's one of the fascinating characters and the new documentary directed by Canadian director Paul Saltzman called prom night in Mississippi Morgan Freeman has been with me here live in studio Q Morgan Freeman welcome to this show it's an honor to have you here it truly is just a pleasure to be I don't know if you'll be bothered by this question but I hear in your latest movie that you fell in love with your co-star well yes you have noticed really it's really hard not to these creatures are so fantastical you know and we should tell them what creature it is well we will eventually I'm a sailor so I spent some time in the wild with them you know and the creeks that were talking about everybody wants to know is Dolphin so I have spent time at sea with them and I have spreading this word around so that everybody knows it Dolphin the only creature the only wild creature who will approach humans in the wild he only wants only one this is a test now should we have people call in and say yes I was approached by something else yeah I hear somebody say I was approached by a mountain lion but it's not gonna work not gonna see with your voice I tend to believe everything you say so when you said that I wouldn't lie about that you could though I'm saying you could it could be just a blatant lie and so we would all here say that's right the dolphin is the only one but other sailors will tell you that dolphins do come to play they they just come to play well if they see you out there in the open ocean they'll come over and say hi this form along and they ride your bow wave and alright and they may go off and jump and cavort you know and then come back and they're good how was that so cool well tell everybody a little bit about what Dolphin Tale is because it's a true story in a way it's based on an apps true story we worked with the real dolphin who's the star of the story her name is winter but she was caught in a crab trap I guess was a crab trap I'm one of those box traps wire traps and with ropes mhm and in I guess in attempting to get free she just tightened the thing on her body and she suffered damage around and this doctor who was really a very clever inventor or designer prosthesis got into the picture and he created a tail for her prosthetic tail for her which she uses not 24 hours a day she could all know we're at a max of about 12 hours a day but it's good therapy for her and that doctor that inventor you was played by me was buried by you yeah I won't you the custom make some parts for me not like anything we've done before may not work and I can't pay you other than that I should be excited right who's the patient you took the wrong turn at home tonight oh you took it with Miss Daisy and you got the man we'll try the station didn't create though some contravene though won the Oscar for Best Picture it was controversy some people in the african-american community thought well this guy he's playing I don't know is he just a little Uncle Tom is he this and then you also did an interview with Mike Wallace yeah in which he said to you why don't you like Black History Month right and your answer was well I asked him was there a white answer History Month yeah and he says I'm Jewish I said okay is there a Jewish history month he said no I said do you want one he said there's my answer you know why would black history be relegated to a month why isn't Black History just American history mm-hmm so no I'm not for it at all how do you feel about it right now today I don't feel any different than oh I don't want to be I just don't like to be singled out like that you know he's one of America's finest black actors that narrows you just put you in a box over here you can't be part of the whole pantheon it so why are you a political animal not at all no politics I think is just the voice kind of profession well it can be because it's you know look at what's happening now I am looking at me y'all are looking at yeah it's it's just dreadful but you know you talked before about how you sail I think you also have pilot's license yeah um yeah what would Morgan Freeman be doing on a day he has off nowadays not much I had a car accident I still have that yeah I got to still have the isotonic glove because the fingers still don't move and if you don't move them they're gonna swell up and that keeps me from flying and keeping from sailing because and I have a big boat and it takes two hands one for yourself one for the boat at all times and I also have horses you know and I used to ride every day that was part of my - sighs regimen go out and ride a couple of voices so what's the prognosis though well the prognosis is we don't know we we think that you you're gonna get it all back but the hard part is so you paralyzed some nerve damaged mm-hmm stretched nerves take a long long long long time to heal one inch a month and I've got long arms okay so give yourself a little over three years but that to grow back any meanwhile you're not moving a muscle it goes away so now once you've got the nerve connection you don't have a muscle to do it with so you gotta work on that so I have therapy going on - just try to get blood flowing through through after beating muscles I choose now then as I end every show to do it in song very well warned you about this before you didn't seem afraid not afraid but any song that's in your head doesn't have to be the theme from God you under my skin I've got you deep in the heart of me so deep in my heart that you're really a part of me I've got you under my skin I love that Morgan Freeman I can't thank you enough this has been so much thank you Lorraine has Obama helped the process of eradicating racism or has it in a way made him worse made it worse made it worse look at things like the Tea Partiers who are controlling the Republican Party state it and what's this guy's name yeah Mitch McConnell yeah mr. McComb best dated policy publicly stated is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term what what does that what underlines that screw the country we're gonna do whatever we do to get this black man we can we're gonna do whatever we can to get this black man re but he's not necessarily a racist it is a racist is it no just Republicans wouldn't they said about any dental no because they would have gotten rid of Bill Clinton if they could have they try he did try but still and I don't anyone then I gotta get rid of Obama either I think they're shooting themselves in the head does he I love you but the Tea Party are gaining such traction yes why yes well it just shows the we direct underside of America we're supposed to be better than that we really are that's that's why all those people were in tears when Obama was was elected president ah look at what we are look at how this is America you know and then it just sort of started turning because these people surfaces like stirring up muddy water are you disappointed that Obama hasn't been more aggressive in taking them off a kind of kind of but I so understood that he was trying to hold on to his own promise that he'll be different tonight he would he would be president of all the people he would be he was not going to he was gonna try not to have this most Americans now certainly a majority of my view love him just to stick him a metaphorical bloody nose on his opponent I think now you do now because now you see how hard he's tried and how hard they have fought against him yes that's what we all want to see we wanted to and he's going to do it here's a stat from from your show and it says that the richest 85 people on this planet have as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion yeah right that's on the planet however in a sense it's not far off in America but no it isn't far off in America but we still we still here don't abandon the idea that it isn't finite it isn't finite if you were born where were you born me yeah Baton Rouge Louisiana better soon without all there you know Louisiana I was born in Memphis Tennessee I had a long haul from where I came from to here but here we are right so proof is in the proof of the pudding is in the eating and here we sit at the dining table but it's hard to when you say that to some people because they say oh there you go with a pull yourself up by the bootstraps thing and you know you're just being respectable not everybody can do that look everybody can I thought it doesn't courage courage is the key to life itself a lot of people who were born in situation missive I've just I'll never get out of this so they won't I say to people say well I would like to have done so and so and so so we could have done it so but I couldn't get out of here man the bus runs every day so I'm here with one of the most recognizable men in American cinema mr. Morgan Freeman how are you I'm fine Michael how are you good thank you so you know your films are always seems to be on a mission to reveal the truth this one in particular deals with us you know we saw that recently in Paris yeah what are your thoughts about just the parallels that we see you know in film versus reality well you know there's any joke question does art near a life or does life mirror art so I think actually it's yeah it's two-way street we're actually mirroring life just on a grander scale it's not worth doing if you don't do it on a grand scale if you want you know it's the movies after all we want it to be really colossal so let's not blow up a building let's blow up a city you've accomplished actor you've won the Academy Award you know global board and the list goes on you know it was there ever a time in your career when you felt that your greatest work wasn't being appreciated and how did you deal with that frustration no I was never a time when I didn't think that my work was being a being appreciated it was a time when I thought I wasn't gonna get to work and that's you know that's a scary part I said well gee I better start thinking about something to do poor as people are feel like african-americans particularly feel like they're not being included in a lot of the the roles and the the awards you know my question for you know John Singleton said that we should be focused more on the passion and less on the acclaim so what your thoughts about that same thing yeah I mean they claim is fine but we shouldn't be no one should be attacking the Academy Awards Academy Awards is like that's the end of a long road that starts with producing goes to writing to producing directing you you want diversity that's where it has to start and then that gets to the Academy Awards Academy Awards so you can't turn that into permit of action it won't work keep making great movies we'll keep watching I'm gonna keep trying thank you very much Morgan is a director a producer a narrator and has played to many memorable roles and characters to list here he reprises his role as Alan Trumbull in London has fallen the sequel to 2013's highly successful Olympus has fallen this time he's nice person I saw the movie last night this is an action-packed thriller that you will you're freezing your seats cannot go to the bathroom it was it like to make a movie like this I'm not in any of the mess threat you are I'm just done a very quiet fail-safe rule yeah right so I'm only hearing and and trying to picture what my guy is doing so we're doing those scenes you're not talking to them right now I mean they're on the screen somewhere but you're in the right so what are you what did you think when you saw the final film I'm saying it that I thought that all the scenes are unbelievable I keep hearing that and I've seen the trailers you know and they look awesome I saw last night it is for know if there it is really I'm glad to hear that thank you very much you're gonna enjoy it very much Angela had a rough night shooting in Bulgaria cold weather lying on the ground been there done that hate it why did you choose to do these films what's the basis of your selection process work if it's work and I'm not gonna get hurt and it's gonna pay I want to do it I'm not that you know you know I don't get like a ton of scripts coming my way one of my - well if I do I don't know about it because you know screaming yeah my agency screens a lot of it I get a lot of stuff to be so when they give it to you it means they like it yeah they think this is what's doing I do you usually agree yes I do have you regretted ever turning down something never never I regretted not getting something that I auditioned for maybe or just wasn't thought of for but I've never regretted turning down anything you have appeared in so many wonderful films the Vegas film with the name of those guys not would Jack Nicholson working with him yeah yeah bucket list but whenever people mention Morgan Freeman the one thing that first jumps out and why I want to ask you why you think it's forever okay Shawshank Redemption why do people see it ten times none of us know I mean those of us who are in that movie I I couldn't tell you Tim couldn't tell you Frank Darabont couldn't tell you why this movie has such depth I don't think Stephen King can tell you and he wrote it number one is probably one of the more offbeat love stories that's very very deep and happy in when those two old guys hook up again is to stand up and Cheer yeah life is good yeah did you realize making it that you were doing something special when I read the script it was special I told my agent I play in a row but I didn't know because he didn't say read for this part just I read the script that was it and then I called and said I'll play any role and he said they want you to play read really what if this if this London thing works they got Washington they got London supposing it's gonna be Moscow or Paris or something would you do number three absolutely absolutely every successive one pays a little better you're Morgan huh are you saying that you do some things for money yes huh it's an art yes but I don't want to die a pauper because all right you know I'm out thinking about friends of mine like Modigliani a bank go on a date with a pauper but yeah and go did and Modigliani did yeah be good here on pauper doesn't haunt you oh yeah but you know what the prop and we have is living up to our income that's right yeah more people to pay yeah more homes to keep up alimony that's gotta go within territory after all these years do you still like watching yourself on screen I never like watching myself on screen it's not one of my favorite thing to just fling that why not I I spent 20 years on the stage on the stage you only see yourself through the eyes of the audience and I got this I'm all over this role but when you see yourself our lives when I see myself I'm not all over it I'm just mean and I'm not I'm not hidden well enough on stage you can hide you didn't know because it's all just psychic if you can see yourself and you know you're doing the same old cliches in a stage more rewarding ultimately yeah instant gratification yeah yeah that's would you go back and do theater no and went back in eight and did the country girl great that's a great it was a great play and that was with great people Peter Gallagher and Frances McDorman but we we three who do movies you got a great matter okay I have great parts Morgan Freeman is our special guest the movie is London has fallen you will not be bored it opens March 4th will be like that the back with the great Morgan Freeman you will see in those the Vice President of the United States in London has fallen it will be a very successful movie default Olympus has fallen that was a surprise hit well it was yeah but you know if you got enough action and you get a good-looking star and enough backup it's almost a shoo-in do you still enjoy the work hey money aside you can enjoy it that's the only real real reason to do it you know I don't need to go to work just cause I get paid I go to work because I've always wanted to do this as a kid as a little kid yeah yeah did you use the play actor in this a child yeah I won my first best acting award in school I know it was a statewide contest young black men in nineteen fifty don't win statewide awards in Mississippi do they yes yes in schools were segregated you had your own thing going on no Ray Charles told me once he went to a school for a blind and they segregated because and this is hippie that wasn't exactly the threshold of advancement yes and no it's where I came from you still love Mississippi I still live there I moved back Wow all right you like playing other what do you what's the kick of being God or a vice president or driving a lady around in a car or being a prisoner what's the kick the kick of its all having that I looking that you're doing it I do it with ease I've always been a natural actor I was born to do this so you know when you're a kid it's hey look at me look at what I can do and now I'm 78 years old Hey look at me look what I can do is still here you know you've done well and some yes yeah I knew I was doing well in driving mr. Daisy and I did that on stage and that was a huge hit and I thought I did well in the shawshank and I thought I did well in street smart and I thought I did well in Million Dollar Baby also I think I did well in in Invictus yeah not bad yeah I knew him very well wasn't he something mr. Mandela greatest figure in my opinion of the 20th century was it like to play it it was the most fun I've had I was working with my favorite director Clint Eastwood and tell you when we when we shot the very last scene everybody said I start over really yeah yeah it was just the most fun I've had what's special about working at Eastwood gee I think the first thing is he speed he just doesn't fool around you got it let's move on number two he doesn't fool around with actors he hires you to do the job so we needed doing it for you and so he respects the actor he respects yeah yeah and everybody who's ever worked with him come away with that feeling this guy's tops what was it like to play God you didn't list that as one of your boards no it was it wasn't because of me how do you play God it was God I'm an agnostic I bought it just because you were good well I think that because I'm God it's easier to do it now let's talk about that it's an imitated voice in fact someone did commercials as you write there was a lawsuit there no not a loss of just a request to stand down have you always had that voice and no no no the voice started when I was in college my first efforts in in officially learning the talent that the business of acting the how do you do it that's not what you really should be trying to learn yet we trying to get your instrument honed and part of your mr. Minister voice and I had a instructor man named Robert Witten LACC who nailed elocution diction breath control all of that into his students you've made a record at the beginning of this class and at the end of the class you made a record so you could hear the difference first thing he does is it teaches you that your voice is too high most people speak with the tense throat and it's too high so he gives you techniques on how to relax that and it was it deepens and then it just nailed diction did you have a southern accent serious you muster yes yes it was bad first time I stood up in his class and opened my mouth he said hold it no question they and I said small and Freeman he said it's not the step-in Fetchit okay get serious no London has fallen opens March 4th we'll be right back the doctors Morgan Freeman could truly be called a great artist Olympus has fallen was a successful hit and now we have London has fallen and it's gonna march right in force it's gonna be a Lollapalooza do you care about box-office receipts sure you follow them I know somebody does they'll tell you yeah yeah okay his Hollywood changed a lot since Oh since I was a kid since you started in the business here a lot I don't think it's changed a lot he's go to work for a major movie company when they brought you out you came from theater out here yeah Warner Brothers it was one of the first move was to first three movies I did where Warner Brothers movies Shawshank Redemption was Castle Rock but Warner Brothers was a distributor and lean on me Warner Brothers was your first movie to you as my first movie believe it or not was in 1969 with Jack Klugman and a movie called variously P ony P period o period in life or Pony it's about these kids trying to save a draft horse in their parents apartments he was and he liked my work so much that he kept rewriting this is going to keep me in it what do you think about all these diversity issues in Hollywood man well I'm not quite sure that there is a diversity issue the fact that there was no blacks nominated for an Academy Award okay fine that many years when they're on but you know I think if we're going to talk about diversity in movies let's not talk about the Academy Awards that's that's an outcome that's the in line go way way back we need to go back to people who are making the move for school directors the directors people who are behind the cameras you know about it black behind the camera in here that kind of thing you know it's twisted yeah it's not the camera it's endemic yeah I just say that find a role you have to like the person is that true oh yes yes I would be able to sympathize with the character so no matter if you're putting any le ever played evil people once who was who was I can never remember you being then you didn't see street-smart no Street SWAT I did not believe in streets I was a pimp I was a face cutting killing pimp was that easy for you like falling off a log when our audition Jerry shots Berg was the director and I auditioned in a row where I'm threatening to put a woman's eye out and she has to choose which one so joy Todd was the casting agent and I used her as a girl and Terry's Saudi he said you've done this before how about the Vegas movies we're gonna do another one if one materializes absolutely what was it like I was with you guys it was did you have that had to be fun that was fun I had heard of table such a great guy to work with he won this money himself or he understands humor it takes a great punch cuz you know I'm a puncher you enjoy comedy I enjoy a bit but it doesn't matter to me what it is and it was working with love this you know I I do kinda money bed we'll be back with our remaining moments with Morgan Freeman London has fallen we'll open March 4th and it's going to last we've got with our remaining moments with Morgan Freeman wish we had all day with them is one of my favorite people by the way did you did you have dinner with person Obama this week yeah last night oh listen yeah we're G place called Beale TLT yeah in Washington I've spent some time with her mom he did my last show he was what do you make it personal oh I'm a big fan I have since I read his book The Audacity of Hope he's had me in his hip pocket you know whatever he needs if I can't provide it he's got it he knows that what was he talking about it didn't oh we don't much talk shop that situation there's a lot of people and we were there as the budget was there to start helping him design the new Obama blubber center and we're not gonna call it the library don't be called a Obama center you smile when you say it's not gonna be a library I mean it's gonna be a little different yeah he's anxious to make it so that when people visit they come away with maybe a little incentive to take part in the process visit a museum right you're also executive producer of Madam Secretary what a hell of a show that is ah she's great are you see but nothing more is that how are you an active executive producer no I wouldn't call myself an active executive producer I got other things going on and my producing partner Lori McCreary does the heavy lifting it's a great show now glad you like it we have some social media questions Hampton bhw tweets what would you say has been your greatest challenge in life I don't know I'd have to give that a lot of thought you don't have dancers it's not a court right the sea bird wants to know the favorite part of your day hmm well I'm a night person oh you are yeah so gentlemen after Susan Stewart on Facebook you played many kind and compassionate characters where's that come from having compassion role models or knowing what it's like not to be treated that way Wow while all of that yeah having good role models as I had an incredible line of teachers growing up and my mom was my aunt my grandmother I'm a ladies man that's my whole most of my life is outstanding women and a few outstanding men call me an ass how's your bee sanctuary and would you blame Monsanto for making roundup or the government for their lacks rules on pesticide both both there's been a frightening loss of bee colonies particularly in in this country I don't know about around the world but to such an extent that the scientists are now saying it's as dangerous the you know what canary and their mind methane gas builds up in coal mines and because the Canaries respiratory system is so it can the breathing so rapid they will keel over first so then you know get out of mind because yeah your bird is dying well that will proliferate surround the planet when that canary dies you're in trouble we got thousands and thousands of species of animals that are disappearing because of what we're doing one of your fans want to ask about your love of marijuana and one another ones to know your favorite strain I don't I haven't I'm not that much of a connoisseur so I don't know what strains are you have some good smoke try this yeah you think it's gonna be legal everywhere yeah I do it ought to be yeah it has to be you know they they can't continue to say that it's a dangerous drug but it's safer than alcohol it's a lot safer yeah we've some quick questions out you what's your guilty pleasure I'm not gonna tell you okay what keeps you up at night so you're up at night yeah what's on your bucket list I'd like to get a best movie Academy Award best film I'd like my company produces a ball you want the film in the best film of the year yeah you have to be in it no I don't have to be in the secret Talent we don't know about no I don't think so I think I think my life is pretty much a book someone you haven't worked with you'd love to work with yeah anybody I haven't that's peace advice you ever got don't look for trouble something you wish you were better at acting come on I'm telling you no I take the back golf anything you regret regret that's our evolutionary thing by that I mean they evolve you regret something today 15 years down the line 10 years down the line you realize it wasn't something to regret what can we say you're it's just I love being in your presence you're an awesome awesome prices I don't know why you're still here

Channel: Media Collection

Views: 9,630

Rating: 4.9191918 out of 5

Keywords: morgan freeman, morgan freeman interview, morgan freeman funny, morgan freeman voice, funny, talk show, comedic, humor, stand-up, talking, dolphin tale, voice, guide, impression, weed, marijuana legalization, president barack obama, morgan freeman movies, shawshank redemption, morgan freeman academy awards, clint eastwood, freeman, acting, obama, morgan, oscar, marijuana, ladies man, morgan freeman (theater actor), david, letterman, old clips

Id: w60puuuXLYo

Length: 148min 55sec (8935 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 31 2018