Morgan Freeman: The actor that Robert Duvall called “terrific”
Hollywood is a dynamic sphere where stars are simultaneously born and extinguished in a blink of an eye. However, some actors manage to enter the pantheon of the industry’s greatest talents by building truly impressive filmographies over the course of several decades. One such artist who has immortalised his legacy is Robert Duvall, having received some of the most prestigious accolades throughout an endlessly remarkable career.
Having collaborated with the likes of David Mamet, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Altman, Duvall has built a body of work that aspiring actors and film fans will study for years to come. Ranging from Bullitt and M*A*S*H to The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Duvall has starred in more masterpieces than most can ever hope. That’s exactly why many research his views on the craft to get a deeper understanding of the way he approached acting.
During a conversation with BOMB Magazine, Duvall once opened up about the secret to longevity within the film industry. When asked about how ageing affects an actor’s craft, he said: “Kim Stanley used to say something like, actors do their best work between the ages of 25 and 40. But I don’t think that’s true. I think the problem is when you don’t stay hungry. You gotta stay hungry, keep searching. Always keep searching.”
Within the same interview, Duvall used the opportunity to shower praise on one particular star who impressed him on multiple occasions. That actor was none other than the great Morgan Freeman, whose performances in films like Street Smart and Driving Miss Daisy blew Duvall away. He singled out Freeman’s work in the 1989 drama Lean on Me, a biopic based on the life of an inner-city high school principal named Joe Louis Clark.
Duvall said: “He’s terrific. I love that actor… My God, terrific, great. He was pretty good in that Lean On Me. The director misled him the first ten minutes in that. But then he settled down and was fine. But he’s a heavy hitter… Morgan Freeman, it was still him when he played that pimp. But he probably saw guys, pimps around town. That guy he played in Driving Miss Daisy, yes sir, no sir, it was the total opposite… But it was still him.”
Driving Miss Daisy is often one of the first films that is brought up in connection to Freeman’s brilliant oeuvre, especially because it earned him a ‘Best Actor’ nomination at the Oscars. Although the movie’s take on racism and other sociopolitical issues has aged poorly, Freeman stands by his performance and the work he put into the project.
Watch the trailer below.
