The one movie Morgan Freeman calls the favourite of his career: “I just see me”
One of the most celebrated actors in the world, Morgan Freeman is known for his iconic performances in beloved gems like the acclaimed prison drama Shawshank Redemption and David Fincher’s gritty neo-noir thriller Seven among others. Freeman’s position as one of the most trusted voices in Hollywood has been hard-earned and long-awarded.
Even at this late stage in his career, Freeman is showing no signs of slowing down with several upcoming projects, including Coming 2 America and Vanquish. It’s an impressive career for an actor who has seemingly given his entire life to the pursuit of perfecting the art of acting. But while his position as one of the most respected voices is undoubted, it is, by and large, something that comes naturally to Freeman.
Freeman once said: “It’s not like I wake up in the morning and say, ‘I got to be dignified today.’ If the characters seem dignified, it’s because they were written that way. I don’t want to go around talking about how I feel about honesty and all that stuff, but if you can find where the kernel of a character’s soul is, if you can somehow plumb that, then it’s easy to play. I think that sense of dignity has to do with the fact that there’s an inner life that’s readable more than anything else.”
With such a deep understanding of character dynamics, Freeman is evidently adept at maintaining fidelity to the subtextual commentary. This has also led many fans to the inevitable question that often pops up when we consider any famous actor’s complete body of work.
That question was put before Freeman during an interview on the Rich Eisen Show when he was asked to choose his favourite film from his star-studded filmography. “Clint Eastwood, being one of my favourite directors and acting partners, Million Dollar Baby was pretty good,” Freeman commented while bringing up his Oscar-winning role.
However, his favourite Morgan Freeman film is actually the recipient of the ‘Best Picture’ prize at the Academy Awards. While recalling the film, Freeman explained why he liked his performance so much: “Driving Miss Daisy… [It’s] so far away from me. I see that character when I look at the movie. [In] everything else, I just see me.”
In a 2015 interview, the director of Driving Miss Daisy responded to the claim that it was the worst Best Picture winner of all time: “I read an article saying it was the worst film to ever win the Academy Award for ‘Best Picture’. And I thought, ‘No, it’s the second worst. The worst is Cavalcade, made in 1932.’ Honestly, I haven’t seen Driving Miss Daisy since it was released. Everything changes over a period.”
Freeman would, over his career, also condemn the picture. While speaking to Richard Johnson at the British Film Institute and reported by The Guardian in 2000, Freeman was irked by the idea that the movie started a new chapter in his career: “Yeah I think the big mistake was Driving Miss Daisy, actually”. The role would seemingly typecast him to his collaborators and the audience. He continued: “Some characters become sort of bracketed, identifiable – identified – you and him. People come up and say: ‘I just…’ and cry and stuff, and everywhere you go, they’re going to expect some aspect of that character out of you, and if you disappoint them too many times…”
The movie has gone down in history as one of Freeman’s defining roles. Although he would later condemn the picture for somewhat typecasting him, there can be no doubt that without the movie, Freeman’s career may not have been as storied as it stands today.
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