Morgan Freeman reveals his three golden rules for choosing a role: “I’m pretty much all for it”
Most actors would admit that in an ideal world, their entire careers and decision-making process would be based exclusively on the calibre of material they’re being offered and stories strong enough to let them do their best work. Obviously, that’s not how it works, with Morgan Freeman developing his own set of cardinal rules to help guide him towards the movies he makes.
Acting may not be a regular profession, but the film industry is still a business. It’s all well and good for a performer to turn their nose up at roles that don’t appeal to their sensibilities, but at the end of the day, the bills still need to be paid, and nobody wants to be a struggling and starving artist for their entire lives.
Freeman knows that better than most, having waited until he was 50 years old to finally gain a foothold in mainstream Hollywood when his Academy Award-nominated turn in 1987’s Street Smart put him on everybody’s radar. He was almost a quarter of a century into his career by that point, but he’d considered quitting in favour of a more reliable income stream during his darkest periods.
These days, as an Oscar-winning icon and veteran recognisable the world over, Freeman probably doesn’t have to audition very often, if he even does at all. He’s in a position where actors, filmmakers, and producers come to him offering parts, productions, and paydays, and he knows exactly what he’s looking for.
Maybe it’s an elder statesman thing, or maybe it’s one of the reasons why they became such firm friends, but Freeman isn’t the only ageing legend who operated under the same mindset. His regular co-star Michael Caine had his golden rules that dictated the trajectory of his filmography, and while Freeman’s aren’t identical, they’re not exactly dissimilar, either.
“To tell you the truth, at this stage, if I pick the job, there are only two possible things that I’m really interested in,” he told Parade before immediately correcting himself. “Well, three possible things: who’s buying, who’s directing, and what does it pay?”
Unlike many of his peers, Freeman has never been shy in admitting when he’s taken a role solely for the paycheque. Plenty of actors have confessed they were drawn in by the dollar signs after the fact, whereas he’s been telling everyone he was there to boost his bank balance when on the promotional circuit trying to drum up interest in a movie he’s just told the world he only made because it paid well.
There’s nothing wrong with being honest, though, and he isn’t strictly a mercenary. If a smaller film with a modest budget needs an assist, Freeman is happy to help. “If you’ve got a good story to tell and you come to me to help tell it, I’m pretty much all for it,” he said, underlining that he isn’t going to reject a strong narrative just because it can’t afford to pay him what he’s worth.
