The Oscar-winning icon who propositioned Morgan Freeman: “He just shook his head”
The romantic liaisons between Hollywood stars are always fodder for greedy tabloid gossip, but not all of these starry encounters become widely publicised. Such was the case when one actor known for her prolific romantic life and string of Oscar nominations tried her luck with Morgan Freeman.
Known for having a demeanour so reassuring that he’s the go-to actor for playing God and idealised versions of the American president, Freeman is one of Hollywood’s great actors. He’s been nominated for six Academy Awards and won for his role in Million Dollar Baby, and starred in over 150 screen productions even while working steadily in the theatre.
For an actor with such a high profile, Freeman has kept his private life largely out of the tabloids, but his encounter with Shirley MacLaine would certainly have made headlines if it had come to light at the time it happened. Writing in her recent memoir, The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime, the Terms of Endearment actor revealed that when she met Freeman, she made an unsuccessful pass at him. “I propositioned him, and he turned me down,” she said.
When asked to provide more detail on the encounter, she remained vague. “Oh, I really liked him right away. I thought his acting was brilliant. I barely said anything, and he just shook his head. Isn’t that interesting?”
MacLaine has been a fixture in Hollywood even longer than Freeman. As one of the few bridges between Old and New Hollywood, her career spans nearly 70 years. Her first role was in the Alfred Hitchcock comedy The Trouble with Harry in 1955, and she went on to star in other popular films of the era, including Billy Wilder’s The Apartment in 1960 and 1963’s The Children’s Hour opposite Audrey Hepburn. As the Golden Age of Hollywood gave way to a brash generation of cinematic troublemakers in the late ‘60s, she made the transition with the Clint Eastwood hit, 1970’s Two Mules for Sister Sara.
Following a hiatus from appearing in movies, MacLaine returned with a vengeance in the late ‘70s and ‘80s with hits like the Peter Sellers comedy Being There, the box office smash Terms of Endearment, and the southern tearjerker Steel Magnolias. More recently, she guest starred in the hit television series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.
Throughout her career, MacLaine has earned no fewer than six Oscar nominations, starting in 1959, and won for Terms of Endearment. Now in her 90s, she is still working, with her most recent film being 2022’s American Dreamer, in which she stars opposite Peter Dinklage.
MacLaine’s time in Hollywood has also involved several high-profile romances (though not anywhere close to the eye-watering number of her brother, Warren Beatty), including with Danny Kaye and Robert Mitchum. She has also had several widely publicised romances with international politicians, including Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Australian Foreign Minister Andrew Peacock, and British statesman Lord Mountbatten. It’s unclear at what point in their careers she propositioned Morgan Freeman, but she probably took it in her stride.
