The two actors who taught Morgan Freeman the most: “That was a serious learning curve”
Before Morgan Freeman was the iconic Hollywood star we know him as today, he started his career as a dancer. By the late 1960s, he was a regular on and off Broadway, proving his talents as an actor. Before long, he landed a main role in the children’s television show The Electric Company, establishing himself as a familiar figure on screen.
While it is easy to assume that Freeman was also starring in acclaimed movies during this time, that was not the case. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that Freeman’s hard work paid off, allowing him to earn recognition as a cinematic actor. Appearances in movies like Edward Zwick’s Glory and Bruce Beresford’s Driving Miss Daisy (both 1989) proved to be watershed moments for the actor.
Freeman earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Hoke Colburn, having previously played the same role on stage. He continued to receive roles in prominent films ranging from The Bonfire of the Vanities to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Unforgiven. Of course, Freeman rose to even further acclaim after appearing in The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont, playing the prisoner Red, whom Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne befriends.
The emotional movie is one of Freeman’s best-known roles, and shortly after, he appeared in more popular films like Se7en, Amistad, and Million Dollar Baby. The star has worked alongside many incredible actors and filmmakers, from Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg to Tom Hanks and Angelina Jolie. But who has proved to be the biggest influence on Freeman’s career?
Acting is a tough job, one that some people are naturally better at than others. While you can attend acting classes and learn the tricks of the trade, not everyone has the innate talent and stamina to thrive in such a high-pressure and demanding environment. You might be asked to cry or rage on demand, and as method acting has shown us, sometimes actors have to resort to fully giving themselves over to their character so that they can prosper.
Freeman realised early on in his career that the best lessons you can learn are from those who are doing the same job as you. He told Variety that his first experience of theatre, acting in productions of The N*****lovers, prepped him for the rest of his career. “My very first role Off Broadway, I was with Stacy Keach and Viveca Lindfors, and that was a serious learning curve because I had not worked before with that caliber of actors. The thing I learned about acting was it was a giving process. Nobody teaches you how to act except other actors.”
Like Freeman, Keach appeared in many theatre productions before making his way to the big screen, appearing in movies like Brewster McCloud, Doc, The Duellists, and American History X. While he won awards and earned plenty of strong movie roles, Freeman would soon become considerably more well-known in Hollywood.
The same goes for Lindfors, although her career in Hollywood started many years before Freeman’s, with the Swedish-American actor making her film debut in 1940’s The Crazy Family. She appeared in movies like Adventures of Don Juan and Backfire before later starring in titles like Girlfriends, The Damned and Welcome to L.A. It appeared that Freeman learned vital skills from these actors before going on to dominate the industry with his recognisable deep voice and ability to adapt to any genre.
