A day after his 74th birthday June 1 (which he spent shooting a public-service film for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital) and just before receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award on June 9, the Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman spoke with The Hollywood Reporter after checking his birthday e-mails.
The Hollywood Reporter: Congrats on your AFI honor. Are there any clips from your early work that you're hoping don't get shown at the dinner?
Morgan Freeman: No. It's not that I'm proud of everything I've done; I just don't care. All my work has always been out there.
THR: Speaking of your work, what do you recall most about your early days on the PBS children's show "The Electric Company"?
Freeman: My agents and I agreed that I would do the show for a couple of years, enjoy it and then move on -- but I stayed with it for five years. My best memories are of the first couple of years when we were doing a lot of very creative, free-range stuff.
THR: Was any of it improvised?
Freeman: Attitudes were improvised. We had to stick with the script because it was like we were on a medical show. We really did have an agenda.
THR: Has the current glut of broad, often crude comedies and those with over-the-top action limited your role choices?
Freeman: I have a lot of things to attribute lack of work to -- such as getting older. Older actors, we don't get into those high-action films. Too much stunt work. Bad knees and ankles, fragile bodies. There's sufficient work, however. I don't feel left out.
THR: Have you started filming "The Dark Knight Rises"?
Freeman: We start in about three weeks in the U.K. Then we'll be in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
THR: What is it about your working relationship with Clint Eastwood that has resulted in so much good work ("Unforgiven," "Million Dollar Baby," "Invictus")?
Freeman: I've always been a big fan of his acting and directing. When we got together on "Unforgiven," I found him very easy to work with and listen to. He doesn't direct actors -- he hires them. The process is very different. It's very much a collaborative effort. It's one of the great things about him and why so many actors love him so much.
THR: Did Nelson Mandela give you his impression of "Invictus"?
Freeman: He didn't say it in so many words, but I got the impression he wasn't offended. When we showed him the film, he nodded and smiled a lot. During the scene when he comes out of prison, he leaned over to me and said, "I know that fellow."
THR: You're one of the few African-American actors to have played the president of the United States ("Deep Impact"). Do you think that opened the doors for a candidate like Barack Obama to be elected?
Freeman: I don't think so. The public will accept a lot of things in the movies that they won't accept in real life.
THR: Have you met Obama?
Freeman: I've met him on a number of occasions. He's a very nice guy. He might be just a little bit too regular to be the president of the United States 'cause he's a young guy, he likes to play basketball, and I've noticed that he has a Chicago walk. Watch him when he walks up to the podium. He doesn't walk up one, two, three, stop. He goes one, two and one, two. He's got a little bit of a beat to it.
THR: "The Shawshank Redemption" is one of my favorite movies, but it didn't do well at the box office.
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