“If you disappoint them too many times”: Morgan Freeman Felt He Made a Mistake Making a Movie That Won 4 Oscars
The depth and authenticity that Morgan Freeman brings to his characters have been praised throughout his illustrious career. Undoubtedly, this is one of the reasons he has gained a ton of respect from the public.
Despite his stardom, there is still a lot about the actor you might not know. Although Freeman has had a long acting career—more than 50 years—it took him years of toil in the entertainment business to achieve this kind of renown.
In some of the greatest films ever made, including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Unforgiven, The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Amistad, Million Dollar Baby, and The Dark Knight Trilogy, Freeman has left a lasting impact with his role. But he once acknowledged that there was one movie that he later referred to as his “big mistake”.
Morgan Freeman
Notably, this film has won four Academy Awards, which is remarkable.
Morgan Freeman Thinks This 1989 Film Was A ‘Big Mistake’
Although Morgan Freeman started acting in films in the 1960s, it was not until the 1980s that he secured two significant roles that catapulted him to immense stardom. One was the three-Oscar-winning historical war drama Glory, which also starred Denzel Washington. The second was Driving Miss Daisy, which took home four Oscars overall. Although the 1989 Bruce Beresford film received nine Academy Award nominations, Freeman described it as a “big mistake” in a 2000 speech at a BFI event (via The Guardian).
“I think the big mistake was Driving Miss Daisy, actually. The character caught on – this wise, old, dignified, black man that once people get an iconic…some characters become sort of bracketed, identifiable – you and him. People come up 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…”
Morgan Freeman
Driving Miss Daisy was immediately hailed as a critical and financial success after receiving nine nominations and four awards at the 62nd Academy Awards.
And when asked which movie he was “most proud” to have been cast in, Freeman revealed:
“I think so, well for me, Glory is a film that I am absolutely most proud of as a work. It did everything I think a movie can do: it entertains; it instructs; it says something about the human spirit and vision; it covers a wide spectrum of positive things that we have the opportunity or the mandate to do as people who can influence large numbers of people who are thinking.”
Morgan Freeman Refused to Discuss One of His Best Films
Morgan Freeman wears a compression glove to assuage his fibromyalgia-related pain
As one of the greatest actors to ever grace the big screen, Morgan Freeman has had a distinguished career, appearing in some of the greatest films of all time. Fans might be surprised to learn that the actor would rather not discuss one of his most beloved films, The Shawshank Redemption, despite all the praise he has received.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor acknowledged that he didn’t have fond memories of his time spent working on The Shawshank Redemption. He explained:
“That was a strange production. There were moments of extreme tension on the set. Between the producers and actors, between the director and actors, between everybody. Just this personality stuff between different groups. Very strange. Let’s stop talking about that one.”
Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption was released in 1994 and received seven Academy Award nominations.
Morgan Freeman
Freeman’s next project is the science fiction thriller 57 Seconds, which will be released in theaters and on digital platforms on September 29, 2023.
Meanwhile, you can rent The Shawshank Redemption on Apple TV, and Driving Miss Daisy is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
