Morgan Freeman Styled His Voice After Clint Eastwood in One Movie Despite Having the Vocal Chords of God Himself
Morgan Freeman was inspired by the Clint Eastwood voice that he did for movies that was very raspy
Morgan Freeman is a veteran actor known for starring in iconic films such as Se7en, The Shawshank Redemption, and, Bruce Almighty. Often being a narrator in several of his movies and documentaries, there is one director whom Freeman tried to copy once.
Talking about notable director Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman revealed that in their 2004 film, Million Dollar Baby, Freeman tried to copy Eastwood’s voice for the bits of narration in the movie.
A still of Clint Eastwood from Million Dollar Baby (2004)
When Morgan Freeman Tried To Copy Clint Eastwood’s Voice
Having the voice of a God (in Bruce Almighty), Morgan Freeman already possesses an incredibly perfect voice for narration. Starring and narrating in iconic movies, the actor has had an extensive career over the years.
Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman on the sets of Million Dollar Baby
Being a dear friend and a great fan of veteran director Clint Eastwood, Freeman and Eastwood have worked together in great many movies. Back in 2004, the director and actor worked in Million Dollar Baby. In an interview with NPR, the actor revealed that he tried to style his voice more like Clint Eastwood for the narration in the film.
“When we went into a makeshift studio and I had the script and we just laid it down, sort of like a timing track. And I always watch Clint get this voice that he uses in the movies. So, I decided on this with I’m going to do the same thing. I’m going to get a Clint Eastwood voice. So, I did it. I just made it about as raspy as I could finally get it. And that was the – I like the quality of that voice.”
Clint Eastwood further replied that Morgan Freeman already has a pretty great voice but he really liked the raspy nature of Freeman’s narration for Million Dollar Baby.
“I think he’s got a wonderful sound anyway. No matter what picture he’s in, he always has this wonderful speaking voice. But he’s also playing Scrap-Iron, a guy who’s been beaten around pretty much, as has Frankie, the character I played. So, they’re both old gummers, so to speak.”
Being a fan of Eastwood’s work, Morgan Freeman once described what it was like working with Eastwood and how for Freeman, the environment felt like heaven.
Morgan Freeman Felt Like Heaven With Clint Eastwood
Morgan Freeman with Clint Eastwood in a still from Unforgiven (1992)
Working in Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, Morgan Freeman talked about Eastwood’s unique working style. Stating that the director doesn’t yell “cut” or anything, Freeman felt that it was heaven for him.
“Hard to explain because you’re not directed by Clint Eastwood. If you’re lucky enough to get a job with him, you’re allowed to work. He didn’t hire you to say, okay, now this is what I want you to do. He hires you and you’ve read the script and if you think you can do it, and then you’re left alone to do it. For me that’s very close to heaven as you can get.”
Having the time of their lives while working together, the bond between Eastwood and Freeman grew quite great. The iconic 2004 movie is a proven statement for the world as the movie received a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDB and a whopping 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Million Dollar Baby is available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
