Although he does not regard himself as a goodwill ambassador, Hollywood star and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman plans to “tell his stories” in the Middle East in an attempt to bridge some cultural gaps. “There are great stories (to be) told outside Hollywood,” Freeman told Arab News.
According to the actor and director, his production company, along with many other filmmakers in Hollywood, is looking at the Middle East for co-productions, film sources and locations. “With the war going on over here (the Middle East), there are lots of stories: Family stories and war stories… The potential is great,” he said. Dubai, for Freeman, is a good choice — bearing in mind that he is friends with Sheikh Muhammad whom Freeman regards as “a visionary” and someone who “sees the future.” Freeman visited Dubai last year and Cairo this year for their international film festivals. His first exposure to Arabic — and specifically Egyptian — cinema production was through Adel Imam’s tour-de-force black comedy “Al Irhab wal Kabab” (Terrorism and Kebab) which is about a man framed as a terrorist by a stroke of bad luck. With a wide grin and a hint of excitement on his face, Freeman recounted his favorite parts of what he called “a very clever” movie.
Taking Arab News through a bumpy — but nonetheless enlightening — ride through Hollywood, Freeman spoke of his own career and mentors with Clint Eastwood at the top of the list along with other idols such as Gary Cooper and Sydney Poitier. Before being an actor, Freeman was a US Air Force mechanic who dreamed of flying and acting. In his high school graduation yearbook, his nickname was “the actor.” He left the Air Force more than 50 years ago and aimed for Broadway. “It was one of the turning points in my life,” Freeman reminisced. The actor, who believes that to “succeed in any endeavor, (you have to) pour in and do it,” did just that, took the decision and set out to do it, embracing the philosophy that no one starts at the top.
Recounting his own path to success, Freeman said that any path must be marked by perseverance. “You are going to have a lot of setbacks. Even when you think you are there, there are places where you stumble… One person said to me ‘My son wants to be an actor but I told him to get an education so he would have something to fall back on’… Well, if you have something to fall back on, that is where you are going to wind up.”
Dedicated to his career with nothing to fall back on, Freeman moved from one success to the other, starring in remarkable movies such as “The Unforgiven,” “Seven” and “Dreamcatcher” One of his new projects is a historical movie about a World War II tank battalion. This untitled “dream project” for Freeman, is not about politics. Being the director of this movie, he explains that “War is war. If you fight behind a wall and somebody is shooting at you, you are not thinking politics, you are thinking survival.”
Being a producer is not a smooth ride either, as Freeman explained. High-profile studios such as Warner Brothers, according to the actor, turn down human interest stories (even if they are low-budget) “all the time.” The actor cited the examples of such movies as “Million Dollar Baby” and “Mystic River” which were rejected by Warner Brothers and then went on to win academy awards.
Stopping to talk about “Million Dollar Baby” and his experience with Clint Eastwood, Freeman told Arab News how much he enjoyed working with Eastwood. “An outstanding actor and a superb director,” Freeman described him. “I have always said that Clint does not direct actors; he directs the movie,” said Freeman. “I think he leaves it up to the actors to act. A lot of directors who never acted are looking for something that they can’t identify, especially if they are both writers and directors because they think if they wrote the script they know all the characters. If you hire someone else to act it, you have got to let it go.”
Nevertheless, not every good script he has worked on has turned into a great movie. The idea of having expectations about a good script and seeing it turn out differently on the big screen is not alien to him. “It happened to me a couple of times, primarily from my point of view, because the writer was directing. You can’t control character from the writer’s standpoint in the movies; very few people have that talent. The best would be if you wrote it, banned yourself as a writer and if you are going to direct it, just watch.”
The lover of acting, directing and producing spends half his time coming up with a nice script, a good story and the other half bringing to life unforgettable characters and scenes. Through cinema, he has enchanted many of his fans and has certainly created a legacy. Yet, the actor — old in years but young at heart — wants to accomplish more than just a legend through the magic of the silver screen. “I think that the more we exchange things in the movie industry, the better we all are going to be.” For the veteran actor, cinema is more than a career; even as a child it taught him and gave him many ideas, “When I was growing up, I learned most of what I know from the movies, right or wrong.” Cinema has a powerful presence, the actor said and it can change people’s lives if they will only listen closely to each other’s stories.
