Morgan Freeman (Lioness, Shawshank Redemption, Unforgiven) is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer, and narrator. Morgan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss auditioning as dancer for the World’s Fair, narrowly avoiding becoming the next Captain Kangaroo, and a difficult decision to leave his grandmother’s home in Mississippi to pursue his acting dreams. Morgan and Dax talk about bucking authority, how sailing is a metaphor for hope, and not wanting to be pitied during a terminal illness. Morgan shares the benefits of working with writer-directors, what it was like being asked to be in a film by Clint Eastwood himself, and why struggling to get back up when you fall is the true secret of success.Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What is Morgan Freeman's early life like?
Well, it's the only part of the business that, let's call it an imposition. You have to do it. And it gets old.
Yeah.
So there's many reasons why it can be uncomfortable. One of them is starting to just kind of feel fraudulent because you're repeating yourself so much. I can turn the air on for us.
Oh, shit. We just turned it off.
Oh, you're not turning it off. I'm turning it right back off.
I don't react well to air conditioning. Oh, tell me. Well. It makes you sniffly. It steps up my head. I'm allergic. Specifically, if I get air blowing on me, cool air, and that's it. First of all, my head stops and I sneeze. I do all the things that you do if you're allergic to something. Right. And I know why you're allergic to things. You don't like it. Sure. You don't like it.
Now, you were brought home as a baby to Memphis? From Memphis. Dad was a barber. Well, at the time, they were both nurses' aides. Uh-huh.
Oh, okay. And then your mom was also a teacher at some point? A little later, yeah, she started to teach music because she played the pi-nana.
Ah, the pi-nana.
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Chapter 2: How did Morgan Freeman get into acting?
Well, the editor's going to put you on the mat. That version, Monica, I'm almost mildly sympathetic to. It's more the entitled, well, I have you. We got it. Let's see if you can come up with something on your own I hadn't thought of that's going to be brilliant. That's just more like, I'm just going to use you now into the ground because I can't.
To rewrite my script?
Yeah, that's the version I don't really like.
Two people I really am nervous about trying to work with, and that's people who write and direct. And I just worked with one who writes and directs that I would jump off a cliff for. It's Taylor Sheridan. In Lioness?
Yeah. Yeah.
He's just like, it's yours. If you can think of anything you want to do, give it to me.
I trust you, and I'm open to the Morgan magic if you want to give it to me. I reign the Morgan magic.
That's right. That's his attitude, you know. It's like, right on, brother. Right on. I'm here. Yes. And then I'm up there with these... Ladies. Some badasses. Yeah, such a terrific cast. Michael Kelly. Yeah, Nicole Kidman. I've always been in love with that woman since I first saw her.
Do you remember the role for me? It was Days of Thunder. I was like, okay, I want her as a doctor for the rest of my life. Okay, when you saw Unforgiven, you grew up watching these movies on Saturday. I hope you had that moment where you thought like, oh, goddamn, I got in one of those.
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Chapter 3: What challenges did Morgan Freeman face growing up?
In relationships. But I'm saying married, like you're in it. You're not getting out.
Right.
And I have to imagine that there's a varying degree of odor among all the people.
Yeah.
So some people are with Like odorous vulvas and vaginas and uteruses.
Yeah, yeah. I think the fallopians are odorless. Were you going to go as far as fallopians?
No, everyone knows those don't have a smell.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, I mean, people are obviously either fine with it or they don't smell it or they're just like, fuck it, I don't care. You get used to it. Like, what is it?
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