Morgan Freeman chats about getting older and his last Vegas co-stars. He says it is difficult to work with actors who are intensely involved in their characters
You never worked with Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Kevine KlineIJ
No, I had not.
Did you know themIJ
Oh heavens yes, I know them all. I have known Kevin Kline since, well, we were New York actors together.
You have worked on stage togetherIJ
Yeah. So I have known him since about 1980. I have played golf with Michael and done a couple of things with Robert. Not movies. We have done some sort of charity things for the Kennedy family. Things like that. But we never actually worked together.
Is it different to know someone socially than it is to work with themIJ
Hmm. Boy. What a question.
Well, is the relationship different when the camera is rollingIJ
Yeah, when the camera is rolling, you are not you. You are whoever you are supposed to be. And you have whatever relationship you are supposed to have. But off-camera, we are just four guys who have a great appreciation for each others’ work. I can tell you that without hesitation.
And you have all done pretty good stuff.
Pretty good stuff, yeah. So that appreciation, it leaks over into real life. These are all great guys; they are all terrific people to know and work with.
Was it fun on the setIJ
Oh yeah, a lot of laughs. And (director) Jon Turteltaub has a wonderful sense of humour.
Did he have to rein you guys inIJ
No. Nobody ever challenged his position as director. That’s why it was a fun set. You can;t have a fun set if the director is being pushed around. It just doesn’t work. With a serious movie you have to have a fun set, to lighten the mood. There are a few actors who don’t want to lighten up. They want to live in it and stay put. But I am not one of those. (laughs.) It is a little difficult, but not very difficult, to work with actors who are intensely involved in their characters.
How do you talk to those actors when the camera’s not onIJ
You don’t. You don’t. You don’t. They say, ‘Cut,’ and you go where you’re going and they go where they are going, and when they say they are ready for you, you go back and you do your work. You don’t want to interfere with someone’s work process.
Is it strange to play old peopleIJ
Well that’s what we all are (laughs). The youngest one of us is 66.
People don’t think of movie stars as aging in the same way.
No. That’s good.
Audiences don’t seem to mind if an old guy in a movie gets a 25-year-old girlfriend.
(laughs) Now I don’t know about that. That might be a little bit of a problem there. But not much!
Is it satisfying to play your ageIJ
Oh heavens, yeah, it is. I work with everybody. It doesn’t matter who. It just depends on what the part calls for. But sometimes I read a script and I think that the person, the cast members, are a bit older than the ones I see once we get on set.
Not in this caseIJ
We are making a movie, the four of us. And we know what our track record is, for the most part. But nobody hits a home run every time.
Your favourite movies...
I have a lot of them. It starts with Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, Shawshank (Redemption), Million Dollar Baby — anything I did with Clint Eastwood (as director) I thought I nailed.
May be there’s a reason...
I am sure there is, because what’s great about him is how far back he stands from actors.
Will you slow downIJ
Well yeah, I am sure I will, but I will be forced to slow down. I am not going to choose.
What about your voice. Do you work at keeping it so rich, or is it just a giftIJ
No, it’s just there.
Is there one big thing you want to playIJ
There are a lot of big things left that I haven’t played, but I don’t know what they are. And I am not going to go back on stage. Been there, done that.
Why notIJ
I was trying to get into movies.
It’s more rigorous, rightIJ
Yeah, it is much more rigorous. And there’s a sameness to it. You are doing the same thing week in and week out.