Morgan Freeman's Five Favorite Films (original) (raw)
Morgan Freeman's Five Favorite Films
The screen legend and star of A Good Person talks about playing "good guys," his affection for Clint Eastwood and Gary Cooper, and the one toy he always wanted but never got.
TAGGED AS: interviews, movies
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
By his own admission, Morgan Freeman tends to play a certain sort of character.
“For the most part, I’ve played good guys, wise, s–t like that,” Freeman tells Rotten Tomatoes, although he’s quick to note that he “doesn’t have a thing about playing a bad guy.”
You’d think his latest role, as one of the leads of Zach Braff’s recently released dramedy, would naturally be one of those “good guy” roles. The film is called A Good Person, after all. But Daniel, Freeman’s character in the film, is a little bit more complicated than that. He’s wise, sure, but it’s the sort of imperfect wisdom that comes with experience. Daniel is a recovered alcoholic who is forced to reconcile with his past when he runs into Allison (Florence Pugh), his one-time future daughter-in-law who accidentally killed his daughter and son-in-law in a car crash, at an AA meeting. She’s struggling with guilt and opioid addiction, and although Daniel’s struggling himself — especially when it comes to raising his now-orphaned teenage granddaughter — he can’t help but reach out to Allison in her time of need.
A Good Person, now in theaters, feels like a spiritual sequel to Braff’s breakout film Garden State. The film contains multitudes, as does Freeman’s selection of his Five Favorite Films, which he shared with Rotten Tomatoes.
James Grebey for Rotten Tomatoes: A Good Person is both a serious addiction melodrama and also a quirky comedy. How do you, as an actor, manage to cover both tones and make them feel of a piece with each other in your performance?
Morgan Freeman: There’s no trick to it. If it’s there on the script, you just do it. You don’t embellish. I try not to ever embellish, just do what I see and what I imagine I’m seeing, in a way. I don’t play the comedy scenes differently, because to me, it’s all serious. It may be a funny situation, but then that stands on its own. I don’t have to do anything special.
(Photo by Jeong Park/©MGM)
RT: What was it like working opposite Florence Pugh? I thought the two of you were a great acting match on the screen.
Freeman: Any time you work with somebody who gives you that much feedback, it’s just a fun job. We go at it wholeheartedly.
RT: In the movie, Daniel has an elaborate model train set in his basement. Do you personally have any fondness for model trains?
Gordon: The only toy I ever really wanted but never got was a toy train set.
A Good Person is currently in theaters and available to rent on VOD.
Thumbnail images by: ©20th Century Fox Film Corp., ©Warner Bros, Everett Collection