Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman (b. June 1st, 1937)

On the Little-Seen Gem Levity
Seeing Morgan Freeman's name among a movie's credits guarantees that there's going to be at least one good performance in the film -- because Freeman is among the most dependable actors in the business, a consummate professional at home in leading roles and character parts alike. An alumnus of TV's The Electric Company, Freeman first came to prominence with critically acclaimed supporting turns in such films as Teachers, Street Smart, Clean and Sober, and Glory. Driving Miss Daisy gave him a juicy lead, and after that 1989 Oscar winner his stock went up dramatically. Since then Freeman has appeared in hits and turkeys alike, but he consistently delivers fine performances and has become a favorite of moviegoers. Unforgiven, Seven, The Shawshank Redemption, Nurse Betty, and The Sum of All Fears are just a few of the exemplary films in which he's been seen over the last several years. Most recently, the actor tackled a particularly demanding role -- God -- in the Jim Carrey comedy Bruce Almighty. But before that came Levity, a 2002 film that had a brief and spotty theatrical release. In it, Freeman plays Miles Evans, an enigmatic soup-kitchen preacher who ministers to Billy Bob Thornton's Manual Jordan, a convicted murderer released from prison 22 years after killing a store clerk is a botched robbery attempt. Barnes & Noble.com recently asked Freeman about his work in this gripping, emotionally charged drama, which also stars Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst.

Barnes & Noble.com: Levity is one of those rare movies that stays off the beaten path. It's certainly not mainstream, but it takes chances, which is more than can be said for many of today's films. How did you come to be part of it?

Morgan Freeman: [Writer-director] Ed Solomon sent me a version of the script a long time ago. He wanted me to be involved right from the beginning, but I didn't entirely like the script. I told him why, and he rewrote it. So, with certain changes incorporated, I agreed to take the part.

B&N.com: What was it about the script that you didn't like?

MF: Well, he had a good concept -- about a man who committed a horrible crime and accepts all the punishment for it -- but he took it to the max. I felt he completely crossed the line [of believability]. And I don't think I was the only one who said that. Anyway, he worked on the script and ultimately made it a much more grounded project. It had always been a fascinating script, but he made it much better. By the time he'd finished it, I would have been comfortable playing any of the male roles.

B&N.com: What is your take on the central character, played by Billy Bob Thornton?

MF: This is a guy who has killed a person, who realized that he has done something terrible, and has taken whatever punishment was given him. And he continues to accept the punishment he gets from people after being released from prison. My character tells him that he's got to play the hand he was dealt, but at some point he's going to know that he has been forgiven.

B&N.com: Your character, Miles, is a pretty enigmatic person. Do you enjoy playing men with mysterious backgrounds?

MF: Oh, sure. I think guys like Miles are important because they keep the audience on their toes. If you spell everything out about a character, you run the risk of audiences losing interest in him. It's usually more effective to suggest something than to show it in detail. You want to let the audience do some of the work, use their imaginations.

B&N.com: Even though Miles doesn't seem to have a clearly defined back-story, he's certainly a vivid character. Did you and Solomon steer him in one direction or another during shooting, or did you stick to the script?

MF: I pretty much stuck to the character the way he was written. Or rewritten, I should say, because I wasn't totally sold on him in Ed's first draft. By the time the final revisions were made and we started shooting, I thought the character was all there, on paper. It wasn't until after we finished shooting that I gave much thought to his "evolution." But then I realized that Miles was a man without a past or a future; he exists only in the present. He's in the story for a specific purpose. The movie isn't about Miles, though; it's about the character played by Billy Bob.

B&N.com: We've all heard and read some pretty wacky stories about Billy Bob. What was he like to work with?

MF: Oh, he's quite a guy, a real free agent. He knows the script, but he's very flexible about his approach to the material. Acting with him is almost like improvisation. I don't mean that he deviates much from the script, but you never know exactly how he's going to come at you. Which is fine, really, because acting is reacting. You adjust to the way other people are playing the scene.

B&N.com: Are you very analytical about your work? Are you the type of actor who'll watch himself on screen and think to himself, Oh God, I wish I'd done that differently?

MF: Yes, absolutely. That's what's wrong with watching what you do, later on, after the fact. You're always second-guessing yourself.

B&N.com: What have you got coming up that we should be on the lookout for? Are you still getting lots of scripts?

MF: Yes indeed, although getting scripts doesn't always translate into getting the job, as you know. And some of the scripts aren't worth doing, or don't appeal to me for one reason or another. But coming out soon I've got a movie called The Big Bounce, which should be fun.

B&N.com: We enjoyed Levity and thought it was a mature, thoughtful movie. Inasmuch as the film didn't get widespread theatrical exposure, are you hoping that it'll find an audience among DVD buyers and renters?

MF: I'm glad you liked it. Yes, sure, I hope it's seen by a lot more people. That's the great thing about DVD; it offers a "second chance" to movies like this one.

August 21, 2003

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