TRANSCRIPT: Morgan Freeman
CHRIS BATH: We're not the only ones who think any film with Morgan Freeman in it is worth seeing. He's one of Hollywood's greatest actors, starring in some of Hollywood's most memorable movies - The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy, Million Dollar Baby, to name a few. And once again, his latest film is getting rave write-ups. Morgan doesn't give many interviews so when he does, you know it's special. Here's Rahni Sadler.
MORGAN FREEMAN: morgan freeman Welcome...to...Sunday Night. (IMITATES DOOR CLOSING)
MOVIE CLIP: Some of you may know who I am. I'm God. I want you to look and I want you to listen. So what you think?
MAN: Mark it. Morgan Freeman take one.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Never did that before.
RAHNI SADLER: We like to be fancy. We're showing off.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Hey.
MOVIE CLIP: So you are really him, aren't you? Do you want more proof? Oh, Miss Daisy.
RAHNI SADLER: Morgan Freeman, thank you very much for joining us.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Thank you very much for letting me.
RAHNI SADLER: Morgan Freeman is 77...
MORGAN FREEMAN: Rahni, Rahni, Bobahni, banana, pana, Focahni.
RAHNI SADLER: ..going on 7.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Fahni, Rahni.
RAHNI SADLER: A great actor with a blinding smile and one almighty voice.
MOVIE CLIP (LEGO MOVIE): It was an honour to be portrayed by the golden-voiced Morgan Freeman. That man could read the phone book and make it sound interesting.
RAHNI SADLER: When did you first realise that your voice had something a little special to it?
MORGAN FREEMAN: It's not me who realises it. It's just my voice.
MOVIE CLIP: 5-5-5 3-4-9-2. Mmm, just listen to that rich molasses.
MORGAN FREEMAN: That whole rich molasses thing - it doesn't sound much like rich molasses to me.
RAHNI SADLER: (LAUGHS) Really? What does it sound like?
MORGAN FREEMAN: My voice. (GROWLS)
RAHNI SADLER: You did acting at school but when you left school, you joined the air force.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Yeah. Because I had decided that was the most exciting thing you could do was fly an aeroplane and kill people. So that's what I wanted to do - be a fighter pilot. Mind you, when I graduated, the high school picture in the album says 'actor'.
MOVIE CLIP: # I am Vincent the Vegetable Vampire # In the night-time when tomatoes start to scream # It's only Vincent the Vegetable Vampire # Creeping in the garden of your dreams. #
RAHNI SADLER: You worked a lot on the stage in the years following. What do you miss about being on stage?
MORGAN FREEMAN: Nothing.
RAHNI SADLER: (LAUGHS) Truly?
MORGAN FREEMAN: Truly.
RAHNI SADLER: You don't miss that whole... You know, actors talk about the rush of the crowd...
MORGAN FREEMAN: No, no, no, no.
RAHNI SADLER: Nothing?
MORGAN FREEMAN: Nothing. I'm a born movie actor, I'm just born to do it.
MOVIE CLIP: I take the bread - the whole loaf, you understand?
RAHNI SADLER: In your first big role, you scored an Oscar nomination.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Mm-hm.
RAHNI SADLER: That's one of your few movies where you play a pretty unlikeable character.
MOVIE CLIP: Are you raising your voice to me now? Just leave me alone. WOMAN: Tell him, girl. I told you to shut up!
RAHNI SADLER: Did you enjoy that experience?
MORGAN FREEMAN: I loved it. I loved it.
RAHNI SADLER: Would you be bad more often if you could?
MORGAN FREEMAN: Of course! Yeah. You know, one of my fantasies somewhere back there was, OK, I would like to be one of 007's super villains.
MOVIE CLIP (SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION): We see by your file you have served 20 years of a life sentence. Yes, sir. Do you feel you have been rehabilitated? Oh, yes, sir. Absolutely, sir. I learnt my lesson. I can honestly say that I'm a changed man. No longer a danger to society. That's God's honest truth.
RAHNI SADLER: Shawshank Redemption, it's a lot of people's favourite film.
MOVIE CLIP (SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION): There must be a con like me in every prison in America. I'm the guy who can get it for you - cigarettes. A bag of reefer, if that's your thing, a bottle of brandy to celebrate your kid's high school graduation. Damn near anything, within reason.
RAHNI SADLER: It wasn't a massive box office hit but it's come to be one of the most-watched films of all time.
MORGAN FREEMANB: You know why?
RAHNI SADLER: Why?
MORGAN FREEMAN: If you are going to have a box office hit, you are going to depend on word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth is what sells anything. People could not say "Shawshank Redemption". They couldn't remember it. It's Sh... ..Shank... Shank... If you're going to tell your friends who saw this great movie and was called the... ..Shanksham, something like that, they forget it. That's what happened. No word-of-mouth.
MOVIE CLIP (SHAWKSANK REDEMEMPTION): I understand you are a man that knows how to get things? Yeah, I'm known to locate certain things from time to time. What do you want? Rita Hayworth. What? Can you get her?
MORGAN FREEMAN: To me, this was... ..the story of a love affair between two men and this friendship thing, it lasted as long as Andy was in prison - that's 20 years. It just gets deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper. Until finally, when Red gets out, and re-contacts with his friend, the audience just, yeah... So a lot of people have said it sort of reinforces their own strength in life. When things go bad, remember, there's nothing in it.
MOVIE CLIP (MANDELA): What does it say? It is he can win an election but can he run a country? Not even one day on the job and they are after you. It is a legitimate question.
RAHNI SADLER: You have gotten to do many extraordinary things in your lifetime but has anything been more of an honour than being asked to play, and becoming friends with, one of the most influential human beings of a lifetime, Nelson Mandela?
MORGAN FREEMAN: No, I don't think so. I don't think anything will ever match that.
MOVIE CLIP (MANDELA): The rainbow nation starts here. Reconciliation starts here. Reconciliation, sir. Yes, reconciliation, Jason. Comrade President, not long ago, these guys tried to kill us. Maybe even these four guys in my office tried and often succeeded. Yes, I know. Forgiveness starts here too.
NELSON MANDELA: When a press conference, he was asked by a reporter, if your book becomes a movie, who would you want to play you? And he... I was chosen. So I met him at his home in Johannesburg and told him I was honoured by the idea of playing him. But in order to do so, I needed to have access to him. Close access. I want to be able to hold your hand. He said, "We can do that." So over the years, we did. Every time we were in proximity, I would get to him and either sit and hold his hand while he talked. Do you know why?
RAHNI SADLER: Why?
MORGAN FREEMAN: To get his energy, his quiet strength.
RAHNI SADLER: You got to make Lucy with Scarlett Johansson. Was it fun to work with her?
MORGAN FREEMAN: Oh, yeah. I don't know if you saw Iron Man 2.
RAHNI SADLER: Mm, yeah. (PURRS) (LAUGHS)
MOVIE CLIP (LUCY): (PHONE RINGS) Yes. Professor Norman, my name is Lucy. I just read all your research on the human brain. It is a little rudimentary but you're on the right track. Thank you.
MORGAN FREEMAN: Scarlett Johansson is forced to be a mule for a new synthetic drug. Starts the brain. So her brain is kicked into high gear. I play a professor of neurology who has studied this brain thing for a long time.
MOVIE CLIP: Imagine if we could access 100%. Interesting things begin to happen. How many fingers am I holding up? Bruce, thou shalt not tempt the Lord. If you can't do it, man, that's cool. 3, 2, 4, 9, 6, 8, 1. OK. How many now? 7. Aha!
RAHNI SADLER: You have explored the issue of God. You've played God twice. Do you believe in God? \
MORGAN FREEMAN: Absolutely. Yeah. You want to know why?
RAHNI SADLER: Yeah.
MORGAN FREEMAN: I am God.
RAHNI SADLER: (LAUGHS) You are, in fact, God? I am, in fact, God.
MOVIE CLIP: People want me to do everything for them and what they don't realise is they have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.
RAHNI SADLER: Thank you very much, Morgan Freeman. You're very welcome. That was very interesting.
MOVIE CLIP:It's good. It's good. BOTH: It's good! 007 integ (ames) Lucy is released around Australia next Thursday. It looks great. And the reason Morgan was wearing one glove - he's nursing a painful hand following an accident. And you can see more of Morgan Freeman on Sunrise this week.
