In an era where authenticity feels increasingly rare, the resonant voice of Morgan Freeman remains one of cinema's most trusted instruments. At 88 years old, the acclaimed actor boasts a career spanning over six decades and more than 100 films, yet he faces a modern threat: artificial intelligence attempting to steal his signature sound.
The Battle Against AI Voice Replication
Hollywood's ongoing reckoning with artificial intelligence has personally impacted Freeman. While the late James Earl Jones consented to AI replicating his Darth Vader voice, Freeman firmly opposes such use of his own vocal identity. He reveals his lawyers are actively pursuing "many" cases of unauthorized voice mimicry.
"I'm a little PO'd, you know," Freeman states via video call from New York. "I'm like any other actor: don't mimic me with falseness. I don't appreciate it and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you're gonna do it without me, you're robbing me."
He's equally sceptical about entirely synthetic performers like Tilly Norwood, regarded as the first "AI actor." Freeman believes audiences will reject non-human performers because "she's not real and that takes the part of a real person."
Crafting an Iconic Voice and Career
Far from being a divine gift, Freeman's legendary baritone resulted from dedicated training with voice instructor Robert Whitman at Los Angeles Community College. "If you're going to speak, speak distinctly, hit your final consonance and do exercises to lower your voice," Freeman recalls learning. This training taught him how to relax his vocal cords to achieve that rich, polished tone audiences recognise worldwide.
His current project, Now You See Me: Now You Don't, marks the third instalment in the magical heist trilogy. Freeman reprises his role as magician Thaddeus Bradley, now evolved into a mentor figure. Interestingly, director Ruben Fleischer brought in real illusionists to teach the cast authentic tricks rather than relying on digital effects.
Freeman's journey to acting prominence began humbly in the Jim Crow south near Greenwood, Mississippi. Saturday matinee cowboy serials ignited his passion, and by age 12, he had won a statewide drama competition. Despite a brief detour into the air force with dreams of becoming a fighter pilot, he experienced an epiphany that flying wasn't his true calling.
Shawshank, God and Meeting Mandela
Freeman's big break came surprisingly late, when he was nearly 50, playing a vicious pimp in Street Smart, which earned him his first Oscar nomination. Two years later, he starred in Driving Miss Daisy and Glory, cementing his status as a formidable talent.
However, it's The Shawshank Redemption that remains his most beloved work, despite initially flopping at the box office. "It's like I was not ever in anything else," he chuckles when asked about its enduring popularity. The film rallied on VHS to become the No 1-ranked movie on IMDb's Top 250 chart.
Freeman theorises about its lasting appeal: "I always say that it's a movie about a love affair between two men, in that they had their ups and downs and ins and outs. And it's something about the fact that they were in prison and experiencing this hope, redemption, resilience."
His portrayal of God in Bruce Almighty and its sequel created an unusual public perception. "I walk into a room and they say: 'God just walked in,'" he notes with amusement. "I vociferously avoid the pressure. It's like, be cool, hold that down, don't try to convince me that that's who I am."
Perhaps his most significant real-life connection came when playing Nelson Mandela in Invictus, which earned him another Oscar nomination. Mandela himself had requested Freeman portray him. The actor spent significant time with the South African leader, literally holding his hand and listening to him to perfect the portrayal.
"He didn't get any different in his persona outside prison from what he had spent the whole 27 years in," Freeman reflects on Mandela's remarkable humility.
No Plans for Retirement
Despite a 2008 car accident that left his left hand paralysed, ending his private piloting days, Freeman shows no interest in retiring. "Sometimes the idea of retirement would float past me," he admits, "but as soon as my agent says there's a job or somebody wants you or they've made an offer, the whole thing just boils back into where it was yesterday."
His appetite for acting remains strong, even if "dimmed a little" by age. At 88, with countless iconic roles behind him and legal battles against AI voice theft ahead, Morgan Freeman continues to command respect as one of cinema's most enduring and authoritative voices.
Now You See Me: Now You Don't releases in UK cinemas on 14 November.
