Morgan Freeman is a veteran actor known around the world for portraying roles in several iconic movies like The Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Se7en. Being an actor of color, Freeman has often talked about racism in the world.
Wanting people to live in harmony, Freeman once appeared in a 2005 interview and shut down racist comments with just five words. Explaining the unnecessary racist comments, Morgan Freeman truly stood for the people suffering from racism!
When Morgan Freeman Shut Down Racist Remarks
After starring in The Shawshank Redemption and Se7en, Morgan Freeman found worldwide fame and love for his performance. Back in 2005, the actor once sat down for an interview where he talked about his views on politics and the current world.
Sitting for a little chat with the interviewer for CBS, Morgan Freeman talked about racist stereotypes and how he hates the term “Black History Month.” Shutting down racist remarks with merely five words, here’s what Freeman had to say about the division based on skin color.
“You’re going to relegate my history to a month? I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history,”
He further continued,
“Stop talking about it. I’m going to stop calling you a white man. And I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. You wouldn’t say, ‘Well, I know this white guy named Mike Wallace.’ You know what I’m sayin’?”
Starring alongside Tim Robbins in the iconic 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, it seems both the lead actors had a problem with the title of the film. Based on the novel by Stephen King titled Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman felt that the title could have been better for the film!
Morgan Freeman Did Not Like The Title of The Shawshank Redemption!
Tim Robbins had a peculiar theory about the title of the film, while Morgan Freeman straight up disagreed with the executives because of the film’s title. In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Freeman talked about why the title was a problem to him and how it didn’t catch on sooner!
“You can’t walk down the street without somebody telling you it’s their favorite movie. Terrible title. The original title was Stephen King’s book, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Now don’t choose ‘Shawshank Redemption’ when you’ve got ‘Rita Hayworth.”
He further continued,
“They said when I complained – and I did – that it won’t fit on the marquee. I said, ‘So what?’ Just put Rita Hayworth… You’ve got the one-sheet there, it’ll say the rest of it! But they chose not to, and so it took a while to catch on.”
Being a film about deep friendship that lasts, The Shawshank Redemption received a rating of 9.3/10 on IMDB and a record high of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The 1994 film is available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
