Morgan Freeman’s presence in movies usually attracts audience, but even his charisma and soothing voice could not save his 1998 action thriller film, Hard Rain. Directed by cinematographer-turned-director Mikael Salomon, the movie emerged as the biggest flop of that year.
On a more interesting note, fans who have seen the film were so angry they demanded to change the ending. They did not want the legendary icon’s character to die so the studio decided to do a reshoot.
Morgan Freeman Asked Fans Not To Watch Hard Rain
In an interview with The Guardian, actor Morgan Freeman shared his experience working on Mikael Salomon’s Hard Rain. Starring alongside Christian Slater and Minnie Driver, the actor said fans did not like the film to the point that they were forced to change its ending.
I played a bad guy in a movie, and they showed it to an audience – and we’re letting an audience tell us what to do now – y’know, and the audience said, ‘Well, I don’t want him – Morgan can’t die!’ And I was a thief. ‘He should get some money’. So that’s a dilemma. It’s a real dilemma.
They reshot the final scene so that Freeman’s character would survive and ride off into the sunset. Interestingly, the actor did not advertise the movie out of embarrassment, and he asked fans not to even dare see the film.
We went back into the studio and re-shot it so that I didn’t die, and I did get some money. Did any of you see this movie? Don’t, just don’t. Well anyway, this is the case, you know I’m right.
Hard Rain only grossed over $19 million against a budget of $70 million as per Box Office Mojo. It also received a disappointing 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Freeman remarked in the same interview that he tried not to be pigeonholed in his time in the theater business, but his movie roles have sort of transformed him into someone like Henry Fonda, the actor known for portraying the everyman image.
Hard Rain Unfortunately Wasted Morgan Freeman’s Talent
Mikael Salomon’s Hard Rain was the recipient of harsh reviews. Not only did it earn the title of the biggest flop of 1998, but it also affected his career. After the failure of the said movie, his succeeding projects went straight to home video. He also went to work on television henceforth.
Many fans lamented Morgan Freeman’s involvement in the movie. A user wrote on IMDb how he was “a waste of a great actor” while another claimed he was “out of place as the villainous bank robber” as he often played characters who are good guys.
Overall, the movie did not totally scratch Freeman’s shimmering reputation, although he may have some sort of regret doing it as evident in his statement for the fans not to bother watching it.
Hard Rain is available to stream via Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
