Morgan Freeman challenges vets in 'My Dead Friend Zoe.' Could it be his last film?
Morgan Freeman is 87. You wouldn't know it from his steely performance as a counselor to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in "My Dead Friend Zoe" (in theaters Friday).
Maybe it's the gripping gaze from those chestnut eyes. Or maybe just the voice. That voice, a made-for-narration Mississippi drawl that's as indelible as the arresting baritone of the late James Earl Jones.
Freeman says he has never wanted to do anything but act, a profession that brought him a best supporting actor Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby" in 2005. But although he has a few upcoming projects on the books, even he admits it could be time for a final curtain call as an actor.
"I imagine," he says softly, "I might be at the point where I say, 'OK, y'all, I quit.' "
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That would be understandable, and a shame. In "Zoe," he's mesmerizing whether leading traumatized veterans in discussion or compassionately scolding a secret-carrying vet named Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) to stop skipping sessions.
"When I was a little boy, I was talented like that, in pretending," he says. "So I grew up to be this man who pretends to be something he's not. I don't know how to explain it, really. Maybe it's the same as being a musician or a writer, it's just what you want to do. You grow up with the need to do it."
From TV's 'The Electric Company' to an Oscar, Morgan Freeman's career spans epochs
That's why he has kept at it for so very long. His career got started in the '60s with small, often uncredited appearances in movies. That was followed by a run on the educational children's TV show "The Electric Company" in the '70s, and eventually a string of memorable movies such as "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), "Unforgiven" (1992), "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and "Gone Baby Gone" (2007).
Freeman has not experienced combat, but he knows about serving his country. After high school, he followed his two older brothers and enlisted in the Air Force. Initially, he wanted to fly but wound up as a radar maintenance technician.
"I sat in a T-33 trainer (jet) one day, and I had an epiphany," he says with a chuckle. "I realized, no, this ain't it. For me, there has to be a camera mounted somewhere."
Freeman jumped at "My Dead Friend Zoe." "The movie grabbed me," he says. "To talk about PTSD among women veterans, that was a very interesting concept for me."
For first-time director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, the movie is a labor of love that grew out of a short film on the same topic. "Zoe" is based on the writer and director's own experiences as an Army paratrooper in Iraq, and follows two soldiers from different backgrounds, Merit and Zoe (Natalie Morales), whose friendship turns tragic.
'Zoe' finds Morgan Freeman challenging a war veteran suffering from crippling guilt
As Dr. Cole, Freeman tries to break through to Merit, who harbors crippling guilt over Zoe's death.
While Merit and Zoe are serving in Afghanistan, Merit constantly encourages Zoe to make the most of her life after their deployment ends. Merit wants to go to college, but Zoe − who seems to have little support from friends or relatives − is skeptical and threatens to reenlist. Merit prevails, and after their tour of duty ends, the plot twists.
Merit is haunted − literally. She sees Zoe everywhere while struggling with her own emotions as well as an estranged relationship with her Vietnam War veteran grandfather, Dale (Ed Harris).
Sonequa Martin-Green needed a bit of a pep talk to get in Morgan Freeman's face
Martin-Green says she "always felt called to do things in this industry that matter, so it resonated when Kyle told me he wanted to make this movie not just to honor buddies he lost, but also to tell people that it's OK to go to therapy."
Acting with Freeman did prove a challenge. She jokes: "Kyle came to me often to say, 'I need you to forget right now that that is Morgan Freeman.' Because these were scenes where basically I'm telling him, 'Hey, you need to get up out of my business.' And let me tell you, that's hard to say to the face of Morgan Freeman."
Freeman says he thrives on the intensity of fellow actors, something Martin-Green provided in spades. "There have been quite a few people I have admired, Clint (Eastwood), Jack Nicholson, Denzel (Washington)," he says. "I guess my approach is, never be slipshod or back off, bring your best every time."
Among his many films, Freeman says the ones that stand out "are certainly 'Unforgiven' and 'Glory,' and I was thinking of 'Invictus,' too," he says of the 2009 sports film in which he played Nelson Mandela. "That was one of the most fun jobs I had. Clint directed it, and we flow so well together. That was a keeper."
Freeman pauses and takes a breath. "There are lots of them honestly, but it's hard for this old man to summon them all back up."
On the old man part, you could have fooled us. As for summoning up that resume, even a youngster would have an impossible time memorizing Freeman's epic cinematic roster.