Patrick Stoner: I heard that you don't like to see yourself on screen. How far does that go? You don't see dailies? You don't see the final cut? What?
Morgan Freeman: If I didn't go to see the final cut, the director would say, "What's the matter, you're not proud of what we did?" So, I HAVE to see the final cut, but I don't like to, and -- no -- I won't go to the dailies or watch the videotapes. I don't want to see myself.
Stoner: Why is that?
Freeman: Well, you have to understand how I go about acting and exactly what acting is. If you're playing somebody who is not you, then you can imagine that you are that person. You can feel like he feels, move like he moves, look like he looks -- in your own mind.
Stoner: Be in the moment ...
Freeman: Be in the moment, right. But, if you catch even a glimpse of yourself doing the role, then all you see is YOU -- not him -- and then you're just yourself. So, I avoid seeing myself while I'm working on role so I won't see "me."
Stoner: It seems like you are reducing what you do in your roles to the minimum.
Freeman: As you grow in this business, you learn how to do more with less. Now, you can do so little that you're doing nothing ...
Stoner: ... probably not a good idea.
Freeman: [laughs] No, probably not. Still, it can be more effective to accomplish what you need to accomplish with the minimum effort. Watch Anthony Hopkins. He doesn't appear to be doing anything. He is so still that you can't see him working, but you are drawn into his character through his very stillness. You look at those eyes and the whole character comes through -- what he's feeling, thinking. . . everything. That's what I want to do -- just BE, and let the audience come to me and believe in the character. First, of course, I have to believe in him. Then, the audience can join me, if I do it right.
Return to KISS THE GIRLS review.
