The Castle Rock Players: Episode 4 - Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is probably one of the greatest actors in modern cinema with memorable roles that never fails to deliver a diverse audience.  His “authoritative” voice, which is recognizable whether he appears on-screen or not, places him in a special select group of actors.  His range of roles is diverse and his performances are always powerful.  The actor came to the arts later in life, not getting his start in performance arts until after age forty.  Despite his late start in acting, Freeman’s work has earned him extraordinary praise and numerous awards.  The Mississippi native has been featured in two Stephen King adaptations.

In 1994, Morgan Freeman was cast to star opposite Tim Robbins in the critically acclaimed King adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption, based on the novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” in Different Seasons (1982).  Freeman portrayed the role of Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding, a prisoner in the legendary Maine correctional facility for the murder of his wife.  The character portrayed by Freeman was altered to match the actor’s physical traits.  In the original story, Redding was a pale-skinned Irish man with bright red hair.  The writers refer to this change in the dialogue when Freeman’s character answers the question of why he is called “Red” by stating: “Maybe because I am Irish.”

Freeman’s work in Shawshank was brilliant and a true homage to King’s ability to create powerful characters that capture the audience.  His portrayal of Redding was recognized by the industry and audience as being the phenomenal work that it was.  For his role in Shawshank, Freeman was nominated for an Academy Award as “Best Actor in a Leading Role;” He lost to Tom Hanks for his role in Forrest Gump. He was also nominated for a Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actor Guild Award, and a Chicago Film Critics Association Award. He won a Chlotrudis Award in the best “Best Actor” category for his work in this film.    

In 2003, Freeman returned to the big screen as a King-adapted character in the feature film Dreamcatcher, based on the novel of the same name released in 2001.  He portrayed the role of Colonel Abraham Curtis, the authoritative commander of the Blue Boy squad that is destined on stopping an alien invasion of earth.  Freeman’s role in this film is described as being “over-the-top” in The Complete Stephen King Universe.  Although critics less accept his performance as his work in Shawshank, his on-screen presence adds to the popularity of this adaptation.  His voice and demeanor makes him a good fit for the character.

The screenplay writers altered the character portrayed by Freeman in Dreamcatcher.  The character in the novel had changed his name to Kurtz in honor of a character in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the basis for the film Apocalypse Now (1979).  The producers decided not to use the “Kurtz” name to cut the connection to the Conrad story and Coppola’s adaptation of it. There were numerous changes from the original story to screen including making Duddits into something that he wasn’t.

Morgan Freeman has a long filmography containing some of the best movies in the past four decades.  Without a doubt, The Shawshank Redemption is one of those films.  Of course, there is no way of knowing whether he will star in another King adaptation in the future. It would be nice if he did.  However, we can thank him for his legendary performance in Shawshank and for bringing great depth to the role of Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding, and his maybe somewhat less memorable performance in Dreamcatcher.  These roles secure Freeman a place in “The Castle Rock Players” roster.