For the director, see Morgan J. Freeman

Artistry and legacy

Freeman at the 2018 Deauville American Film Festival
Freeman’s deep voice is considered to be distinctive, iconic, and recognizable which frequently makes him a preferable choice for narration in films and documentaries.[240] The journalist Radhika Sanghani writes that his “deeply reassuring voice, with its mellifluous tones and authoritative presence, is why an entire generation still hear his trademark tones when they think of the almighty”.[241] Freeman said that his voice developed in this way while taking speech classes in college; he found that most people speak in a voice either too fast or too high and he developed a commanding voice by speaking in a lower octave and enunciating each word.[242]

According to author Miriam DeCosta-Willis, Freeman is an intuitive actor. He likes to select his roles carefully, and study the character to ensure he portrays them with depth, sensitivity, and substance.[243] Commenting on Freeman’s persona, Beverly Todd, who co-starred with him in Lean on Me (1989) and The Bucket List (2007) said: “The world knows he is such a consummate actor. He’s a very sharing actor and such a nice guy. He’s not the kind of actor who demands that he has all of the scenes and all the dialogues and all the emphasis is on him”.[244] Freeman has said he is interested in playing character roles[15] and values the importance of listening carefully while filming scenes: “The big danger in acting is to wait for your line. That’s what I never do. I always listen, no matter how many times we do it.”[245]