Djimon Hounsou Confirms What We All Suspected About Morgan Freeman's On-Set Behavior
Longtime Hollywood star Djimon Hounsou has acted alongside some pretty hefty names in the movie industry over the years, including one iconic castmate who changed his outlook completely with his behavior on set — and that's Morgan Freeman.
"Working with [Freeman], nowadays looking back, was absolutely elevating," Hounsou explains in a new interview with GQ for its "Most Iconic Characters" series.
Both Hounsou and Freeman starred in Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama "Amistad," alongside Anthony Hopkins and Matthew McConaughey. Hounsou was just getting started in his acting career when the film came out, and it earned him widespread recognition from critics. He nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for the performance and would later go on to get Oscar nods for his roles in 2004's "In America" and the 2007 hit "Blood Diamond" with Leonardo DiCaprio. Hounsou's other notable credits include "Gladiator," "Constantine," "Guardians of the Galaxy," 'Furious 7," "Captain Marvel," "Shazam!" and most recently "The King's Man" with Ralph Fiennes. When it comes to his acting, Hounsou says he tries to always remember what Morgan Freeman's behavior was like on the set of "Amistad" and ultimately applies it to his current technique and outlook on the craft.
Here's how he describes it.
Freeman taught Djimon Hounsou how to relax
According to Djimon Hounsou, it was just his second or first day of filming for "Amistad" when things started really clicking for him, mentally, following a chat with his legendary co-star.
"My second day of filming, I think it was the first, I was working with Morgan Freeman," the actor explained to GQ. "The scene was very emotional, but I would seem like I had a void in the performance. And so, I asked Morgan Freeman, 'Does it happen sometimes, that you're not feeling it?' He said, 'Yeah, it happens, and that doesn't mean that you're not doing a good job. You just have to trust the moment to let go, and be it.'"
Hounsou, 57, is now preparing to star in the 2022 animated film "Blazing Samurai" and 2023's "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." He spoke to GQ about a number of other iconic roles and people he's worked with — including director Matthew Vaughn and their new movie "The King's Man," in which Hounsou stars as Shola — but nonetheless, his remarks on Freeman particularly stand out, and we can only hope the two actors once again star together in a future film.