Morgan Freeman looks back on his experience on the set of “Escapees”… and it’s far from his favorite!
Few actors can compete with Morgan Freeman. The Hollywood legend has starred (and starred) in many cinematic gems, and one of those most notable films is The Escapees.
It must be admitted, although it was a disappointment at the box office, The escapees is one of the best films ever made… but not for Morgan Freeman ! The Oscar-winning actor despises him for several reasons, as he revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2014.
When he first received the script for Frank Darabont’s (The Walking Dead) adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, he was thrilled to have the chance to play Ellis “Red” Redding. However, his excitement quickly dissipated once he arrived on set due to tensions and creative differences between the actors and director.
“Most of the time, there was tension between the actors and the director. I remember having a bad time with the director, I had a few.”
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These “some bad times” were mainly the result of the insistence of Frank Darabont to reshoot many scenes for no good reason, which annoyed the actor.
“The answer was no. I don’t want to overplay. Playing is not difficult. But having to do something over and over again for no discernible reason tends to be a bit energy debilitating.”
We change the ending
So few films are brilliant from start to finish, The escapees, he is. Yet another reason for the discontent of Morgan Freeman was the end of the cult film. Indeed, in addition to finding the title long and difficult, the actor was also categorical: he did not want to shoot the ending planned by Frank Darabont.
While the latter wanted to end the film like the short story on which it is based, on an ambiguous note, Morgan Freeman (just like the test audience later) wanted a more “definitive” ending.
The original idea of Frank Darabont was to finish the film with Red on the bus, heading to Zihuatanejo in Mexico, but the test screenings proved that Morgan Freeman, revealing that we had to go further. The director ultimately agreed but still insisted that Red play the harmonica, which the actor vehemently refused, according to The Daily News.
Frank thought I should blow the harmonica Andy gave me, and I refused [car cela aurait été] a little absurd, a little cliché, a little unnecessary and exaggerated.
While the ending was appreciated and praised by the audience, Frank Darabonthe did not like the result but had to include it because of the insistence of the production.
Morgan Freeman maybe doesn’t have The escapees in his list of the best films ever made, but he remains grateful to be featured in a film so loved by many people around the world.
Les Évadés can be seen again on VOD on dedicated streaming platforms.