Morgan Freeman’s Advice to Actors

By Webmaster

  • Morgan Freeman’s Advice to Actors

    His advice to all actors remains as simple as it is universal: keep going and don’t quit on your dreams

    (by Carmichael Phillips)


    What’s Morgan Freeman’s advice to aspiring actors?

  • In his own words:


    The only advice I have for any actor is, keep acting. Just keep working. And keep your mind on what you want. It’s bound to happen if you keep working.


    Morgan Freeman is one of the greatest and most prolific actors of his generation. It’s not just his numerous Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations that set him apart. It’s also the sheer volume and variety of work he has amassed over the course of his 50-plus year career.

    Freeman, an American actor from Memphis, Tennessee, began his acting career in the mid-sixties and gained his earliest success in theatre, on the kid’s show, Electric Company, and on the television soap opera, Another World. But his first true breakout role came in 1987, when he was cast as “Fast Black” in the film, Street Smart, starring Christopher Reeve.

  • His fame continued to grow in the 80’s and 90’s, with memorable roles like “Hoke” in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), “Sergeant Major Rawlins” in Glory (1989) and as “Red” in Shawshank Redemption (1994), along with roles in films like Unforgiven (1992), Seven (1995) and Deep Impact (1998). In 2005, Freeman won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as “Eddie ‘Scrap Iron’ Dupris” in Million Dollar Baby.

    More recently, Freeman has appeared in films like The Bucket List (2007), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Lucy (2014) and the Fallen film series: Olympus Has Fallen (2013), London Has Fallen (2016) and Angel Has Fallen (2019).


    Don’t give up. Do not give up! Sometimes things always look darkest just before the dawn.


    With a résumé that most actors would kill for, it’s fascinating that his advice to actors is not to train at any particular school or to learn any particular acting technique or to use some special trick to achieve success. No! It’s simply to never, ever quit or give up.

    It’s the same sage advice that he himself followed, on his way to building his own impressive career.

  • “I said to myself at one point, “Ok. I’m gonna do it or die. That’s it. I’ll starve to death, if necessary, but I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna stick with this job. And that’s my advice. Don’t give up. Do not give up! Sometimes things always look darkest just before the dawn.”


    (Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy)

    Morgan Freeman’s incredible commitment to each role he takes on is only surpassed by his supreme commitment to the craft of acting. Freeman once said that if he never became famous, he would still continue to act in local theatres or wherever he could find work.

    Actor, Anthony Mackie, has credited Freeman for advising him to turn down high-paying roles that did not add to his growth as an actor and, instead, to take roles that help develop his craft. According to Mackie, Freeman’s advice is the best advice he received in the early stages of his career.

    But his advice to all actors remains as simple as it is universal: keep going and don’t quit on your dreams.

    “The advice I have to anybody – ANYBODY – in just about any walk of life that you want to go into, particularly this one, which is really hard to get into: the surest way to fail at it is to quit.”


  • You Might Also Like: 
    Actor Stories: Molly Shannon’s 10-Year-Struggle to Beat the Odds in Hollywood


     

    Recommended Posts

  • Ad

  • What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up on Acting

    What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up on Acting Before you throw in the towel, consider these strategies (By Carmichael Phillips) (Photo: Engin Akyurt | Pexels) Embarking on a career in…

    ACTOR STORY | 4 Auditions. Zero Callbacks!

    ACTOR STORY 4 Auditions. Zero Callbacks! But I’m not complaining! (The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Mart Production | Pexels) I went for two weeks without a single audition. And then, wham! I get a…

    25 Inspirational Quotes by Denzel Washington

    25 Inspirational Quotes by Denzel Washington “If you don’t fail, you’re not even trying.”  ~Denzel Washington (Arranged by Carmichael Phillips) (Denzel Washington in Fences) On failure… “Fail big! Today’s the beginning of the…

    Ryan Gosling Describes the Impossible Gauntlet That Every Actor Must Survive

    Ryan Gosling Describes the Impossible Gauntlet That Every Actor Must Survive ‘The percentage of actors achieving that dream is never.’ ~Ryan Gosling (Arranged by Carmichael Phillips) (Ryan Gosling) Ryan Gosling may be a…

    What Are the Qualities of a Good Actor?

    What Are the Qualities of a Good Actor? What makes one actor better than another actor? (By Javier Guerra) (Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada) What makes one actor better than another…

  • Ad

  • 1001 Reasons Why Acting is So Damn Depressing! | Part 1: Auditions

    1001 Reasons Why Acting is So Damn Depressing! Part 1: Auditions (By AM Staff) (Photo: Gerd Altmann | Pexels) There’s 100 people competing in this job interview known as an audition. 100 FRIGGIN’ PEOPLE!…

    QUESTION: Can I get an agent without a reel?

    QUESTION: Can I get an agent without a reel? (By AM Staff) ANSWER: Yes, it’s possible. But you’d be better off pursuing a reel before pursuing an agent! If you’re a beginning actor,…

    Three Different Scenes for a Self-Tape! 

    Three Different Scenes for a Self-Tape! Is that asking for too much? (By Javier Guerra) (Photo: Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels) An actor friend of mine received a breakdown for an audition recently. The…

  • Ad

  • 8 Subtle Ways to Stand Out in an Audition

    8 Subtle Ways to Stand Out in an Audition You can’t look like you’re trying to stand out, while you’re trying to stand out (By Javier Guerra) (Photo: Shvets Production | Pexels) Standing…

    ACTOR STORY | “It’s About Nothing!” 

    ACTOR STORY “It’s About Nothing!” How Jason Alexander landed the role of George Costanza on ‘Seinfeld’ (By Tonya Tannenbaum) (Jason Alexander) Jason Alexander once had a self-tape that he thought was going to…

    EDITORIAL | Actors Have Far More Power Than They Think 

    EDITORIAL Actors Have Far More Power Than They Think See yourself as a brand, not just as an actor (By AM Staff) (Photo: Juan Mendez | Pexels) One of the reasons actors become…

    The Audition Checklist 

    The Audition Checklist Are you fully prepared for your next audition? (By Jim Webb) (Photo: Pixabay | Pexels) Are you fully prepared for your next audition? Are you sure you haven’t forgotten anything…

    5 Ways Actors Fail 

    5 Ways Actors Fail Avoid these 5 key mistakes (By Kesha Tyler) (Photo: Mike van Schoonderwalt) Do actors fail because a casting director chose a different actor for a major role? Do they…

  • Ad

  • 3 Things I Love About Self-Tapes & Virtual Auditions 

    3 Things I Love About Self-Tapes & Virtual Auditions It’s the new way of doing the old business of auditioning  (By Javier Guerra) (Photo: Anete Lusina | Pexels) So, I used to own…

    5 Great Audition Tips

    5 Great Audition Tips  These 5 are the most consistent, no matter which type of audition you do (By Jim Webb) (Photo: Cottonbro | Pexels) Here are 5 general audition tips to keep…

    ACTING TECHNIQUE | Dreamwork 

    ACTING TECHNIQUE  Dreamwork  Using your dreams to develop your characters  (By Jim Webb) (Photo: Pixabay | Pexels) You already know the importance of getting a good night’s rest. It affects your health. It…

  • Ad

  • ACTING TECHNIQUE | Build Chemistry Through Compliments 

    ACTING TECHNIQUE  Build Chemistry Through Compliments  Compliments work in the real world and in the world of make-believe  (By Carmichael Phillips) (Photo: Leah Kelley | Pexels) RELATED:  What is the Pick-an-Eye Technique? What…

    Auditions vs. Callbacks: What’s the Difference? 

    Auditions vs. Callbacks: What’s the Difference?  (By Jim Webb)  (Photo: Jon Tyson/Unsplash) What’s the difference between an audition vs. a callback? If you’re an experienced actor, you already know the answer. But let’s…

    ACTING TECHNIQUE | Remember Your ABCs

    ACTING TECHNIQUE Remember Your ABCs: Always Be in Character! (By Carmichael Phillips) (Photo: Sigmund | Unsplash) If you’ve ever seen David Mamet’s 1992 film, Glengarry Glen Ross, you’ll recall the famous acronym that…

    How to Act Realistically 

    How to Act Realistically  10 things you can do to not look like you’re acting  (By Tonya Tannenbaum) (Photo: Ron Lach | Pexels) Acting is easy. Acting realistically is also easy. The only…

    What Are the 5 W’s of Acting?

    What Are the 5 W’s of Acting?  Defining your character’s given circumstances  (By Jim Webb) (Photo: Cottonbro | Pexels) Who are you? What do you want in life and why do you want…

  • Ad