Q+A: Morgan Freeman

EW In Last Vegas, you play a man loose in Las Vegas. We’re not used to seeing you behave so ridiculously on screen, Mr. Freeman.

Freeman [Laughs] You know, I was told by the director, Jon Turteltaub, that he was very antsy about me coming on.

EW He told me!

Freeman What, have I got some sort of reputation or something? Whatever it is, it’s unearned.

EW He said he was scared about ”Mr. Gravitas coming to my set.” You must know you’re thought of as such.

Freeman It is strange. It’s a little limiting also. People think of you for a character, they think gravitas. Okay. They did that with Henry Fonda and Spencer Tracy, so okay, I’ll go along with that.

EW I suppose that explains the allure of playing a scene in which you’re passed out on top of Kevin Kline on a slowly rotating bed?

Freeman Ha! Or a scene where I’m drunk on vodka and, what is it, that five-hour energizer stuff? Red Bull! Wow, that was something. I didn’t really drink vodka with Red Bulls to find out what the rush was like. I’m scared of that because, you know, your heart gets going.

EW Jon says no one can imitate a drunk person like you. Apparently you gave Michael Douglas a five-minute toast as if you were drunk at his birthday party. Again, not behavior we picture from Mr. Gravitas.

Freeman [Chuckles] And yet there he is.

EW It drives your director nuts that Last Vegas is being compared to The Hangover.

Freeman It drives me nuts, too. I mean, this movie is not the same thing at all. I think because we are all a bit older and have more of a reputation for, ahem, gravitas that we can’t rise to the level of The Hangover in terms of idiocy that you can get into in Vegas. We’re all well under control. We thought, anyway.