♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."
MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS THE ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR YOU
KNOW FROM SO MANY OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES LIKE "THE
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION," "THE DARK KNIGHT," "MILLION DOLLAR BABY,"
AND MORE.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW,MR. MORGAN FREEMAN.
CD FREE, WHAT A PLEASURE.
YES, SIR.
>> IT'S VERY NICE TO SEE YOU, STEPHEN.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE, I MEAN, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.
>> Stephen: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME-- YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ON IN A
LITTLE BIT.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I SPOKE TO YOU SINCE THE PANDEMIC HIT.
YOU'RE LOOKING HALE.
YOU'RE LOOKING HARDY.
HHOW HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU?
>> IT'S BEEN TERRIFIC.
I HATE TO SAY THAT, BUT IT'S REALLY BEEN TERRIFIC.
MY LADY AND I HAVE BEEN NESTLED DOWN HERE ON THE GULF COAST,
ISOLATED TO THE NINES, AND HAVING A GOOD TIME SOAP THIS
WHOLE THING HAS GONE VERY QUICKLY, AND I HAVE NOT
SUFFERED.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT SURPRISED YOU'RE DOWN ON THE GULF COAST,
BECAUSE I JUST LEARNED THAT I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT A
LOT OF PEOPLE PROBABLY DON'T KNOW, THAT YOU'RE AN AVID
SAILOR.
HERE'S A PICTURE OF YOU AS A YOUNG MORGAN FREEMAN, ABOUT TO
ACCEPT THE TO SEA IN A LEATHER JACKET, WHICH I FIND DARING AT
SEA.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED SAILING?
>> OH, 1967 I WAS WORKING IN STOWE, VERMONT.
AND THE GUY WAS THE HEAD OF STOWE PREP CAME INTO THE HOUSE I
WAS IN ONE MORNING AND SAID, "YOU WANT TO GO SAILING?"
I WAS WITH A COUPLE OF FRIENDS.
AND WE SAID, "SURE."
NEVER SAILED BEFORE, BUT WHAT THE HECK.
AND THAT WAS IT.
HE TOOK US OUT TO THIS LITTLE RESERVOIR, PUT US ON A LITTLE
19-FOOT BOAT, AND SAID, "HAVE YOU EVER SAILED BEFORE?"
"NOPE."
HE SAID, "YOU'LL GET THE HANG OF IT.
ING THIS THE JIG, THIS IS THE MAIN SAIL.
"IT'S EASY, YOU'LL GET IT."
SO WE SPENT THE DAY IN THAT LITTLE RESERVOIR PUSHING THAT
LITTLE BOAT OFF OF SANDBARS AND GETTING THE MAST THING UP AND
UNTANGLED FROM TREES.
BUT I WAS HOOKED, TOTALLY.
>> Stephen: I HAVEN'T DONE A LOT OF SAILING, BUT I'VE DONE--
I'VE DONE SOME VERY BIG SAILS.
I'VE DONE SOME OPEN-OCEAN RACING.
HAVE YOU-- HAVE YOU DONE-- HAVE YOU DONE, LIKE, BIG-OCEAN
SAILING?
>> OH, YEAH.
NOT RACING.
MY RACING WAS ALWAYS AROUND THE BUOYS WE WOULD DO ON THE
WEEKENDS.
YEAH, MY FIRST OCEAN VOYAGE WAS IN MY 30-FOOT SLOOP.
WE SAILED FROM CAPE COD TO NOVA SCOTIA
( WHISTLES ) MY GAFFEIGATING AND ALL THAT, I
THOUGHT I WAS ON THE EAST COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA, BUT I WAS ON THE
WEST COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU-- ANYTHING YOUR LIFE AT SEA TEACH
YOU ABOUT LIVING YOUR LIFE ON LAND?
BECAUSE I CERTAINLY LEARNED TO REALLY APPRECIATE AN ACTUAL
TOILET.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU LEARNED AT SEA THAT YOU WERE
LIKE, "OH, OKAY I'M GOING TO APPRECIATE THE LAND A LITTLE
MORE NOW"?
> NO, AS A MATTER OF FACT I DIDN'T GET TO WHERE I
APPRECIATED LAND MORE, STEPHEN.
I-- BEING AT SEA WAS JUST-- JUST A MAGIC THING FOR ME.
REALLY MAGIC.
AND I HAVE SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE SIGHTS AND
EXPERIENCES AND SOME LONG SAILS THAT WERE GREAT.
>> Stephen: ANY BIG STORMS?
>> I HAD A BIG STORM, IN 1979.
I SAILED MY LITTLE SLOOP, THE 30-FOOTER, TO BERMUDA.
AND SPENT ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW, FOUR WEEKS DOWN THERE, FOUR,
FIVE WEEKS.
>> Stephen: UH-HUH.
>> AND I WAS ON MY WAY BACK TO NEW YORK IN OCTOBER --
>> Stephen: HURRICANE SEASON.
>> AND HIT MY SURVIVAL STORM.
>> Stephen: WOW.
HOW-- HOW LONG DID YOU HAVE TO RIDE IT OUT?
>> NOT VERY LONG.
IT HIT AT 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON ON SATURDAY.
I HAD TO RUN EASTWARD-- IT WAS OUT OF THE WEST.
SO I HAD TO RUN EASTWARD FOR 26 HOURS.
AND THEN IT ABATED.
>> Stephen: WOW!
WOW!
WOW.
I CAN IMAGINE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT, YOU'RE A DIFFERENT MAN.
>> WELL, YOU LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF, I PROMISE YOU.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU HAVE A NEW SHOW NOW, "SOLOS."
IT'S SEVEN EPISODES, EACH STARRING A DIFFERENT ACTOR, THE
CAST INCLUDES YOU ANNE HATHAWAY, HELEN MIRREN, MANY OTHER PEOPLE.
WE HAVE A CLIP RIGHT HERE.
YOU CAN TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS CLIP?
>> I THINK I'VE DECIDED TO DANCE BECAUSE MY MEMORY IS RETURNING,
BUT THIS KID HAS GIVEN ME SOME SORT OF ELECTRONIC JOLT, AND
IT'S BRINGING BACK MEMORIES THAT I HAVE SORT OF ALHIEMERSICALLY
PUT ASIDE.
>> Stephen: JIM.
>> WHOA, WHOA, WHOA.
LOOK AT ME!
LOOK AT ME, MAN!
I CAN AMBLE.
MY MUSCLES REMEMBER.
MY BONES REACQUAINT.
( LAUGHS ) LOOK, SOFT SHOE, TAP, JAZZ,
MACARENA, ELECTRIC SLIDE.
WATCH ME.
OH, YEAH.
WHOOO!
>> Stephen: THE EPISODE TREATS MEMORIES LIKE TREASURED
POSSESSIONS.
DO YOU HAVE A MOST TREASURED MEMORY?
>> I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN CALL IT A "MOST TREASURED."
IT'S THE ONE THAT STICKS WITH ME.
I WAS SIX YEARS-- ON MY SIXTH BIRTHDAY, MY 84th IS COMING
UP IN ABOUT NO TIME.
BUT THIS MOMENT, THIS DAY, THIS MORNING, I REMEMBER IT AS IF IT
WAS A MAGIC TIME.
I WAS WITH MY GRANDMOTHER, AND I WOKE UP, CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE,
AND SHE WAS IN THE YARD DOING SOMETHING WITH A BROOM OR A HOE.
AND I DON'T KNOW, WHATEVER SHE SAID TO ME, MADE ME FEEL LIKE,
YEAH, I'M SPECIAL.
THIS IS MY DAY.
YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: BEFORE WE-- BEFORE WE GO, THERE ARE SO MANY
WONDERFUL MORGAN FREEMAN MOVIES, SO MANY BELOVED FILMS.
WHAT IS MORGAN FREEMAN'S FAVORITE MORGAN FREEMAN FILM?
>> ANYTHING I DID WITH CLINT EASTWOOD.
>> Stephen: "UNFORGIVEN."
>> "UNFORGIVEN.
"MILLION DOLLAR BABY."
AND HE DIRECTED "INVICTUS."
THAT MAY BE MY MOST STAND-UP MOVIE.
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SAID "THE
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION."
AND I WAS TELLING TIM ROBBINS WHEN HE WAS ON THE SHOW, I'VE
NEVER SEEN "THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION."
AND I SAID TO HIM, "I THINK--" I KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT HE SAID.
AND I SAID, "I THINK I SHOULD WATCH "THE SHAWSHANK
REDEMPTION--" I WANT TO WATCH IT WITH YOU AND TIM ROBBINS.
COULD THE THREE OF US WATCH IT TOGETHER, AND THEN WE COULD TALK
ABOUT IT?
>> YOU ARRANGE THAT, I'M IN.
>> Stephen: THAT'S IT!
THAT'S IT!
YOU HEAR THAT, TIM?
MORGAN'S IN.
"SOLOS" PREMIERES FRIDAY ON AMAZON PRIME.
MORGAN FREEMAN, EVERYBODY.
MORGAN THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH COMEDIAN TIG NOTARO.
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