Morgan Freeman is one of the many A-Listers who creator Taylor Sheridan has brought into his Paramount projects lately, and while Sheridan is certainly beside himself over the privilege of working with the Oscar winner, Freeman says the pleasure is all his.
Freeman is currently filming Lioness, which also stars Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana. The series is about a Marine who is recruited by the CIA to bring down a terrorist organization from the inside.
Freeman is playing United States Secretary of State Edwin Mullins. It is unclear how many episodes he will appear in.
While talking to Parade about his upcoming release, A Good Person, Freeman shared a bit about Sheridan’s recruitment process and his deep love of all things Yellowstone.
Morgan Freeman Accepted His ‘Lioness’ Role Without Ever Reading a Script
Sheridan famously finds actors before penning his scripts, which is a bit unorthodox in Hollywood. The famed creator prefers to lock in his stars and write the role for them. Of course, when he was courting Morgan Freeman for Lioness, he followed suit.
“We just had a Zoom interview, and he told me what he was doing and why he wanted me involved,” the actor shared. “Just, ‘I wanted Morgan Freeman to be the one that was chastising’—think it was chastising—’the whole program of the Lioness.’”
Other major stars such as Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, who both play in 1923, have shared that Sheridan took the same approach with them. And even the most acclaimed actors don’t seem to balk because they have faith in Sheridan’s abilities.
The Oscar-Winning Actor Binge-Watched the Dutton Dramas
As it stands, Taylor Sheridan has 10 past, present, or upcoming series with Paramount, and all of them have been extremely successful, especially the Yellowstone franchise, which has so far included the flagship series and spinoffs 1883 and 1923.
While Lioness will not be a part of Yellowstone, Morgan Freeman admitted that his love of the franchise helped him understand that it’s a good idea to take a chance on Sheridan. He, like millions of others, binge-watched the series. And he was overwhelmingly impressed by his storytelling.
When Parade asked Freeman if he’d seen the Dutton series or Sheridan’s other current hit, Mayors of Kingstown, he admitted that he couldn’t turn off three of the shows. And he is gearing up to watch the last when he has spare time.
“He’s an excellent writer,” Freeman noted. ” I went through Yellowstone bingeing, and then 1883, and then 1923. I haven’t seen the other one yet. Been away.”