(Credits: Far Out / Warner Bros)
Sun 26 October 2025 12:49, UK
With his distinctive baritone voice that has appeared in numerous film genres, Morgan Freeman has earned a status as one of Hollywood’s finest and most talented actors. Thanks to a background in theatre arts that provided the opportunity to appear in Shakespearean adaptations, Freeman graces the screen with a sense of refined class and mastery every time, alongside some other famous stars such as Brad Pitt and Jim Carrey.
Freeman has always brought a distinctive class to his work. Refined on the boards of theatre productions in New York and Chicago, Freeman’s training as an actor in the buzz of the theatre allowed him to flourish when he managed to get work in the studios of television and film.
From that moment onwards, Freeman has managed to cultivate a career that is rich and textured. For every moment he spent in gritty thrillers such as Se7en he balanced them with a near constant appearance as some deity or other. For an actor as well versed as he is, it feels strange that one day Freeman was, and continues to be, a true fan of cinema. However, he has a list of stars he admires, but one actor who vies for the top spot is fellow Hollywood legend, Jack Nicholson.
Nicholson is up there with Freeman in status, cited as one of the greatest actors ever to appear on the screen. Where Freeman overpowers a scene through his trademark vocal work and solemn persona, Nicholson does the same with his wild, immersing eye contact and eccentric yet controlled energy.
When asked in 1985 about how he views himself as an actor, Nicholson revealed: “As an actor, I want to give in to the collaboration with the director because I don’t want my work to be all the same. The more this can be done with comfort, the more variety my work has had. I think this is inherent to the actors’ craft. It is a chosen theoretical point of departure.” This method came through in The Shining, the acclaimed horror film Nicholson starred in under the direction of Stanley Kubrick, a perfectionist who provided non-stop feedback to Nicholson in between shootings.
Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining'(Credit: Press / Warner Bros)
It is this kind of dedication that would have inspired a young Freeman as he began his own journey to the Hollywood hills. Nicholson was a remarkable talent, but never seemed to be corrupted by the Tinseltown machine. Instead, he would impress upon it his own values of performance, something doubtlessly inspiring to Freeman. One movie would eventually bring the duo together.
The Bucket List was directed by Rob Reiner, known for The Princess Bride and Stand by Me, and featured Freeman and Nicholson as two terminally ill men who carry out a shared bucket list of everything they want to do with the rest of their lives. Despite mixed reviews towards the film’s handling of its subject matter, the two stars gave earnest and brilliant performances, as usual.
“I think we all have a private bucket list. It may not be written down, but I’m constantly checking them off. I just checked off Jack Nicholson,” Freeman shared, speaking about the buddy adventure comedy the two starred in together. “Every day was a holiday because I’ve been praying at the temple of Jack ever since Five Easy Pieces.”
A 1970 drama directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Carole Eastman. In the film, Nicholson plays an oil rig worker named Bobby Dupea, who feels his blue-collar lifestyle fails to show his true talent in piano playing. After learning his father is dying, Dupea returns to his hometown with his girlfriend. The performance was so rich it left Freeman wildly impressed, having him inspired by Nicholson since before his own first screen appearance.
The National Board of Review listed The Bucket List as one of 2007’s top films, but that feels a little rich. However, it is an excellent opportunity to watch two of the best living actors perform side by side. But if nothing else, it gave Freeman the chance to work with the one performer whose talent he had been worshipping for decades.
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