Freeman at the Feast of Love premiere.Photo: Getty Images
In Feast of Love Morgan Freeman plays a professor taking a leave of absence to sort out his “issues.” In his time off he guides younger characters, including one played by Greg Kinnear, through their love lives in a close-knit Portland neighborhood. We caught him on the red carpet before the screening and asked him about his worst date ever — but he seemed more interested in ballroom dancing with New York’s party reporter than answering questions.
Freeman: [Taking New York in his arms, to dance] How do you do?
New York: [Pause, to be dipped by Freeman] Wonderful. Now you always have these wise roles.
Freeman: Yeah, I’m a wise kind of man — look at me.
New York: Now since this is a movie about love relationships — [interrupted by another ballroom dip] — Umm…
Freeman: Sorry. Greg [Kinnear] didn’t do that, did he?
New York: No. So do you have any good bad-date stories?
Freeman: I got a worst-date story. I was asked to entertain a lady for a period of time because we were setting up a surprise for her like 50 miles away form New York City. And the time got away from me because you know I was really, like, stuck on her. So I got her out to the party some hours late. So everybody was angry at me. And I didn’t have a car, and I had to get back to New York on my own.
New York: Where were you?
Freeman: Way out in Long Island somewhere.
New York: How did you get back?
Freeman: I did a lot of walking. And finally — the police were cruising me, and finally they said, “Where are you going?” And I told them what happened, and they said, “Well, you’re going the wrong direction. Don’t you know anybody out here that you can call?” And I said, “Well, I do have a friend who lives in Roosevelt.” They’re like “Oh, my God” — they took me to an all-night diner … So I finally got home at nine o’clock in the morning.
New York: So it took all night.
Freeman: Oh, yeah. All night. … What’s your name?”
New York: Amy Odell — Do you feel like the character [in Feast of Love] was written for you?
Freeman: I don’t like to do characters that people say are written for me because you can’t do that. I mean, if you do the only writing for a character you’ve seen me do, not for me. Where do you live?
New York: Manhattan.
Freeman: Manhattan. Okay. How long have you been in New York?
New York: Four years.
Freeman: From where?
New York: Austin, Texas.
Freeman: University of?
New York: I went to NYU. But I was born in Austin.
Freeman: So how did you get to here?
Publicist: They’re starting the movie!
And scene!
—Amy Odell
