At 88 years of age, Morgan Freeman is one of the oldest working actors in Hollywood right now, and now he’s opening up about possible retirement plans. Freeman has been acting in cinema for over six decades and has played everything from detectives and prisoners to magicians and even God. And if there were a Best Narration category at the Oscars, Freeman would definitely have a lifetime monopoly on it. However, in recent years, Freeman has taken a slight step back from the Hollywood spotlight and now appears mostly in smaller or lesser-known projects. His last films were Gunner and My Dear Friend Zoe in 2024, both of which came and went quietly without much buzz.
But now, Freeman is stepping back into the spotlight with the heist thriller Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, where he reprises his role as Thaddeus Bradley. During an interview with The Guardian while promoting the movie, Freeman spoke about everything from his favorite roles to the rise of AI and even Black History Month. It was in that same conversation that he touched on the topic of retirement. He admitted that after working for so many years, the idea of stepping away from acting has crossed his mind a few times.
““Sometimes the idea of retirement would float past me but, as soon as my agent says there’s a job or somebody wants you or they’ve made an offer, the whole thing just boils back into where it was yesterday: how much you’re going to pay, where we’re gonna be?”
However, Freeman made it clear that he isn’t planning to go away anytime soon. He added, “The appetite is still there. I will concede that it’s dimmed a little. But not enough to make a serious difference.” After six decades of doing anything, it’s natural for the excitement to fade slightly. But the fact that Freeman still shows up, memorizes lines, and performs with the same grace and authority as ever says a lot about his dedication.
Morgan Freeman Refuses To Let AI Copy His Iconic Voice
Freeman’s voice is one of a kind. Whenever his name appears on a documentary, it almost guarantees viewers will tune in, no matter what the subject is. He could be reciting a grocery list, and it would still sound like the most important thing in the world. So, when he eventually retires, his voice will definitely be missed. AI now has the ability to replicate how actors sound and speak with eerie accuracy. In fact, the late James Earl Jones allowed his voice to be digitally replicated for future Darth Vader appearances, and just recently, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine signed deals with ElevenLabs to create AI versions of their voices for future use.
However, Freeman isn’t on board with that idea. In the same interview, he took a firm stance against AI being used to replicate his voice. He said, “Don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it.” He then explained that his voice is part of his identity and something he gets paid for, so using AI to copy it without permission is no different from stealing. His voice is constantly being cloned by AI websites, and Freeman revealed that his legal team is already taking action against those cases: “Well, I tell you, my lawyers have been very, very busy.”
Freeman also shared his thoughts on Tilly Norwood, the world’s first entirely virtual AI actor, who was introduced in September. The creator behind the project is reportedly working on 40 more digital actors to build an entirely new genre of AI-driven storytelling. Freeman didn’t sound too thrilled about it. He said there’s already public outrage around Norwood because she’s not real and is taking jobs away from human actors. He also added that he doesn’t see it working out well for movies or television.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is out now in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
- Release Date
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November 12, 2025
- Runtime
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112 minutes
- Director
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Ruben Fleischer
- Writers
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Rhett Reese, Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, Eric Warren Singer, Boaz Yakin, Edward Ricourt
