Morgan Freeman is widely regarded as one of the most respected and accomplished actors in Hollywood history. With critically acclaimed performances in films such as "Glory," "Se7en," "Unforgiven," and Christopher Nolan’s "Dark Knight" trilogy, he has solidified his place among the A-listers. However, what makes his journey even more remarkable is that he didn’t achieve his breakthrough until he was 49 years old with the 1987 film "Street Smart."
Before this pivotal role, Freeman was best known for his work on PBS’ "The Electric Company," a children’s educational program where he starred from 1971 to 1977. Despite this early exposure, he took on various supporting roles throughout the years. One of these roles, in the 1980 film "Brubaker" starring Robert Redford, caught the attention of renowned critic Pauline Kael. In her New Yorker review, she famously asked, "Is Morgan Freeman the greatest American actor?" Her question was largely answered by his performance in "Street Smart" seven years later.
Kael praised Freeman’s portrayal of Leo "Fast Black" Smalls, describing it as a "classic performance." She noted that he transformed a poorly written character into something compelling and memorable. This role earned Freeman his first Oscar nomination, marking a turning point in his career.
Freeman himself considered "Street Smart" his favorite role of all time. His performance as Fast Black was particularly striking due to its unpredictability. The character oscillated between charming and violent, a stark contrast to his previous work, including his time on "The Electric Company." Freeman intentionally sought out this role to avoid being typecast in more familiar or predictable parts.
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Freeman wanted to avoid typecasting
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"Street Smart" follows Christopher Reeve as Jonathan Fisher, an ambitious reporter in New York City. When he writes a profile on a pimp, Fisher is unable to meet his deadline, leading him to fabricate a story. This fabricated piece catapults Fisher into journalistic stardom, but the similarities between the fictional character and the real-life Fast Black create dangerous consequences for Fisher.
In an interview with HitFix, Freeman described Fast Black as his first "real role." He felt that this role pushed him to act outside of his comfort zone. "I went as far away from me as I could get in terms of acting," he explained. "Everything else — you know — you pull something out of you. Not that I wasn’t pulling stuff out of me in terms of my action with the ladies, but to me, it was more alien to who I really am."
Despite his other Oscar-nominated performances in "Driving Miss Daisy," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Million Dollar Baby," and "Invictus," Freeman holds Fast Black in high regard. He made a conscious effort to avoid playing similar characters after "Street Smart."
"I refused [to play more vicious men]," Freeman told The Flashback Files in 2000. "As soon as you come out with something like that you get a lot of offers to play that same role again in other films. I didn’t wanna be… If I’m good at something, I don’t want to do that again, I want to do something else."
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