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How ‘Moby Dick’ Inspired Morgan Freeman’s Love of the Sea

Posted on by angelo
How ‘Moby Dick’ Inspired Morgan Freeman’s Love of the Sea

(Credits: Far Out / Nathan Congleton)

Many actors who find themselves in the position of being able to choose their own projects often tend to stage adaptations of their favorite works, but so far Morgan Freeman has resisted the temptation to try his hand at putting his own spin on the Herman Melville film. Moby-Dick.

The classic novel has been the subject of countless stories on radio, film and television for over a century, ranging from simple adaptations of the book to fantastical twists to films based on the events that inspired Melville to write his masterpiece in the first. place in the case of Ron Howard In the Heart of the Sea.

Several big-name comedians took over and played the role of Captain Ahab, with Gregory Peck, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart and William Hurt among them, but at no point did it appear on Freeman’s radar. Based on his lifelong adoration of the timeless tale and its characteristic gravitas, this presents itself as a major missed opportunity.

Then again, perhaps he never wanted to try, given that not only did he Moby-Dick his favorite novel, but the 1956 feature film directed by John Huston and starring Peck is among his favorite films. He also has one of the most soothing and distinctive voices in entertainment, but no one has even joined the dots and offered him the chance to narrate an audiobook.

Another impact Moby-Dick What had an impact on Freeman’s life was that it inspired his love of sailing, a hobby he took up long before he became a professional actor, let alone an Academy Award-winning icon. As he shared on social networks“I started sailing in 1967 because I have always been fascinated by the sea since I first read Moby Dick as a child.”

However, even though he wasn’t very good, he held his own. “Even though I hit trees and sandbars, I was completely hooked,” he said. “That summer I committed to learning to sail and spent the next 50 years doing just that.” When he’s not lending his gentle tone to wizened wiseguys, Freeman can regularly be found on the high seas, with the star having owned several yachts over the years and taken them all over the world.

His appreciation of Huston’s old-fashioned adventure may explain why he was never struck with a desire to star in a new version of such an influential work, which he described as “one of the best film adaptations of ‘a book “. Not only that, but it managed to find that rare balance between doing justice to the novel while also being a superior slice of cinema in its own right.

“That was what cinema was,” he said of the film. “John Huston. Call me Ishmael. I read the book, and there are very few books that I have read and seen the movie, and liked the movie. Without surprise, Moby-Dick » is the first title that comes to mind, even if he didn’t start it himself. Freeman always has the potential to narrate a new adaptation or audiobook, but if he hasn’t done it yet, he may never do it at all.

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