Morgan Freeman brings levity to DOLPHIN TALE
Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) stars in DOLPHIN TALE, the true-to-life story of Winter, a disabled fish given a second chance to thrive following a life-threatening injury. Rated PG-13, DOLPHIN TALE has an inspiring payoff for audiences if you just hang in there. The story starts slowly but moves into a more captivating gear as the fight to save the dolphin intensifies.
The most rewarding aspect is the illumination of the plight of disabled persons --be it from emotional or physical trauma-- that provides an appreciation of overcoming adversity in spite of major challenges. Families from all backgrounds will find it a praiseworthy.
Synopsis:
Uninhibited in the deep wide sea, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where her fight for survival begins. Named Winter, the highly sensitive and affable dolphin wins the hearts of those treating her and changes lives of others in the process.
Winter’s future is uncertain. To restore her to an improved state, it will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle—a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help thousands of people around the world.
The real Winter, who plays herself in the film, today serves as a symbol of courage and hope to millions of people—especially those facing their own physical challenges—who have been touched by her remarkable story of recovery and rehabilitation.
Freeman, as Dr. Cameron McCarthy, a prosthetics specialist, plays the pivotal character with an entertaining degree of levity. A rare nuance given his acclaim for numerous stoic and dignified film roles (Invictus, Shawshank Redemption, Amistad), the Mississippi resident had this to say about DOLPHIN TALE --
A DIFFERENT MORGAN FREEMAN: We get to see you in a different light in DOLPHIN TALE; how would you describe your character?
Freeman: Yeah, he’s dedicated, irascible. I think people who are dedicated are somewhat attentive. They get that way because they just shut everything else out. The actual doctor I portrayed is an amputee. So, I think that’s what got him—I can play one, but it just doesn’t work with the character. My character is eccentric with uncombed hair, he’s unshaved, so he just doesn’t get involved in himself [laughter]. He wakes up in the middle of the night with an idea and he goes to work—he may work all night trying to create something, you know.
THE LOOK: Speaking of your character’s look was that all “your hair” or did you have some added?
Freeman: That is all me.
WHY DOLPHIN TALE: You’ve had an illustrious film career. What motivated you to say “yes” to DOLPHIN TALE?
Freeman: In this particular case, I was motivated by the opportunity to work with Ashley Judd again. (Freeman and Judd costarred in Kiss the Girls and High Crimes)
Freeman in scene from NURSE BETTY
WHY MISSISSIPPI: The majority of top stars such as yourself make their home in Los Angeles or New York; you live in a small town in Mississippi.
Freeman: I live in Charleston, Mississippi and I grew up in Greenwood. It occurred to me after I’d been gone for, I don't know, 20 years or so, when I’d go back to visit my parents, there was this feeling of (he sighs, pauses…the word nostalgia enters my mind). I was really “home” when I went back to Mississippi. Whatever I was thinking, when I left [over the years], I learned that it really wasn’t such a bad place. So, I was happy enough to go back to Mississippi and I'm happy to be there. You get more for your money in house, land, etc., unlike Los Angeles where you spend $4 or $5 million to buy a house right next door to someone else.
FUTURE: Next summer, Freeman stars in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises," reprising his role from the blockbusters "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight." His upcoming films also include Rob Reiner's "Summer at Dog Dave's."
More on Morgan Freeman:
He won an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby," for which he also won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® and received a Golden Globe nomination. In 2009, he reunited with Eastwood to star in the director's true-life drama "Invictus," on which Freeman also served as an executive producer under his Revelations Entertainment banner. For his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the film, Freeman garnered Oscar®, Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor.
Freeman in scene from AMISTAD
Freeman has been honored with three additional Oscar® nominations, the first for his chilling performance in the 1987 drama "Street Smart," which also brought him Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics, and National Society of Film Critics Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He earned his second Oscar® nomination and won Golden Globe and National Board of Review Awards for Best Actor for the 1989 film "Driving Miss Daisy," in which he recreated his award-winning off-Broadway role. He gained his third Oscar® nod, as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award® nominations, for his performance in Frank Darabont's 1994 drama "The Shawshank Redemption." Among his many other accolades, Freeman was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2008.
