Morgan Freeman isn’t the retiring sort — at least when it comes to his acting career.
Slowing down may be the norm for other older actors, whether by choice or from lack of good roles. That’s not the pace Freeman prefers — he has more than a dozen film and TV credits in the last two years — and he fully intends to keep at it for as long as he can.
“You don’t decide if you’re going to take some time off or rest,” said the 79-year-old Oscar winner. “But for those of us who are able to work, you’ve got to make hay while the sun is shining.”
His latest film, “Going in Style,” which opened April 7, follows a trio of older friends who get cheated out of their pension plans. Desperate to pay bills and support family, they stage a heist on the very bank that stole their money.
Freeman stars alongside fellow acting titans Michael Caine, 84, and Alan Arkin, 83. (Among them, they have four Academy Award wins and 11 more nominations.) Two-time Oscar nominee Ann-Margret, 75, leads the supporting cast, which includes Keenan Thompson, John Ortiz, Christopher Lloyd and Joey King.
Directed by funnyman Zach Braff from a script written by “Hidden Figures'” director Theodore Melfi, the film is a remake of the 1979 comedy directed by Martin Brest starring George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. But this version isn’t played just for laughs, according to Caine.
“We’re very different than the original because we’re much deeper about why they rob the bank,” Caine said by phone. “It’s a comedy with tremendous social depth. ”
“Going in Style” is the sixth film that Freeman and Caine have made together — most notably the “Dark Knight” trilogy.
The two are used to people being surprised that older actors can carry a film — especially a comedy. Caine credits the success of 2012’s “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” which starred Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, for their film getting made.
“That grabbed the attention of Hollywood because they found that older people were fed up with watching television and going out more and more,” he said. “And speaking personally, I don’t want to go see rockets blowing up the moon. I want to see movies about people.”
Braff thought about that when he directed “Going in Style” — he wanted to make something his 82-year-old father would want to see.
“I realized that there is this enormous audience of seniors and baby boomers that love going to the movies, and there isn’t a whole lot of content for them that’s put out throughout the year,” he said.
