Last month, we reported that Clint Eastwood, 94, would be presented with the inaugural Cultural Leadership Award by his good friend Morgan Freeman, 87, as part of the 67th annual Monterey Jazz Festival.
Now, Freeman is opening up about the reunion with his old friend, and the joy of being at the festival.
Morgan Freeman And Clint Eastwood Reunite
Freeman took to Instagram to post a photo of himself and Eastwood at the festival, saying, “Clint is a true musician: pianist, composer and a jazz aficionado!”
Freeman added, “We had a wonderful time listening to the incredible music of Kyle Eastwood and Mavis Staples!”
But the real fireworks came when Freeman was given the honor of presenting Eastwood with the Cultural Leadership Award.
Check out Freeman’s speech in the video below.
Eastwood sits on the Monterey Jazz Festival’s board of directors, according to its website. His son Kyle, 56, took the stage at the festival to perform his Eastwood Symphonic. This project features a jazz quintet performing with an orchestra ensemble that played music from some of his father’s most famous movies. These films include Gran Torino, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers and Bridges of Madison County.
And these guys aren’t just goofing around on instruments in their free time. They’re the real deal!
Take a look:
Backstory: Clint Eastwood, 94, To Be Given Leadership Award By Morgan Freeman, 87
Eastwood And Freeman’s History
Eastwood and Freeman have been friends and collaborators for decades. Indeed, Eastwood has cast Freeman in many of his movies, beginning with 1992’s Unforgiven, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. Twelve years later, Freeman won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Eastwood’s 2004 drama Million Dollar Baby. This movie also took home the Best Picture Oscar.
Freeman had previously gushed over Eastwood’s skills as a director.
“I think Clint is an actor’s director,” Freeman once told RTE. “He doesn’t direct actors…he directs movies. He hires actors, and it’s your job. And I love that about him that you establish your own character; you play it and do what the scene calls for. [He’ll] have the scene set up.”
“Cameras will be where we want them to be,” Freeman added. “Lights will be where we want them to be. And go for it. “He never says action, and he never says cut. He’s his own person on a movie set. Wonderful.”
Freeman has also said that he “begged” Eastwood to direct the 2009 movie Invictus. In this film, Freeman portrayed the legendary South African leader Nelson Mandela.
“I begged him to direct Invictus,” Freeman explained. “It’s one of the few movies he directed that he wasn’t in.”
Sure enough, Invictus was a major hit, earning Oscar nominations for both Freeman and star Matt Damon.
Related: Clint Eastwood Gave This One Powerful Piece Of Advice To His Actor Son Scott
Eastwood And Freeman Are Still Working
Though Eastwood is in his mid-90s, he is still as busy as ever. He recently completed what’s set to be his final directorial movie Juror No. 2, which is set to premiere on November 1. The drama stars Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult, Kiefer Sutherland, and Chris Messina.
Meanwhile, Freeman is still making movies as well. He appeared in two movies in 2024: My Dead Friend Zoe and Gunner. According to his IMDB page, Freeman has three projects in the works, including one that is currently in production.
There’s no denying that Eastwood and Freeman are two living legends. We’re glad that they got to reunite, and we wish them both many years of good health to come!
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