Hollywood has produced many gems throughout the years, but among them all, Morgan Freeman remains unparalleled. From his eloquent speech to nuanced performances, Freeman is a cinematic oracle and a master craftsman when it comes to acting. Despite all this, there was a time when the acting genius felt terrified while filming a brutal scene in a $159 million movie.

Morgan Freeman
Not only did he feel terrified in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie, Unforgiven while acting with another Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, but he also later revealed that he is furious at his co-star for a surprising reason.

Morgan Freeman Is Furious At His Unforgiven Co-star Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman
Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman have only collaborated in two movies, but their legendary collaboration in the Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood movie Unforgiven remains iconic. Ever since their collaboration in the movie back in the 1990s, the two actors have developed a close bond and often spoke of each other in press.

Freeman has on multiple occasions spoken about how wonderful it was to share screen space with an actor like Hackman. Despite their critical appraisal and praise of each other, Freeman once expressed that he was furious with his co-star. And the reason, which might surprise people, was Hackman’s decision to retire back in 2004.

In a talk with Entertainment Weekly, the Million Dollar Baby star revealed how upset he was over his contemporary’s decision to retire.
 “He’s retired! Silly man. You take talent like that away from me! I’m not happy about that.”
While his Unforgiven co-star Morgan Freeman continues to deliver legendary performances, Hackman remains largely away from the public eye. It is unknown whether they have any sort of relationship now, but their iconic collaborations will remain iconic for ages to come.

Morgan Freeman Was Terrified To Shoot Unforgiven Scene With Gene Hackman

The scene that terrified Freeman
A Hollywood legend and winner of several accolades, Gene Hackman is an exceptional actor with remarkable versatility. The now-retired star starred as a ruthless and authoritarian sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s award-winning western, Unforgiven, while Freeman starred as Ned Logan, an old friend of Eastwood’s outlaw character.

The movie features a brutal scene where Freeman is shirtless and tied to bars as Hackman’s character brutally whips him while interrogating him. As painful and gutwrenching as the scene is to watch, it was equally frightening for the Bruce Almighty star to shoot for he was terrified of his co-star, Hackman. In the interview with Entertainment Weekly, Freeman remarked,

“The essence to me of acting is listening. Gene leaned into my ear and he said, and I’ll paraphrase this, ‘I’m gonna ask you some questions, and if your answers don’t match up with the answers that I’ve already got, I’m gonna hurt you.’ I believed him.”
The fear that Hackman brought to him is accurately captured in the scene, which is remembered as of of the most memorable scenes of Freeman’s illustrious acting career.

Unforgiven can be rented on YouTube.