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Morgan Freeman has admitted that his appetite for acting has waned, understandably, after more than six decades on the big screen. The Oscar-winning actor, 88, opened up about his legendary career ahead of the release of his latest movie, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and said he does not plan on stopping anytime soon — even if the job has become less exciting over the years. “The appetite is still there,” Freeman told The Guardian in an interview published Monday. “I will concede that it’s dimmed a little. But not enough to make a serious difference.” He added that he has no current interest in retirement: “Sometimes the idea of retirement would float past me but, as soon as my agent says there’s a job or somebody wants you or they’ve made an offer, the whole thing just boils back into where it was yesterday: how much you’re going to pay, where we’re gonna be?” Freeman began his acting career on stage in the 1960s, later gaining national recognition on the children’s TV series The Electric Company. He worked steadily in soap operas and TV movies before breaking into Hollywood in the 1980s. It was not until he was nearly 50 that he earned an Oscar nomination for his breakthrough turn as a pimp in the 1987 thriller Street Smart. He went on to anchor major films including Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby. The actor’s life in the public eye has continued despite health setbacks. In 2010, he was diagnosed with stage one colon cancer at age 73, leading him to undergo surgery to have the tumor removed. Since then, Freeman has been an advocate for cancer awareness, appearing in public service announcements encouraging people to get cancer screenings. The actor has also been transparent about his fibromyalgia, which stems from nerve damage he sustained in a 2008 car accident that paralyzed his left hand. Because of his condition, Freeman is known to often wear one glove on his left hand. In March, Freeman wore his left glove to the Oscars, where he delivered a touching tribute to his former co-star Gene Hackman. A month later, he joined stars like Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg to praise acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola before he was presented with the AFI Life Achievement Award. The third Now You See Me sequel hits theaters Friday, following the worldwide commercial success of the franchise, which has already led to the series’ fourth film being put in the works. Freeman starred in the first two movies alongside actors Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco, and will be appearing in a cameo role for the upcoming installment.
