# In 1983, Morgan Freeman needed to pay the rent. He took a role he later called “one of the worst things I’ve ever done”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1983-morgan-freeman-needed-to-pay-the-rent-he-took-a-role-he-later-called-one-of-the-worst-things-ive-ever-done/
- Published: 2026-11-10T13:50:45+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T21:52:09+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1983-role-morgan-freeman-will-always-regret/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Freeman regretted his 1983 performance as Othello.
- He accepted the role while struggling to pay rent.
- His major film breakthrough came four years later.

## Summary

Morgan Freeman later described his 1983 performance as Othello in Texas as one of the worst things he had done. He took the role while struggling to find work and needing to pay rent, showing how financial pressure can lead actors to accept work they are unhappy with.

Freeman told The Times that he thought he was “awful”, but took the job because it was work. His earlier television run on The Electric Company had ended in 1977, and his major film breakthrough came in 1987, when Street Smart earned him his first Academy Award nomination. He later became a regular presence in acclaimed films, despite continuing to regret his turn as Shakespeare’s Othello.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.