Morgan Freeman says one ambition he never fulfilled was starring in more action films, a genre he loved growing up. His screen career took off around the age of 50, and he believes he had missed the chance to build a name in action movies by then.

Freeman spent about 20 years on the Broadway stage before taking the screen roles offered to him, and says he envied Denzel Washington for doing the kind of work he had wanted to do. The article also recalls Freeman’s frustration during the making of *The Shawshank Redemption*, where repeated takes and tensions with the director drained his energy despite the film’s later acclaim.