Even though they’ve got plenty of things in common, there’s no reason for anyone to get Morgan Freeman and Samuel L Jackson confused, apart from the obvious elephant in the room that would put any case of mistaken identity down to pure ignorance.
They’re both older Black gentleman, and that’s about it. Freeman is a decade older than Jackson but has always been one of those actors who feels like they were 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 an old man waiting for their body to catch up, whereas the latter is in his mid-70s and could easily pass for a decade and a half younger, if not much more.
Bruce Springsteen opening his set in Montreal with the Ghostbusters theme
Between them, they’ve racked up over 350 credits covering film and television, lent their names to some stone-cold cinema classics, a bounty of box office bonanzas, cult favourites, risible flops, and forgettable flicks. Freeman has a competitive Oscar for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ thanks to Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, while Jackson has an honorary gong for his contributions to the industry, but that’s where the similarities begin and end.
Maybe it’s something to do with the fact they’ve largely been kept apart despite enjoying shared status as two of Hollywood’s most prolific, popular, and in-demand veterans. The first—and so far only—time they’ve shared an ensemble was in the entirely forgettable buddy caper sequel Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.
Despite having such distinctly different careers, enduring as multi-generational icons and even having their own signature style of line delivery, Freeman admitted to The Talks that people continue to get them mixed up, conceding that “Sam and I go through this back and forth” and share war stories whenever they meet in person.
“I was in Dallas, Texas, one time waiting to change planes, and a guy walked over to me,” Freeman recalled. “I was wearing my cap and sunglasses. Not to hide from anybody, but, you know, you dress the way you dress. The guy came over and said, ‘I know you’re trying to be incognito, but I recognise you, Samuel L Jackson. I said, ‘No, I’m not’. He said, ‘You’re lying, but I understand.’”
Freeman revealed that “Sam has the same story,” with countless people mistaking him for Freeman. “That’s the reason why Sam will come on stage, and he’ll say first off, ‘I am not Morgan Freeman,’” his not-at-all doppelganger offered, but for some reason, folks can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact the actors and legends are two entirely—and very different—people.
Freeman tells people he isn’t Jackson, Jackson tells people he isn’t Freeman, and on and on it goes as it has done for years. Realistically, all it would take is a working set of eyeballs, but somehow the memo keeps getting lost in translation.
