Morgan Freeman’s Voice Over Secret

Morgan Freeman’s presence onscreen and behind-the-scenes presence is legendary in Hollywood. He won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award (2005) for Million Dollar Baby and has received several Oscar nominations for his performances in Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Invictus (2009). He became known through roles in The Electric Company in the 1970s before moving on to more prominent feature film parts in the 1980s. From then on, he became a go to actor for fatherly characters possessing gravitas and wisdom.

Freeman is instantly recognized for his signature voice. He’s specifically sought out for narration roles. In 2005, he narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary film March of the Penguins and War of the Worlds. He appeared in the Dark Knight Trilogy – Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He also starred opposite Jack Nicholson in the 2007 film The Bucket List.

Hidden in a little promo for the 3D Film Adventure, Dolphin Tale, Morgan Freeman dispenses an advice gem that voice actors often overlook. In the film, he plays the voice of God. And that’s a character he’s played more than once. One might think if you’re Morgan Freeman, you can role out of bed and play a part. He probably can. But for aspiring voice actors, he has a single piece of advice:

“Yawn a lot. …It relaxes your vocal cords… Your tone drops.”

And he offers another nugget about content and practice:

“If you’re talking just to hear the sound of your own voice, you don’t have anything… really to say.”

Enjoy.