Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman demonstrates his strength of character is equally memorable to his distinctive baritone voice through agonizing suffering following a nearly deadly vehicle accident.
Freeman, 85, who portrayed God in the movies Evan Almighty (2007) and Bruce Almighty (2003), suffers irreversible physical injury as a result of a single-vehicle collision close to his Mississippi home.
He appeared as Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight, the second entry in the Batman series, The Dark Knight Trilogy, in 2008, the year of the accident.
He and the passenger were reportedly extracted from their crushed-up Nissan Maxima, which rolled over many times, by rescue personnel using the jaws of life. The adored actor was airlifted to the hospital and underwent a four-hour surgery to fix a broken left shoulder, arm, and elbow. Despite the technique being designed to ensure a full recovery, Freeman suffered long-term damage, as he revealed in a 2010 interview with People.
“I suffered nerve damage and it hasn’t gotten better. I can’t move it,” Freeman said of his left hand, which explains the glove–a compression glove to keep the blood flowing–he’s often seen wearing. He added, “If you don’t move your hand, it will swell up. Do you know you move your hand about a million times a day?”
Freeman stepped on stage at the 2023 Oscars to accept an award with Margot Robbie while donning a black tuxedo and an identical elbow-length satin compression glove. Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes widespread pain and exhaustion, and he always has it in his closet to assist manage the agony.
Fibromyalgia is defined by the National Institutes of Health as “chronic, widespread pain across the body or at many places. The arms, legs, head, chest, belly, back, and buttocks are frequently affected by pain. It’s frequently described as throbbing, scorching, or painful. Fatigue, numbness, headaches, and difficulties sleeping are additional typical fibromyalgia symptoms. Previously regarded as a psychosomatic condition, fibromyalgia is now recognized by the American Medical Association as a clinical diagnosis.
There is currently no treatment for it, although it can be treated with “a combination of exercise or other movement therapies, psychological and behavioral therapy, and medications.” 2012 saw Freeman discuss his chronic illness in an interview with Esquire.
The author of the story, Tom Chiarella, writes, “Every so often he grabs his left shoulder and winces. It hurts when he walks, when he sits still, when he rises from his couch, and when he missteps in a damp meadow. More than hurts. It seems a kind of agony, though he never mentions it.” He continues, “It is a clamp, his pain, an icy shot up a relatively useless limb. He doesn’t like to show it, but there are times when he cannot help but lose himself to a world-ending grimace. It’s such a large gesture, so outside the general demeanor of the man, that it feels as if he’s acting.”
Freeman answered, “It’s the fibromyalgia,” acknowledging that Chiarella was aware of his attempts to conceal the discomfort and agony. across the arm and up. It becomes very awful at that point. Excruciating.”
Freeman was compelled to give up some activities, like flying his own plane and sailing by himself. Freeman remarked, “There is a point to changes like these. I have to move on to other things, to other conceptions of myself. I play golf. I still work. And I can be pretty happy just walking the land.” Freeman added, “I play one-handed. I swing with my right arm.”
The celebrity hasn’t allowed his illness stop him from acting. He has appeared in action movies including Red (2010), Oblivion (2013), Now You See Me (2013), and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021) since his accident.
One of the most admired actors of all time, Freeman is incredibly versatile. He has received multiple Academy Award nominations for his memorable performances, which include Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), for which he won a Golden Globe, Shawshank Redemption (1994), Invictus (2009), and Million Dollar Baby (2004), for which he took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Along with these films, he appeared in Amistad (1997), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Unforgiven (1992), and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).
Long Way Home (1997), March of the Penguins (2005), The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016–2019), and Our Universe (2022) are just a few of the documentaries that Freeman has lent his voice to.
Freeman is still going strong; he has future roles in Gunner, A Good Person, and The Ritual Killer, in which his co-star Cole Hauser, best known for his work on the Yellowstone film, is complimentary of him. “He was amazing. He was incredible, man. He’s an actor and he’s also like a coach on set. He was giving me so many tips and reminders in the scenes that we were in together. It was incredible.”
The tenacious actor is not the only famous person who battles the invisible illness.
The amazing Lady GaGa said in 2017 that she also experiences excruciating agony from the disease. In a conversation, she stated, “I get so irritated with people who don’t believe fibromyalgia is real,” the singer-actor said, referring to fibromyalgia naysayers. “People need to be more compassionate. Chronic pain is no joke. And it’s every day waking up not knowing how you’re going to feel.”
In addition, there was Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor (“Nothing Compares to You” in 1990), actor Susan Flannery (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), and singer-songwriter Rosie Hamlin (“Angel Baby” in 1961), who passed away in 2017, but was open about her battle with the disease.
Without Freeman and his soothing voice, which can enliven even the most uninteresting subject, it is difficult to envision the world. Let us know what you think of Freeman and his approach to this invisible illness!
Let’s send healing vibes to Freeman and everyone else who is valiantly facing fibromyalgia.