Morgan Freeman is well known for his distinct deep voice that has set him apart in the Hollywood film industry. Morgan pulls off the baritone voice so naturally that it is surprising to know that he was actually taught to speak that way. The 85-year-old actor recently admitted to having a voice coach who provided lessons on how to relax his throat.
Morgan’s voice has been a huge plus to many movies, like Shawshank Redemption, where the actor said the quote, “Get busy living or get busy dying, that’s goddamn right,” with a delivery that only he could have done. Apart from his voice, Morgan is also an excellent actor recognized for his talents, exemplified by Golden Globes and Academy Awards among others.
Morgan started adopting the voice in college
While at Los Angeles City College, Morgan took free voice classes from a teacher after getting hired there as a transcript clerk. When he got into college, Morgan had a Southern accent, but left with a deeper, refined voice. “The voice started when I was in college, in my first efforts in officially learning the talent, the business of acting,” he said in one of his interviews years ago.
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Morgan has reflected on his experience with his voice coach in college on several occasions, including a 2016 interview with Larry King. “You should be trying to get your instrument honed and part of your instrument is the voice. I had an instructor, Robert Whitten at the LACC who nailed elocution, diction, breath control — all of that — into his students,” he continued.
Morgan revealed that he hardly remembers what he used to sound like
Morgan’s voice got deeper over time, thanks to consistent lessons on how to relax his throat. “You make a record at the beginning of his class and at the end of the class you made a record so you could hear the difference,” Morgan further told Larry King.
Over the years, Morgan has gotten so used to his acquired voice that he hardly recalls how he formerly spoke. The actor recalled how his voice coach reacted the first time he spoke, to which Larry King asked, “Do you remember what you sounded like?”
“No!” Morgan responded with a hearty chuckle.