Morgan Freeman's Brutal Honesty: 'If the Pay is Good, I Can Overlook Flaws in the Script'

Morgan Freeman has offered a refreshingly candid take on how Hollywood really works.

The Oscar-winning actor says an exciting script is always a bonus, but it's not the only thing that determines whether he signs a film. If the paycheck is good enough, he admits, he's willing to overlook a screenplay's shortcomings.

Speaking to The New York Times, Freeman said several factors come into play when choosing a project.

"If somebody offers you a job, it's very nice if they're offering you also an exciting script, but in reality, two or three things come into play," he said.

"What are they going to pay you? If they're going to pay you enough, then you overlook some of the glitches in the script that happen to be there."

Freeman added that actors often point out weak spots in a screenplay and, in many cases, filmmakers are willing to make changes.

"Sometimes you can mention things that are in the script that don't quite work out for you and by and large, that gets worked out," he said.

With his 90th birthday approaching next year, Freeman also made it clear that retirement isn't on his mind.

Drawing inspiration from Clint Eastwood, the veteran actor said he intends to keep working for as long as his body allows.

"I'm like Clint Eastwood on that: Don't let the old man in," Freeman said.

"So, keep working. If you can get out of bed and don't fall down when you do it, then you just count your blessings and keep moving. So, I'll work as long as I can, as long as somebody says, 'Do you want to do this part?'"

Freeman also joked that some of the dream roles he once wanted now belong to a younger generation.

"I'm pushing 90 now. So, the roles that I wished I had been able to play, Denzel Washington will play," he quipped.

Away from the big screen, Freeman continues to star as Secretary of State Edwin Mullins in Taylor Sheridan's Lioness. He praised Sheridan's writing for capturing the emotional complexities of ordinary people.

"It has to do more with the human experience, what people are actually going through, emotionally," Freeman said. "It takes courage to write about stuff like that."

Adding yet another chapter to his decades-long career, Freeman is also releasing a blues album this week.

(With inputs from ANI)