Morgan Freeman 'knows nothing about rugby'

Monday 1 February 2010
Published By: Ben Welch
Rugby World Cup > South Africa

The new Clint Eastwood film Invictus has opened to rave reviews across the globe, charting South Africa's attempts to stage the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and the team's eventual victory, but the star of the show has revealed he has little knowledge about the sport.

Speaking at the premiere of the movie, Morgan Freeman, who plays South African president Nelson Mandela, said that he is not even a big sports fan and was more concerned about telling the story of Mandela, rather than Francois Pienaar and co.

"I wasn't a rugby fan - I didn't know beans about rugby. I still know little to nothing about rugby. It isn't based on rugby. Everyone keeps saying it's based on rugby - it incorporates rugby, but it's based on Mandela," Freeman stated.

One person who may disagree is Freeman's co-star Matt Damon, who was tasked with filling the considerable boots of Pienaar in the film.

Eastwood used innovative camera shots to give the impression that the 5 ft 8 in Damon was closer in size to the 6 ft 3 in South African captain and the actor spent considerable time with the former flanker in order to ensure his portrayal was as accurate as possible.

Posted by Ben Welch