10 Typecast Actors Who Will Always Be "That Guy/Girl"

3. Morgan Freeman - The Sage Old Man

Morgan Freeman When you look up the Magical Negro trope, you'll see a picture of Morgan Freeman's serenely smiling face. Unless the movies are lying us (and we tend to doubt it), he's pretty much the wisest, kindest, most wonderful man on the planet. You get the feeling that if only he were elected president, he would fix all the world's problems and single-handedly repair the hole in the ozone layer. So it makes sense that he would play that character in every movie he's ever been in. You think it's just an idle coincidence that he bears a striking resemblance to Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest humans who ever lived? Yeah, right. So every time we see Morgan Freeman, it almost goes without saying that we're going to see a calm, intelligent man who imparts sage wisdom to everyone who passes him on the street. When you watch him in a movie, you really do feel like if you have minutes alone with him, he could probably sort out your life. He played God, for heaven's sake. Why would he even think about changing up his public persona now?
Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.