‘The Dark Knight’: Christopher Nolan Had To Work Really Hard To Convince Morgan Freeman To Play Lucius Fox

No matter what film he’s in, Morgan Freeman always manages to dazzle viewers with his performances. With his sultry voice to his wooly, grey hair, he’s quite a presence on screen. 

This is exactly why director Christopher Nolan wanted Freeman to star in the Dark Knight trilogy, but Freeman initially wasn’t too interested. 

In fact, it took quite a bit of convincing before Freeman agreed to play the role of Lucius Fox in the iconic franchise. 

Christopher Nolan knew he wanted Morgan Freeman from the start 

Nolan spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out who would play each role in the Dark Knight trilogy. While it took a lot of deliberation to figure out who would play many of the characters in the films, Nolan always knew who he wanted to play Lucius Fox, Batman’s gadget supplier. 

He explained the process in an interview on the Warner Brothers YouTube page.  

“As I started to write the character of Lucius, I did something that I’ve always avoided doing in the past, really, which is I did write with Morgan Freeman in mind,” Nolan said. 

For Nolan, writing a character with an actor in mind is challenging because it can sometimes put limitations on them. 

“To try to writing characterization around an actor can be limiting, and I tried not to make it limiting,” Nolan said. “I wrote a part I hadn’t seen him play before. But I knew that I really wanted him in there, and I pursued him for many many months. 

Christopher Nolan had a hard time convincing Morgan Freeman to join the ‘Dark Knight’ cast  

Even though Nolan knew he wanted Freeman for the role, Freeman wasn’t so sure it was a good fit. Nolan spent several months pursuing him for the part and even went to visit Freeman in his hometown to convince him. 

“Whatever he tells you now, he was very difficult to convince,” Nolan said. “I actually flew to Memphis to meet with him in person and really explain why the part needed him. And eventually, he said yes and turned up.”

Even though Freeman agreed in principle to play Lucius Fox, Nolan still had doubts about whether the actor was going to show up for filming. 

“I was quite relieved when he actually turned up to shoot because I had begun to believe it were never going to happen,” Nolan said. “But I managed to get him in the end. 

Morgan Freeman doesn’t see Lucius Fox as Bruce Wayne’s father figure 

In a separate interview with HeyUGuys, Freeman gave his thoughts on Lucius Fox. 

“Bruce is … in this difficult place and really intends to stay there,” Freeman said. “But circumstances are luring him out and I’m no different. I have something, and I just want him to look at it.”

Freeman likes Lucius because he embodies characteristics that he feels he doesn’t have. 

“He’s a brain,” Freeman said. “He’s very decent, he’s loyal. But I think he’s extremely smart. I like that, ‘cause I’m not.”