Q&A Morgan Freeman
SI: I hear you're a pretty big NASCAR fan.
Freeman: Have you ever driven one of those things?
SI: No, sir.
Freeman: Well, you gotta try. I'm not a car buff, but I love driving. And I love driving fast. My wife, bless her heart, recently gave me a three-day NASCAR weekend. I went to Lowe's Motor Speedway [near] Charlotte and had the most extraordinary time.
SI: So on a Sunday afternoon we'd find you at your home in Charleston, Miss., watching NASCAR?
Freeman: Yep. You'd find me sitting on the couch with the sound cranked. And I have surround sound [laughs].
SI: In 2004 you drove the pace car, a Corvette, at the Indy 500 (below). What was your top speed?
Freeman: I hit 143.
SI: I'm guessing 143 is not the highest you've ever reached.
Freeman: No, no. That would be 153. I have a BMW 745.
SI: A BMW can go that fast?
Freeman: Oh, it will.
SI: Was that in Mississippi?
Freeman: [Silence]
SI: You've said you don't consider yourself athletic.
Freeman: Nope. I am completely left-footed in organized sports. Football? Not enough weight. Basketball? Not enough coordination. Baseball? Not enough strength. I've always been this bookish, thin, actor-type [laughs]. I'm in show business.
SI: Has that worked out well for you?
Freeman: Quite well, yes.
• For more from Morgan Freeman, go to SI.com/scorecard.
PHOTO
ALISON BUCK/WIREIMAGE.COM (FREEMAN)
PHOTO
MICHAEL CONROY/AP (FREEMAN IN CAR)