‘Token Hire?’: Morgan Freeman Fans Hit Back Amid Outrage Over ‘Bruce Almighty’

Morgan Freeman is among the short list of stars who are widely revered as generational talents on the silver screen. The 87-year-old’s résumé spans more than six decades with roles on films and television series, and some of his most popular roles include work on projects such as “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” and the Jim Carrey-led “Bruce Almighty.” The latter comedy saw Freeman portray God. According to Box Office Mojo, the 2003 flick raked in $484,592,874 at the global box office. It is considered a fan favorite by the Oscar-winning actor’s longtime supporters too. Freeman also reprised the role in 2007 for “Evan Almighty.” Jim Carrey recalls “scary” first meeting with Morgan Freeman. (Photos by Neilson Barnard/WireImage; Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET) Yet, almost two decades later, a discourse about the Black actor taking on the role of God, who has historically been depicted as a white man in texts and on screen, has become a trending topic on Twitter. On Aug. 11, an account tweeted, “20 years ago a black man was cast as God in a major motion picture that grossed almost $500M (over $820M today). No one was outraged. No one...