Morgan Freeman said he was receiving “a place in history” as he was honoured with a life achievement award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
He was presented with the gong by actress Rita Moreno, who previously received the award from Freeman.
The 80-year-old, accepting the award in a tuxedo and a black baseball cap, was encouraged by Moreno to lift the head wear so the audience could see his face.
Rita Moreno with Morgan Freeman (Vince Bucci/Invision/AP)
Afterwards he said: “These moments in one’s life usually will call for an entire litany of thank yous.
“I can’t do that because I don’t know all of your names, so I won’t try.”
But Freeman did thank his family and his business partner, before adding: “This is beyond an honour, this is a place in history.”
Morgan Freeman (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Backstage, the Shawshank Redemption star said he believed the most important part of his job was “truth”.
He added: “Find it and tell it. Most screenplays you get, they are telling the story and inside the story is truth of being.
