Morgan Freeman, the star of Lioness, became unwell before a publicity trip.
Morgan Freeman is said to be “fine” following an illness that led him to miss a few stops on the press tour for his upcoming TV series Special Ops: Lioness, in which he co-stars with Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman.
The actor was strangely absent from a photocall and series screening alongside Zoe and Nicole, as well as an appearance on the British show The One Show. The illness looked to be unexpected, as host Alex Jones acknowledged on the show that Morgan’s cancellation was unexpected, explaining: “Morgan was supposed to come tonight. We’re disappointed he couldn’t make it at the last minute.”
But what caused Morgan to miss the press conferences? A spokeswoman for the 86-year-old actor told the British tabloid The Mirror: “Morgan had an infection that was contagious, so he was unable to travel. He’s all right now. The infection has subsided, and he is no longer contagious.”
Because of his condition, the Shawshank Redemption star chose to stay at home in the United States rather than risk spreading his bug to others while traveling. However, the nature of Morgan’s ailment has yet to be determined.
Morgan has fought fibromyalgia since a vehicle accident in 2008, which the Mayo Clinic defines as a “disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues.”
The illness can develop after an incident “such as physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress,” and the Hollywood actor was operated on after his car accident.
In the accident, he shattered his left shoulder, arm, and elbow, and physicians operated on him for four hours to heal nerve damage. Morgan still wears a compression glove on her wounded arm to help with blood circulation.
Morgan stated in 2010 concerning his hand, “I suffered nerve damage and it hasn’t gotten better. I’m unable to relocate it. Your hand will swell if you do not move it. Did you know your hand moves about a million times per day?”
Morgan will play US Secretary of State Edwin Mullins in the upcoming Paramount+ series Special Ops: Lioness. The series follows Laysla De Oliveira, a female Marine, who is charged with befriending the daughter of a suspected terrorist.
Along with Morgan, Zoe Saldana plays Joe, the station chief in charge of the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team, and Nicole Kidman plays Kaitlyn Meade, a CIA operative who works with high-level government leaders. Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Michael Kelly, Sam Asghari, and Martin Donovan also appear in the series.
The show’s first season will consist of eight episodes, and it is unknown whether it will be renewed for a second season.
On July 23, 2023, Special Ops: Lioness will premiere on Paramount+.
