Special Ops: Lioness star Morgan Freeman fell ill ahead of a press tour
Morgan Freeman is reportedly doing “fine” following an illness that caused him to miss a couple of stops during the press tour for his upcoming TV series Special Ops: Lioness, in which he stars alongside Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman.
The actor was noticeably absent during a photocall and screening of the series alongside Zoe and Nicole, while also pulling out of an appearance on the British show The One Show. The illness appeared to be sudden, given that host Alex Jones revealed on the show that Morgan’s cancellation was last-minute, explaining: “[Morgan] was gonna come tonight. We’re gutted he couldn’t make it last minute.”
But what was it that caused Morgan to miss the press events? Speaking to British tabloid The Mirror, a spokesperson for the 86-year-old actor said: “Morgan had an infection which was contagious so he was not able to travel. He’s fine now. Infection has gone and he’s no longer contagious.”
The illness meant that the Shawshank Redemption star opted to remain at home in the United States instead of risking passing his bug onto others during travel. However, it has not yet been confirmed what illness ailed Morgan.
Following a car accident in 2008, Morgan has battled fibromyalgia, which according to the Mayo Clinic is a “disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.”
The condition can arise following an event “such as physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress” and following his car crash, the Hollywood star was operated on. He broke his left shoulder, arm and elbow in the accident, and doctors operated on him for four hours to repair nerve damage that was sustained. To this day, Morgan wears a compression glove on the injured arm that helps with blood circulation.
Back in 2010 when speaking about his hand, Morgan shared: “I suffered nerve damage and it hasn’t gotten better. I can’t move it. If you don’t move your hand, it will swell up. Do you know you move your hand about a million times a day?”
Morgan will star in the upcoming Paramount+ series Special Ops: Lioness as Edwin Mullins, the US Secretary of State. The series focuses on a female Marine, played by Laysla De Oliveira who is tasked with befriending the daughter of a suspected terroist.
Alongside Morgan, Zoe Saldana stars as Joe, the station chief who is in charge of CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team, while Nicole Kidman will be playing Kaitlyn Meade, a CIA operative who engages with high-ranking government officials. The series also stars Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Michael Kelly, Sam Asghari and Martin Donovan.
The first season of the show will have eight episodes, and it’s not yet confirmed whether it will return for a second season.
Special Ops: Lioness will begin airing on Paramount+ on July 23, 2023.
