"I’m concerned mostly about what’s happening on Earth"- Morgan Freeman discusses narrating on Life on Our Planet

Morgan Freeman's voice is one of the most distinctive in all of Hollywood, often being the voice behind many great works of art. The Shawshank Redemption star is all set to return yet again with narration work in Life on Our Planet, Netflix's latest eight-part series premiering on Wednesday about the origin and history of our planet.

Produced by Silverback Films in association with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Life on Our Planet recreates multiple historic and pre-historic creatures with the help of CGI in an attempt to give a better understanding of the passage of time and how things reached where they are now.

Ahead of the premiere of Life on Our Planet, Morgan Freeman caught up with the New York Times and discussed the narration in Life on Our Planet. He clarified why he joined the project and what was so appealing to him. Freeman said:

"Well, the planet itself and the history thereof interests me. I call myself a “planetist” because I’m concerned mostly about what’s happening on Earth....I don’t know when I first did. It sort of creeps up on you, you know, watching how things are going. We all know about the changing climates. That’s a human thing. No animals are causing it. We’re causing it. And it’s happening; we can see it now."

Morgan Freeman went on to elaborate on the recording procedure for the docuseries and how his massive voice came to be.

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"It’s actually a learning process in itself"- Morgan Freeman on narrating for documentaries

With a voice like Freeman's, it is no surprise that the Academy Award-winning actor has previously narrated many documentaries, including March of the Penguins, which he cited as his favorite in this same interview.

While talking about the upcoming Life on Our Planet, he went on to elaborate on how it can often be a learning process, one that is distinct from working on films. Morgan Freeman added:

"When you’re narrating, it’s actually a learning process in itself. So I find these kinds of documentaries very interesting. Part of the joy of doing it is learning all of that. You just absorb it and it goes down inside you somewhere....When you’re narrating the point is to try and to be clear and not speak in a monotone. I guess it’s a trick or gift or something. I seem to be pretty good at it. I’m a big fan of David Attenborough. He has that knack of getting information across."

Attenborough is also known for his majestic voice and has often been the backdrop of many documentaries. But of course, a voice that will reach out to people and convey important information takes more than just a naturally good voice. It also takes immense training.

For Morgan Freeman, this started when he was still in school. He elaborated on the process:

"When I was in school at the Los Angeles Community College, I was taking theater arts classes, which includes voice development. And I had a very good instructor there. That was the beginning of it."

Life on Our Planet is set to premiere on Netflix on October 25, 2023, with all eight episodes.