It’s been 20 years since Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins had that epic reunion in “The Shawshank Redemption.” On Tuesday, the two actors came together once again to celebrate the movie’s 20th anniversary with writer/director Frank Darabont, who adapted “Shawshank” from a Stephen King short story.
The film actually had a rougher start when it was released in September 1994. The movie didn’t perform well at the box office and barely made back its production budget of $25 million. It had critical acclaim but not the trophies to prove it, as the Academy Awards left “Shawshank” out in the cold. The period drama was nominated for seven Oscars and went home without winning a single one. Cut to two decades later, and “Shawshank” is now known as the movie that everyone can love.
“I really cling to the letters from people for whom the movie really meant something,” Darabont told the audience at Tuesday’s reunion, which was hosted by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. “It stopped somebody from committing suicide, or at least they credit it for it having saved their lives that day. Whatever someone needed to hear that day to reinforce them as a human being, the movie gave it to them. It’s only then you realise you’ve made something more than just a two-hour movie.”
Both Robbins and Freeman said they knew they were on board as soon as they read Darabont’s script.
