Shirley MacLaine Gave Elvis Presley Advice, Once Hit on Morgan Freeman: 'He Just Shook His Head' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Shirley MacLaine in 2023; Morgan Freeman in 2024.Photo:Steven Simione/Getty and Presley Ann/Getty

Steven Simione/Getty and Presley Ann/Getty

Shirley MacLainehas shared the screen with top-tier talent, includingJack Lemmon,Jack Nicholson,Frank Sinatra,Dean Martinand Peter Sellers. And she’s dated both movie stars (Danny Kaye, Robert Mitchum) and politicians (Australia’s late two-time Liberal Party leader Andrew Peacock).

Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in 1989’s ‘Driving Miss Daisy’.Warner Bros

Warner Bros

When asked to elaborate in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, MacLaine says, “Oh, I really liked him right away. I thought his acting was brilliant. I barely said anything, and he just shook his head. Isn’t that interesting?”

Despite being well-matched with Jack Lemmon — “a darling guy” who she says “was like a sister to me” — and Jack Nicholson onscreen, she didn’t have romantic designs on either of them. Of Nicholson, her costar in 1983’sTerms of Endearment, she says, “He just made me laugh all the time. He was one of my favorite people.”

As for whether they shared any romantic chemistry in real life, MacLaine admits, “I don’t think he would’ve been my type to have an affair with anyway. I would laugh too much.”

She calls Peter Sellers, her costar in 1979’sBeing There, “adorable,” but she had a tough time connecting with him. “Peter Sellers was [always] in his character, so you never really got to meet him.”

Elvis Presley in 1956’s ‘Love Me Tender’.20th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection

20th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection

MacLaine also remembers connecting withElvis Presleywhile they were both contract players at Paramount.

His dressing room was two doors down, and he didn’t know how to behave as he needed to on the set," MacLaine recalls. “I just told him to be nice to people and kind, because he was a huge star then. But we didn’t hang out, I didn’t know him that well.”

Shirley MacLaine (left) and Audrey Hepburn in 1961’s ‘The Children’s Hour’.FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty

FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty

In her book, MacLaine also talks about some of her great female friendships, including the ones she had withAudrey Hepburn, her costar in the 1961 filmThe Children’s Hour, andElizabeth Taylor. In fact, she introduced Taylor to her third husband, Mike Todd, the producer of the 1956 movieAround the World in 80 Days, in which MacLaine starred.

Shirley MacLaine (left) and Elizabeth Taylor.Bettmann Archive

Bettmann Archive

“I suspected they would get along,” she tells PEOPLE. “I asked one of them to come to where I was so they could meet … and there was attraction right away.”

source: people.com