You can’t escape fame. Whenever we get a chance to talk to you on the topic of luxury transportation, we need to bring up one of the best stories of the year so far, because we can’t let it go.
Back in April of 2018, automotive and Hollywood star and character actor Morgan Freeman went on stage at the Lincoln Center, rubbing elbows with pop culture icons Kevin Hart, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Tom Hanks at the Tony Awards in New York. No one was more surprised when his SUV, an SUV that appeared almost instantly on his street in Los Angeles, suddenly rolled up to him and Freeman was greeted by Dwayne Johnson…who, of course, was also in a stunt car.
As Morgan slowly reached out to shake the star’s hand, the real Dwayne Johnson quickly flipped open the door of his vehicle and handed Freeman his customized Harley Davidson V-Rod, complete with a two-way radio and flashing LED lights.
It was not one of those “Oh, me neither” moments, as evidenced by the video below which shows Morgan standing at the back of the scene as Morgan motions back at him from a private platform.
That last part is especially important. There is no lower barrier to acceptance in Hollywood than a good old-fashioned sporting events, according to Dwayne Johnson.
So while it was all over the social media map, it turned out to be a very smooth, very extended fake commercial for his Dodge Challenger.
Jeb Bakersbroek is an Atlanta-based lifestyle editor and writer. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or listen to him or watch him weekly on KTTS13 News at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The Robert N. Schulz Automotive Honoree Awards ceremony
How do you salute and honor one of the most distinguished automotive lifetime achievement awards in North America? You call in the big guns. So, the event was held at the Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn. and it was broadcast live on Fox Television.
The event honored the remarkable and distinguished achievements of a number of luminaries in the auto industry — Richard Childress (turning eighty-one this year), Michael Dell (turning sixty-three this year), Nello Torriani (turning ninety-two this year), Bob Lutz (turning seventy-three this year), Hank Schrader (turning eighty-six this year), and Jerry Jenkins (turning eighty-one this year), to name a few.
As I sat alongside the guests of honor, I was deeply moved by the incredible diversity of automotive careers. Ten generations of names and careers came together. It was just great to see that so many people have such similar experiences and backgrounds.
You are not alone at your age, even if you have 25 in front of your name, so thanks for being there and you certainly deserve the Emmy.
When you were presented with the award, you told us you looked right at Richard Childress’ face and said, “What’s he been up to in twenty years?” He was kind of like that, a veteran all about his job. And yeah, he’s still pulling big levers for Richard Childress Racing.
Is there any secret to getting in a car with Dwayne Johnson at work? Here’s our take on that, too.
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