Shirley MacLaine Gave Elvis Presley Advice, Once Hit on Morgan Freeman: ‘He Just Shook His Head’

MacLaine recalls her memorable encounter with the ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ star in her new book ‘The Wall of Life’

Shirley Maclaine and Morgan Freeman

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

Shirley MacLaine has shared the screen with top-tier talent, including Jack Lemmon, Jack Nicholson, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and 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).

But there was one famous A-lister who wasn’t necessarily bowled over by her charms: Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. In her new book The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime, MacLaine, 90, writes about a memorable encounter with Freeman, 87, saying, “I propositioned him and he turned me down.”

DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989) Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman

Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in 1989’s ‘Driving Miss Daisy’.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’s Terms 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’s Being 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.”

LOVE ME TENDER, from left, William Campbell, Elvis Presley, Mildred Dunnock, Richard Egan, 1956

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

MacLaine also remembers connecting with Elvis Presley while 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.”

The Children's Hour, aka Infam, USA, 1961, Regie: William Wyler, Darsteller: Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine.

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

In her book, MacLaine also talks about some of her great female friendships, including the ones she had with Audrey Hepburn, her costar in the 1961 film The Children’s Hour, and Elizabeth Taylor. In fact, she introduced Taylor to her third husband, Mike Todd, the producer of the 1956 movie Around the World in 80 Days, in which MacLaine starred.

Moving through the crowd of celebrities at post-opening party at Xenon, Elizabeth Taylor leans down to accept congratulatory remarks from actress Shirley MacLaine. N.Y. Times critic Frank Rich was lavish in his praise of Taylor?s performance: ?It may have taken a long time for her to get to Broadway, but she has arrived in high style?No doubt it?s superfluous to point out that Miss Taylor has charm, grandeur and sex appeal.

Shirley MacLaine (left) and Elizabeth Taylor.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.”

The Wall of Life will be released on Oct. 22 by Crown Publishing and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.