Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Lean On Me”

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Morgan Freeman and the producers on Joe Clark

Unlike Poitier, Freeman didn’t seem to have a problem with Joe Clark’s philosophies. Having come from an inner city school himself in Chicago, he tended to agree with them. “…You have to have discipline at school. Once you lose it, you’ve lost the whole ballgame. And that’s why, on the job, Joe’s a tyrant.”

Producer Norman Twain took it a step further. “Joe Clark in person is a pain in the ass, a very difficult and erratic guy. He’s got a huge temper. But there’s a method to his madness that far outweighs his problems.”

But associate producer Michael Schiffer says when the school systems are in shambles, like they still are today, you need a Joe Clark type character. “Sometimes you need a radical shift to accomplish change. Joe Clark is almost what has to be done when the government has abandoned education. Then you need somebody to go crazy.”