A Time Warner shareholder, David Ridenour, has accused actor Morgan Freeman of using a press tour for the film Dolphin Tale to promote his political views instead of the movie. The accusation dates back to September of last year when Morgan Freeman appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight and claimed that the Tea Party was “racist.”

Ridenour believes Dolphin Tale did worse than expected at the box office as a result and he fears the same thing could happen with the upcoming Warner Bros film, The Dark Knight Rises. Raw Story reports:

A Time Warner shareholder has accused the Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman of using a press tour for the film Dolphin Tale to forward his own political agenda rather than promote the movie.

When Freeman appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight show in September 2011 while promoting the family drama, he made a statement in which he labelled the US rightwing Tea Party movement racist over its opposition to president Barack Obama.

Citing statistics suggesting that US filmgoers of all persuasions are less likely to view films featuring stars who express political opinions differing from their own, a spokesperson for shareholder David Ridenour said Warner Bros, a Time Warner subsidiary, should take steps to ensure Morgan buttoned his lip while promoting his next movie with the studio, comic book tale The Dark Knight Rises.

Click here for the full story.