Morgan Freeman is excited to hop on the plane next week and share 'Invictus' with "Madiba," Nelson Mandela's nickname in South Africa. ET was with the cast on American soil Thursday night for the Los Angeles premiere of the film.

The newly crowned Best Actor by the National Board of Review said of screening the film for Mandela, "He's special and if we can do this for him, that'll be more than special."

Though director Clint Eastwood "will let the younger guy…like Morgan" make the long trip to South Africa, he did say the Oscar-winning actor "was born to play Nelson Mandela, so that should be no surprise that he's doing it and he really is quite splendid in it."

The paparazzi went wild for Matt Damon's date night with wife Luciana. He told ET, "The thing about any movie really, is you live through it with your family. We were all together in South Africa...so it's nice to bring my wife to see it."

He claimed responsibility for Clint Eastwood (Best Director) and Morgan Freeman's NBR honors, saying, "It was all me. That was really by association." He also joked, "I don't know why Morgan is sharing that accolade with George [Clooney]. I don't quite understand that, but you know, funny things happen in Hollywood.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and son Maddox also stepped out for the premiere. 'Invictus' will be in theatres on December 11.

George Clooney's 'Up in the Air' Soars with National Board of Review Dec 03, 2009 11:41 AM