Freeman does own a business of his own (blues club in Mississippi), and he previously co-owned a restaurant in the same area for around ten years. Unlike many of the Hollywood crowd, he sees where the rubber meets the road in terms of the economy.
I may want to visit that club sometime and explore the blues history in Clarksdale. It even has apartments above it that can rented by the day. Tourism may be the best way to revive that extremely depressed area.