HOLLYWOOD is a competitive abyss of talent. To find that one role that will put you on the radar of the creatives, you have to work your way through cameos and bit parts.
Lindsey Morgan, however, has been fortunate in that regard.
At 25, the American actress of Irish-Mexican descent, has bagged guest roles on How I Met Your Mother, Franklin & Bash and Happy Endings. She’s also starred in the teen horror flick, Detention, and DisCONNECTED. That’s not forgetting her role as Kristina Davis on General Hospital – which earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series.
All these undertakings led to Morgan bagging a role in The 100, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series created by Jason Rothenberg and based on Kass Morgan’s novel.
On her opportunities so far, Morgan says: “I’m extremely grateful for the roles I have had thus far. I almost feel like each one came at a time in my life when I was ready to learn a certain lesson about myself.”
When you are starting your career, cameos on big shows are a big deal: “Cameos are fun. You get to be the new kid on a new set, in a new world with a new family. Everyone is always great to you and it’s always very exciting. It is also interesting to see how different shows operate and to star with new actors.”
General Hospital was also a great schooling ground for her. She explains: “Soap operas are like acting boot camps. We film like 80-something scenes in one day and rarely do more than one or two takes. So you are constantly moving. I was very green when I started on General Hospital and it really challenged me. There were times I began to doubt myself a lot.”
The 100 is set 97 years after a nuclear Armageddon on Earth. Those who survived were safely housed in 12 space stations, which banded together to form The Ark. And when conditions prove trying, 100 juvenile prisoners are sent back to Earth as guinea pigs. What they discover, however, are different factions: the Grounders, the Reapers (cannibalistic Grounders, basically) and Mountain Men.
Shedding light on Raven Reyes, her character in the series, Morgan notes: “She is the youngest mechanical engineer on The Ark in 52 years. She is super smart, but also a badass. A total guys’ girl.”
On how she bagged the role, she recalls: “The audition process was very quick. I was waiting to hear back from another project and in less than three days, I was chemistry reading with Thomas McDonnell (Finn Collins). Raven was always intended to be a guest star and killed off within five episodes. But that turned into 11 episodes and then a series regular on season two. I love Raven because she is so intelligent and capable. She is always sacrificing herself for the betterment of the group. I admire her, making it easy to play her. She can be a bit too serious, though, but that’s because she has been through a lot and bears those scars.”
A bonus is the fact that she is a sci-fi buff. And she has her favourite shows, too.
Morgan notes: “I watch a variety of shows. I love Veep, Parks and Recreation, Girls, Mad Men, Game of Thrones and fun shows like Empire.”
With TV being the go-to option for most of Hollywood these days, she shares: “I really love working in TV. I think the content being made for TV now has just transformed. The medium has been elevated into something revolutionary. But, ultimately, I still want to do films. At this time, I want to do both and I think it is completely possible.”
She admits to being charmed by the idea of an action-driven role and is partial to period pieces, too: “I would love to be a superhero and do some awesome stunts. I am also interested in period pieces – I think that it would be such an amazing acting opportunity and I really want the experience.”
Young, passionate and hungry, looks like Morgan is well on her way to realising her acting ambitions in both TV and film.
• The 100 season 2 airs on Vuzu Amp (DStv channel 114) on Tuesdays at 7.30pm.