Interview with Heartland Actress Michelle Morgan

[Music] hey guys it's Lauren gates from Raven appear and today we're gonna be chatting over Skype with Canadian actress Michelle Morgan you may know playing blue Fleming on the TV show heartland Michelle welcome to rev it up it's a pleasure to have you on the show today how you going I'm so good thank you so much for having me very welcome I'm glad that even amongst all the current of our so we could still have a chat fit it into your schedule perfect I love technology it brings the world together it really does different sides of the world to in different time zones first time on the shard we'd love to get to know you a little bit better and stop from the beginning if that's okay to get a good idea of how you made it to where you are today so I was doing a research on you you're the fourth of six children in your family is that correct oh my goodness how was it growing up as six children that wasn't even a very loud household it's so loud and I think that that's some of my earliest memories was just trying to get attention actually and realizing oh if I stand up and say this funny thing or this cute thing I get all this attention from my relatives and my cousins and my uncles and aunts oh that was some of my I think my early days into performing was just trying to get attention being in the middle yeah what were the age differences where you're around the same age I'm about three two and a half to three years apart and then my youngest brother was six years later so he was the baby for all of us like we all raised him like a baby and I was nine when he was born so I remember vividly like waking up at night rocking him back to sleep changing his diapers he was my like little living doll well your parents were obviously very happy to have all the kids as like free babysitters it was great I worked out really well actually that's fantastic when did you dream of you know becoming an actress come from because you know I'm sure the I'm sure all your siblings have gone from four different jobs and did your parents agree with this career choice yeah they do now there is a long time where my dad was encouraging me to go to law school and he said you know you're an actor you'd be a great lawyer right like trying to get me more sensible which you know that's what dads are for but um I I got into it originally because thank goodness I went to schools public schools that had performances you know so they say everyone can have a role in this little play and some of the first place I did was like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat or you know we did all these British farces and things like that in high school and I would just go into it for fun but I found myself when the time came to perform just something turned on in me like something switched on and I was like I really want to do this and when the audience would laugh I'd be like oh that worked I'm gonna do four of that and and something really worked for me and I got a lot of positive feedback early on with performing and I thought okay I get this so were there any other curries that you wanted to pursue and you're younger as well this was the drinks I mean this has been the dream since I was 16 but I did go through a period where I went to theater school graduated was going to lots of auditions you know waitressing and I thought well I'm also very interested in politics and in INSAT Latin America and I made it help my friend make a documentary about Latin America so I thought I might be a journalist and I applied to the University of British Columbia in Canada to do a master's in journalism and I got accepted Wow climbs your masters there's a lot of work and I made the application got accepted and then I sat down and really thought it out and I thought you know I'm gonna get myself one more year to really try this acting thing and in that year I booked heartland yard it was all meant to be the universe had different plans for you and our view Korea you've been in showers like the good doctor and supernatural and just recently back woman really cool but something I wanted to bring up was back in 2008 and it was in the zombie horror film diary of the day and how was your experience being in a scary film because that's very different from the other roles who played yeah um it was amazing because that was my first lead in a film and it was with the cult director George Romero who is he invented the zombie genre he created Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead and all for Samba films so to have that as my first because I was a fan of his so to have that as my first job was a big deal to me I was over the moon um was fantastic to work with he was wonderful and the truth is is like I'm a baby I can't watch horror films I can't I just imagine Asian is too vivid and it'll keep me up at night but being in a horror film is not as scary I I've heard stories about some films that were creepy to be part of filming but no not that wasn't the case here because you you'd be standing at the snack counter with the zombie chatting like you know eating muffins and then action and and like running away from them so it wasn't so that's a lot of fun it sounds like it was fun and we know a lot of hot land fans are listening today sorry we have to talk about hot land certainly obvious right but let's bring you back to the beginning of the show how did you come across hot land you know was the role of lurch is something that you immediately were interested in yeah you know yet so many auditions as an actor and something you're like oh this is interesting and sometimes you're like this is amazing I really love this and as soon as I read the description for blue she didn't look like me because it always described it said she was a petite blonde I have never read the book so when the book she was a petite line so that's what he said for the casting description but the way they talked about her she's the older sister she's you know it said something about her energy and she's come back from New York and I thought okay this character I get you know and then when I read the I was like it's just something clicked and obviously they saw it as well I think though yeah okay it's funny like when I did the audition I felt it I was like yeah that one worked cuz sometimes you do it and you're like well I did my best we'll see to the god that I did my best but with that one I was like okay that one worked and and so I'm glad that the producers thought so too and was it later on that they you know brought in amber and and kind of had a you know an audition for you guys in new chemistry cuz you guys really act like sisters it's amazing I know and we kind of feel like we have a sisterly bond now after all these years like it's what I would call it more like a sisterly bond then like a friendship bond we're not like best friends but like we call each other when we're worried about something or when there's something we want to talk through or you know you've got some big news we call each other so we didn't get any time for that they they they cast the pilot very last-minute and amber named storia I don't know if that we've spoken to amber right as a half yet and Graham yeah so amber will tell you the same story it was all cast very last minute so I didn't meet or talk to anyone until I arrived on set to fill in goodness so it was meant to be since you guys have such a great connection and you'd expect that off - like what 13 14 years now yeah yeah you just know everyone like a family now you probably spend more time with them than your actual family not anymore I mean we used to do 18 episodes and so that was the case then but these days the past we've been doing shorter season like 12 episodes 10 episodes so now if the season goes back too quickly which AHS fans we want more we want like a taint wait you know this should write to CBC write an email to CBC say we want 18 episodes thank our I'm sure enough fans are listening today let's get those letters in right through the click email any of you always personally been a fan of horses did you learn to ride on set or beforehand I have always been a fan of courses my family um I come from a family of ranchers in Chile my great-grandfather had a ranch and so I would go in the on our holidays to Chile and we would always horseback ride but I never was like a jumper or like I never pursued it as a sport so when I got to Heartland I thought oh yeah I can ride but then I learned like really riding is that whole other thing I spend a lot of time with the Wranglers like the Cowboys and the cow women I'm in cowgirls on a novice go cow women I'm just practicing with them and watching them and working with them and I feel so much more confident on a horse now after all these years I love it I love getting up on the Horsham and it's a challenge every time though because it's one thing to ride a horse it's another thing to ride a horse on a set with cameras and flags and lights and things that can spook the horse and sometimes it does right so it's just filming um like it's different being on a set with a horse and how is it then when we see Lou like doing some jumping did you have to learn that pull that roll I I trained for that and I did some training but they don't want you to do a lot of the actual jumping on the set because they're worried if you fall off then they have to halt production the main you don't want that so so they let me do a little bit and of course they let me ride but they prefer to have stunt doubles for anything like any big jumping we don't need you breaking a leg like there was any sport if you watch a show about snowboarders or skateboarders they'll always have a stunt double for the dangerous thing because they can't risk losing their main actor to a broken leg and I think I don't really good job because you know you don't even notice you like yep this Michelle Morgan doing a thing yeah I mean I do some and ha has become the longest-running one-hour TV drama in Canadian history congratulations to you guys and since you have been doing this for 13 14 years which I'm sure must get quite repetitive like anything when you do it for that long and I have spoken to Graham and and amber about this as well so I thought I definitely want to ask you keep it fresh and interesting and fun to yourself off to ceremony Wangler well the good thing is every script is different and I think like I remember after season five I really felt like I needed like a jump and I started with an acting coach like a new acting coach to help me find new ways into the material and that for me really helped me and I feel like my performance in season six was really good because of her and I mean you're always just like you have to keep it fun and you have to keep it fun on set so that you're always looking forward to going to set you're always looking forward to seeing your friends and if you treat the energy fun and uplifting behind the scenes it'll feed into what's happening on set like I think when it starts to become a drag to go to work if you don't want to be there and you're tired that feeds into your performance so I think just keeping it fun but honestly I I don't feel like that I don't feel like oh this is the same old thing because every script is new every script has new ideas always excited to go to work that's good from the other guys that it is a really fun off set as well and you know grandma's saying Shawn who plays grandpa Jack you know he sometimes brings out the guitar does a bit of jamming and that's really nice and with the crew as well - they're like family to us a lot of the crew so it is a really fun energy behind the scenes a lot of the crew has been from day one right a lot of them are yeah I mean it can get stressful sometimes we're running late and or there's like a snowstorm or it's freezing cold or something like that or it's really really hot so there it can be hard but we like to keep it fine and light as much as possible yeah I've noticed there's been less and less outdoor shots now and I'm like okay yep probably got sick of the cold over the heat outside the winter yeah and when it gets too cold let the scene where Lou gets married um they almost had to cancel that whole scene because it was minus 40 degrees Celsius DV Celsius in Australia yeah that's really cold yeah I mean it's unusually cold for Calgary and they said why don't we move that scene that's outside the church with you a grand palace move into the kitchen in Hartland and I said no it has to be in front of the church and I thanked them and they kept it in front of the church that's good hopefully the hata was cranking in the car but you know for the poor crew the people who have to run around and with the cameras they weren't in the car right but they they can still they can dress really warm I mean it was hard for them I think though yeah that's probably why they wanted to move it for them it was it ended up being a great thing so I'm glad they didn't get rid of it it would have been if you did and if you ever had any trouble memorizing your lines for the shower cuz you know Lord definitely says some deep things yeah of course sometimes they're a date like Thursdays where if you're tired or if you haven't slept well that the words just coming but memory thing lines has never been a big problem for me and I can read a script like two or three times I mean I usually read it at least three times and I'll pretty much have and the thing is is you only do about ten pages a day eight to ten pages a day so it's manageable who do you think screws up their lines the worst that's a good question probably Nathaniel arqon's Scott and the person who probably like takes the most time and the most takes to get the lines right it's Sean Johnston not because he forgets them but because he's a perfectionist so he wants it perfect so I want to be like oh it was good great moving on and he'll be like no I want to do it again well that's good his scenes are always like the best in terms of his dialogue so it needs to be perfect yeah he likes it perfect and speaking of Scott before Luke has been with several guys throughout the show heart that she'd be with you know for a long period of time obviously she was with Peter for a while but when reading the scripts you know I know a lot of us for a while wanted you to end up with Scott that's funny yeah I the truth is I've been so lucky because Nathaniel placed Scott was my first boyfriend he's lovely were good friends like we're really good friends he's lovely I'm Gabriel Hogan who plays my husband or ex-husband he's also lovely and hilarious and then Kevin McGarry who plays Mitch who is loose current boyfriend he's just great like so I just they're all wonderful people we get along great I can't pick one of them because I feel like that would be like betraying the other two so I I feel like it's for me to pick which one I think they're all great and honestly if I were to show up on set and read the first script and find out oh I'm with Scott I'd be happy I'm with like they're all just great so I had sort of dodging the question but they really are just wonderful people to act with and I think it would be it could be interesting to see Lou with any of them so yeah well they all hold a little spicy Lou's hot I think that's cool and I was sad when Lou got divorced I'll be honest yeah it was a difficult year for me like performing what season was that I get the book stopped for eight or nine but I get them mixed up but I struggled in that season cuz it was sad it was hard especially when you're with him for quite a while in the show oh yeah we've been together for a long time the show so that was that was difficult but you know it was I think it was interesting because they wanted to have a realistic divorce on TV that was at the ball in the end the producer both came from doing work teens and they felt like it was important for kids out there who watched the show who have separated families to see a healthy version of that on TV it don't feel like oh why my why did my mom and dad break up you know to see a reflection of that happening on TV in a healthy way yeah that's definitely a healthy way because that's still talking there's still car parenting it's a great way to show it on TV yeah and I have just recently read on your facebook that they have renewed it for season 14 who I've known I couldn't announce that I've known for so long but they were like here announce it hey congrats guys and we are very started to watch it when you guys you know safe enough to film what should heartfully be Cerner NARS yeah we don't know yet you know hopefully this summer yeah fingers crossed and with over 15 years of experience acting in 2018 you founded madano films is that how you pronounce it I've met it met it but it's actually like a th sound method oh that's how you say it in Spanish no no I like it so you're networking as a writer and a director start before coronavirus were you working on this when you weren't in the filming of heartland yeah I've been developing a script for a while that I am hoping to get made but funnily enough it's about a pandemic I kid you not and I've been working on a long time so that's kind of on the back burner but yeah I'm really looking forward to writing more and directing more as soon as is safely possible did you ever have to work on you know these projects during the filming as well because I've always wondered that when you you know your character Lou went away for her book tour a lot uh yeah I have so last two last summer no two two seasons ago I shot a short film while doing Heartland in Tofino BC which is um on the island Vancouver Island and it's a surfing film and so it was hard cuz I would have to like come home on the weekend go out to Safina you know prepping it and I found it hard to do well filming so I prefer to do like I can develop things while I'm filming but actually film them once the Heartland seasons wrapped because it was too much I have a family and my kids and the husband that that's a big commitment right there so to add to that Heartland and this everything it was too much yeah and waited the name maintainer come from it's actually my grandfather's ranch oh really oh that's nice it means something like the standee place or Sarah like but yeah so uh our ranch in Chile is called Nathanael that's really great you give it a little bit of a shout-out to him and your new works I love that yeah we're grandfathered I say grandfather great grandfather great grandfather you say grandfather but that's and how did you find starting it out as a director you know have you been picking up tips from all the other directors you've worked with over the years I haven't had shadowed them I've definitely spent lots of time watching other directors talking with them asking questions I've done some training I did a program here called women in the director's chair which happens with the Whistler Film Festival and then you know you eventually with out with directing you just have to do it so I'm a couple short films and a web series and yeah and you just have to just jump in at some point and did you find in the beginning did you have to use like some of your own money to fund it or did you get sponsors to help you a little bit like my first short film I did um I did crowdfunding - I put a bit of my own money in as well and from for my next one no but I mean it's best not to use too much of your own money unless you're gonna do something really low budget and just do it you know a lot of people shoot things on their iPhones or whatever sure do that but I wouldn't suggest people put like all their savings into making a film because the thing with independent film is that it doesn't it's good as a calling card and just show people and to prove your work into practice but independent film doesn't have a huge return you know anything like you're not gonna like see that money back if that makes any sense yeah oh that's good advice for everyone as well and you have also directed three episodes of the new CBC digital series Hudson which is a speed up of Heartland how was your experience filming those episodes especially with bang with Heartland for so long I loved it I absolutely loved it it was a really young fun new crew and really young new cast as well Madison who plays Jade was our lead she's fantastic she's one of the most talented actresses and then we cast some new characters and I was involved with every step of it from its inception and casting and I loved it they left at night just I wish we could do more so we'll see fingers crossed on that too did you find also being in hot land that it helped you with directing this series yes yeah because we were keeping it in the same world in the same tone and so that was like second nature to me what's this tone what's the fuel you know because a lot when you're creating something new a lot of time and energy and head spaces is around like what is the tone what kind of film are we making this is the comedy is this what's our genre like what because the tongues and feels of acting of pace storytelling so sometimes you watch a show and you'll see almost that different actors are in a different genre have you ever seen something like that where it's just not I mean it's like they're doing something really broad and they're doing something more grounded so that's kind of that the director's job is to keep everyone in the same world and the showrunners and the writers especially when you already know you know the town of Hudson in the show yeah it helps and as you mentioned before you're also married with two children a boy to go you really hit the jackpot there the other lovely pair they were a little juggle you know all these in your career with your family and and and I'm still having a bit of a personal life and social life do you know actually have any time management tips for our listeners especially if they were working moms no I don't because I'm terrible with time management um but I'm lucky that I have a very supportive husband who works from home so when I'm working on Heartland and I'm very busy he really steps in as a more active parent always though also had childcare like I've never lived near my parents unfortunately which is so sad but so we've always had a nanny ever since the kids were born otherwise it just wouldn't be possible to do what I do I don't have a nanny right now for the first time like since my kids were born this will quarantine time we haven't had and it's been like it's very great but it's been hard you know like running a household and making three meals a day it's it's so much work thank you so much my father and even though you've already achieved so much in your career Michele what else can we expect from you in the future well I'm hoping to direct more and so I'm working on writing a few projects and then you know writing is a really exciting new journey for me so I'm hoping I can write and direct a film one day soon fingers crossed looks like you've already got some amazing projects out sorry people who just want to keep working with your heartfully thank you so much kommen damn any advice for our listeners today who might want to follow their dreams of becoming an actor or even a director well I think if people are very serious about it they need to do the work they need to study and they need to take it seriously because I think a lot of people want to get into acting and they think it's about looks or it's about you know just confidence but it's a skill and it's something that you need to train for and you need to really think about and just look because and you might look out with Vincent looks and get one job but that won't carry through to a whole career you know you have to take it seriously so I guess my advice is if people feel passionate about it and they feel like this is something they want to try they should look for some training in their area and not like they should look for training that's real training for actors not just like you know it's not modeling this is acting right it's serious so they should be for some training and they should start trying to create things with their friends you know go do a play make a little short film with your buddies start doing it thinking of ideas being creative look for people who are doing things you're interested in and I would really suggest that people take training seriously because an acting career is long and at some point you may not feel so confident or you might get old and you might feel like you don't have those same looks that used to have or something but if you have that training that's where your confidence comes from and you can a very long wonderful career but it's not it's not easy and it's not for the faint of heart you know like it takes a lot of dedication you gotta have a thick skin to some rejection you get so much criticism and - everybody thinks they can critique acting and so you get a lot of critiques and you just have to take you know what you want and and kind of brush the rest off which is obviously made you a much stronger woman as well when it comes to that I'm not strong but my mom it you fooled us again keep doing what you're doing because you're doing an amazing job and we cannot wait to watch season 14 of Heartland as well wait make season 14 I'm so looking forward to it you can see that I'm excited I've watched every single episode and even like in our family - it's going like stray generations because my grandma watches that my mom watches at Niger it's so beautiful with your grandma and your mum's name I modal and Debbie hi Myrtle hi Debbie thanks for watching they will love that thank you and we are unfortunately getting to the end of the interview Michelle but as a closing statement and was Pro the most important question knowing what you know now what would you tell your 14 year old self oh that's it that's how you actually warn me about this and I still didn't think gosh there's so many things but let me just pick up you you know the most important thing I would tell her is to not take things so seriously and to not take things personally because there was so many good things in my life when I was 14 there were so many lovely friends and my family and so many opportunities but I think when I was 14 I tended to focus on the things that weren't working you know the the people at school who weren't my friends the things that I didn't have you know the hair that I didn't have or the clothes or I was always focused on my lack rather than what I had so I would tell myself to try to just be grateful be more in the present and stop thinking about what I didn't have and and just be grateful for what I did have what I've enjoyed myself a bit more yeah I think we can only relate to that a little bit oh my gosh when you're 14 I know schools hard it's you got to do the work and you got to put your nose to the grindstone but you should also just be having fun and enjoying life you know you're you don't have you don't have bills you should just be enjoying your life when you're a teenager and having fun and doing sports and getting fresh air and just enjoying good friendships yeah I completely agree with that mostly all the 14 year olds listening take that on board as well I feel you've changed some people's lives today great and before we go if the listeners would like to contact you Michelle I'll find out what you're up to in the future where should they go where should we follow you they can go to my Instagram page which is at Michelle Morgan underscore that's a great way to follow what I'm up to what I'm doing and they can also go check out my website which is Medano filmstock oh my gosh is it come over net here it is it's calm Medano films calm funny I'll use it on it but I didn't obviously memorize the URL but there you go don't calm guys and thank you so much for coming on the show today Michelle I really appreciate your time thank you so much for having me have a great afternoon I sure will and love to have you on again in the future you're welcome on anytime heartfully next time we're gonna have a chat in person you know after all the restrictions are lifted do you have any plan of plans are coming to Australia in the future I - I have good friends who spend a lot of time there I we serve my husband's big server so I would love to yes come to our beaches let me know when you do that in the future for sure they will love to meet you in person we can have a nice another girl chat those go we keep in contact and we'll make it happen okay thanks everyone for listening well I hope you'll enjoy today's interview if you like check out any of our other interviews visit our website raise it up tv.com podcasts and videos are there for you to enjoy thanks for watching and we'll see you next time [Music]

Channel: Rave It Up TV

Views: 41,674

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Id: OD5ArdkKnv0

Length: 30min 23sec (1823 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 16 2020