Lamorne Morris on New Girl, SNL biopic and why he’s like LeBron James
Lamorne Morris is on a roll, which is pretty remarkable for someone who has had a career in Hollywood for two decades. And if you feel like the New Girl If you see actors everywhere these days, it’s because he is one.
This is Morris, who does commercials for BMO Harris Bank. He’s back, as a guest host Jimmy Kimmel Live! Have you seen the new episodes of Unstable on Netlifx? Yes. Morris is there too. Next he starts filming Amazon Prime’s Spider Noir alongside Nic Cage and Brendan Gleeson. Don’t forget to check out the latest season of Fargowhich earned the actor his first Emmy nomination — and led to an even better reaction video when his three-year-old daughter couldn’t help but mimic Morris’ tears (a gift for comedy runs in the family).
So it only makes sense that the man who always works with Mike’s Hard Lemonade for a “Jobstacle Course” in New York City on August 20. Those who sign up must battle through “job-related challenges” to reach the break room where the lemonade with a shot awaits.
It promises to be the second most notable drinking game associated with Morris, after New GirlIt’s a crazy True American, and most fans on the internet are still trying to figure out all the rules.
Which raises the question: Can you play True American with Mike is tough lemonade?
“The thing with Mike’s it is a little different from what we drank New Girl,” says Morris, who played Winston Bishop on the show for seven seasons. “Mike’s actually tastes really good. It’s a kind of treat, if you will. At True American, we pour beers in small sips and just throw the can away. With Mike’sand the (glass) bottle, you can’t do that.
“Plus, you don’t want to gulp it down, you want to enjoy it. So the game would last a lot longer. People would relax, people would chat, and before you know it, you’re not playing the game anymore. You’re just having fun. It’s a little different than playing True American.”
That’s fine, especially since Morris hasn’t been able to relax for long lately. Fortunately, For The Win was able to talk the 41-year-old Chicagoan into the enduring fan base of New Girlwhat quotes people shout at him on the street and how he fit into the role of Garrett Morris in Jason Reitman’s upcoming film. Saturday Night Live Biography.
This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 09: Lamorne Morris attends “Netflix Is A Joke Fest Presents: Jeff Beacher’s Madhouse” at Hollywood Roosevelt on May 9, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
It’s great. It’s great because I appreciate it New Girl. I appreciate the fans of New Girland I’m going to continue to put everything I can into this show because it’s like a gift that keeps on giving. The fans love it and I perform for the fans. So it’s great to give them other things as well. But if something you’ve done still resonates with people, that’s great. You just have to stick with it and enjoy it because it’s not easy to get a job like this. It’s really difficult. It’s really, really difficult. The years and years of slogging just to get auditions and then when you come across something so gold and so much, New Girl was, you embrace it and cherish it forever, because things go away and so far, New Girl is still rolling.
I also know how to separate the two. You know, the fans still come. They still come for the other things that you do, and you still get the recognition. I’m very grateful for an Emmy nomination. And that’s a testament to the fans of my work and the fans of the things that I do, and a lot of those fans come from the New Girl Universe, which is great. I often hear stories about people who kind of alienate their fan base because they want to move on to something else. For me, it’s the opposite. You know, for me, it’s a big party, like, let’s all hang out. Let’s all not take our lives so seriously and just have fun. You know, at the end of the day, it’s about entertainment.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 08: Lamorne Morris and Max Greenfield participate in Ping Pong 4 Purpose presented by Skechers and UCLA Health at Dodger Stadium on August 8, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Kershaw’s Challenge)
Yes, I hear “Winnie the Bish!” all the time. But every now and then there’s someone who doesn’t quite understand that “Bish” is “B,” “I,” “S,” “H,” and they just yell, “Hey, Winnie The Bitch!”
I say, “That’s not… that’s not. Was that intentional, sir? Is that? That’s not, that’s not my name.” And then they call, you know, they do that. I hear that a lot. Winnie, the bitch or the slut.
Online, I get Prank Sinatra because people tag me in all their pranks and stuff like that. Or they buy Prank Sinatra shirts and tag me in them.
US actor Lamorne Morris arrives at the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California on January 14, 2024. (Photo by Michael TRAN / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Um, I would probably say I’m the LeBron James of acting.
I feel like I can do a lot of different things as a performer. You know, when I’m on set and we need to change the scene this way or that way, I can do those things, you know, hosting, whether it’s comedy or drama, I just enjoy it. And LeBron James is kind of like a Swiss guy. On the court, he’s kind of like a Swiss Army knife. So, yeah, I would compare us, LeBron and I.
Yes, it will be good.
I don’t want to give away any plot points, but it’s out there. This is all about the first day at SNL. It comes out October 11th. It’s, I don’t know, man, it’s going to be really good, really, really good, and we’re having so much fun making it.
It will be one of those films that, I think, historically speaking, for people who are fans of SNL and newer fans of SNL and just fans of great movies. (Director) Jason Reitman has nailed it. The cast is great. It was a great experience making it. We would just go out and hang out after work, you know? And that was one of the better filming experiences for me.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: Lamorne Morris attends the 6th Annual American Black Film Festival Honors: A Celebration Of Black Excellence In Hollywood at SLS Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills on March 3, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
Well, pretty much everyone. But one person in particular: Nicholas Podany.
Nick Podany is a great actor. He plays Billy Crystal. That’s all I’m going to say about that. That’s all I’m going to say about that. And he does a damn good job. And everybody, again, everybody knows I do a damn good job. But vocally, and it’s a, yeah, (Podany) is a natural.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 15: Lamorne Morris attends the Season 5 premiere of FX’s “Fargo” at Nya Studios on November 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Well, I knew superficial things about him, you know what I mean?
I knew it was a time when racism played a role, and he was the first to find himself in such a situation, or at least one of the first, but SNL In particular, he was the first black person to appear on the show, which came with many obstacles.
What I didn’t know was how hard he worked to overcome those obstacles. It was very difficult for him at first to navigate a new medium for him because he was a playwright. He was a writer, but he wasn’t used to writing sketches, so he didn’t know where his place was in the show against the backdrop of a racially charged time. He was kind of in his own world.
I didn’t realize he was feeling a little lonely until I talked to him and found out a lot of the things he was struggling with while filming.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Lamorne Morris attends VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The 90s Game Changers at Paramount Studios on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for VH1/Viacom)
You need a great leader. Our director, Jason Reitman, did a great job of setting the right tone for everyone while also making it clear that we’re not replicating these people exactly.
We’re telling the story of what happened that day on this iconic show, and the best way to tell that is through great storytelling. I think if you see the film, you’ll know that Jason Reitman had his fingers in everything. And the whole crew. It was a very warm atmosphere, shall we say, because you can take risks and try different things, you can try big and small, but the atmosphere was very, very warm, and Jason and his team had set the table very beautifully.
