Morgan Taylor Campbell has an expressiveness that can convey both wonder and worldliness. A dark haired beauty with an old-soul, Morgan has all the makings of a star; poise, enthusiasm and raw talent. For years she dabbled and pecked at different passions but nothing quite enraptured her more than when she discovered acting. For Morgan acting has become much more than a dream of lights, it has opened her heart to the human condition and a dire need for truth.
Her first major achievement was landing a leading role in the ensemble cast of the Daytime Emmy Award winning series “Spooksville”, playing the role of town witch, Ann Templeton. Morgan has guest starred on Disney XD’s “Mr. Young”, AMC’s “The Killing” and The CW’s “Supernatural” and “iZombie”. Recently she has had recurring roles on The CW’s “The 100” and Freeform’s “Dead of Summer”. Morgan has since begun creating a solid reputation for herself as a leading lady in the independent film world. Starring in features such as “Sadie’s Last Days on Earth”, “The Orchard”, “Gregoire” and Marvista Entertainment’s upcoming thriller, “Wicked Love”. She will also appear in the new Power Rangers film set to release in March 2017. Morgan is currently filming a supporting role in an indie feature called William directed by Tim Disney, the great nephew of Walt Disney.
We had the opportunity to talk with Morgan about acting, life and some of her Geekly interests. Check out the interview below!
DFAT: As someone whose pursued acting all their life, is there a specific movie/tv show/play that you drew inspiration from to make it your career?
Morgan: I am so blessed to have found the black box early on in my training. It’s characters such as Abigail in the Crucible and Strindberg’s Miss Julie that keep this fire roaring in my belly. It is the creative fulfillment I get out of exploring the depth of these specific characters that has given me so much respect for my craft and a drive to never stop learning.
DFAT: With the success of series like Scream and Stranger Things, how was it working on the 80s slasher show, Dead of Summer?
Morgan: It only left me wanting more! I’ve always had such a hankering to work on horror projects and I’m so happy that these ace throwback shows like Strangers Things and Dead Of Summer are becoming mainstream again as I look forward to keep on playing in this genre.
DFAT: What do you think is the best way to avoid a Summer Camp Killer?
Morgan: Don’t run toward the blasted noise in the darkness!!!
DFAT: You’re starring in Sadie’s Last Days on Earth, hitting theaters in the US and Canada on December 9th, where you’re dealing with the pending apocalypse, any survival tips you can share?
Photo Credit: Trevor Brady
Morgan: When I was researching for the film I was surprised how many survival tips turned out to be myths. Taping your windows, standing in a door frame, both myths that are actually more detrimental than helpful. From what I’ve read, standing at an inside corner turns out to be one of the strongest options when indoors.
DFAT: If it was the last days on Earth, how would you spend them?
Morgan: When money becomes obsolete and the anxieties of working toward a future become stop, I’d like to use the time as a gift to breathe in the remaining fresh air, look strangers in the eye and give my family the time of day they deserve. Appreciate every morsel of simplicity that often gets overlooked in the race of our digital era.
DFAT: You’re appearing in the upcoming Power Rangers film next year, who is your favorite Ranger and why?
Morgan: In our script, the Blue Ranger is my favorite. I love the depth of character with which he has been written and RJ Cyler does an exquisite job of serving him justice.
DFAT: If you could pick one comic book character that best represents you or you’d most like to portray in TV or film, who would it be and why?
Morgan: I’d be Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. He is the Prince of Stories working in dreamscapes, flirting with my fascination of the existences that thrive in our subconscious. With it’s powerful storyline and Gaiman as a writer, it’s irresistible. I’d be grateful to be apart of anything he has written.
DFAT: One of your goals is to write children’s books, would you ever write one involving your witch character from Spooksville?’
Morgan: Many of the characters I come up with belong in a realm to the left of the one that fosters us humans. However, Christopher Pike has already done an immaculate job with Ann in his novels that she is simply not for my taking. I have such a love for my Spooksville experience and those novels. Every one of them still remains a part of the collection which gives my bookshelf purpose.
DFAT: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue a career in acting?
Morgan: The beauty in choosing your art as a career path is that everyone’s story is different and you have the opportunity to honor yourself as an individual in your work. What is still of great value to me is the training I continue to benefit from and the support system of peers which has amassed from being in one black box theaters for years. There are a lot of hard days and I give these people much credit for inspiring me through them and pushing me to work harder.
