Lamorne Morris – New Girl

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I have some independent projects that I am working on and more will come later. I’m doing a project with Jake Johnson. I have a movie coming out called Babershop 3, which is going to be really, really funny. Please go and check that out! It’s got Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer, Eve, JB Smoove, Deon Cole, Regina Hall, Sean Patrick Thomas, Troy Garity and Nicki Minaj. We’re lucky to be a part of this cast.

Q) What can you share about your character Jerrod in Barbershop 3?

A) My character is a little bit like Winston where he and women sometimes aren’t on the same page. Sometimes at a barbershop you hear a man talking about how things are and a woman talking about how things are so it is usually a man vs woman thing. Jerrod sometimes takes the point of view of a woman even if they don’t want them him to. He’s a really funny character. He’s kind of like Winston in a small sense.

Q) Where do we pick up this season on “New Girl” with Winston?

A) Winston has got a lot of weirdness going on this season. He’s trying to advance in his cop career. You used to see a lot of timid Winston in his cop skin and now you are going to see his chest going to be a lot higher. The loft mates will be proud to call him their roommate now. In one episode, you saw him become the “Carport Hero” and there is a lot more to come. He develops a thing for someone already in the cast. That’s all I’m going to say!

Q) Winston is taking his job as a police officer seriously. Has he finally found his calling?

A) I think so! Although, I’m still holding out that Winston becomes the modern day Hitch and starts setting people up in relationships like Will Smith did. He would legitimately create the dumbest relationships. I think that would be fun! Also, I’m holding up for Winston’s standup comedy to take off.

Q) Megan Fox is filling in this season for a bit. What was the dynamic like adding this new character into an already well established cast?

A) It was easy and it was awesome. It was a little strange at first going to work and Zooey [Deschanel] not being there. It was a little strange. You are used to working with a person and the tone changed, but it doesn’t really change that much. It’s just a different dynamic. Megan came in and she is so different from Zooey and her character is so different from Jess. It was like working with a really cool guest star multiple times. It was awesome! She is really funny. She is very sarcastic and very dry. So, that was fun as well because a lot of times in our loft we say a bunch of dumb things and do a bunch dumb things and no one seems to call us out on it. If something seems dumb, we just kind of get away with it. But her character is kind of the voice of the audience in a way where she can kind of call BS on some of the things that we do and it’s really funny. She’s a cool actor to work with and it was fun. No problems at all. She’s awesome!

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that has come natural to you or something you have worked at?

A) I guess it’s always been natural to me. I’ve always been a humorous person and had a humorous personality. Even as a kid, I usually found the funny things in life (even in not so great situations). When you grow up in not the best surroundings, you have to (as a defense mechanism) find the humor in things. So, it comes natural to me. I love goofing around. Work is not work. It’s just playing with your friends. Especially when you have been working with the same group for five years, the timing is going to be there. We all know each other so well that it kind of just works and just makes sense.

Q) You all have been working together so long that it is nice to see you reaching out to one another to work on other projects.

A) It’s great! It’s easy, too. A lot of times if I have ideas (even if they won’t work on it), the first people I tell is Jake Johnson, Max [Greenfield], Zooey, Hannah [Simone] and Damon [Wayans, Jr.]. Damon isn’t even on the show anymore and I still pitch jokes to him on the phone all the time!

Q) What have been some of your favorite moments from portraying Winston?

A) I love when Winston plays pranks! I think they are awesome. I like (even though it was a pain in the ass to shoot) chasing the badger in the air vent. It wasn’t the easiest to shoot, but on screen it looked fantastic. I like a lot of our one-on-one scenes like just me and Jake or just me and Max. It’s just two cameras set up and we can get as crazy as we want to. A lot of the times those are the ones I can’t keep a straight face and keep it together.

Q) Since you are a part of social media, are you looking forward to the fan feedback you’ll be receiving when Megan’s episodes begin?

A) Only if it’s positive! There are a lot of trolls on the internet that like to be seen and be heard. They’ll fill up your timeline with stuff that doesn’t make sense. So, hopefully it is all honest and positive feedback. Whenever an episode airs, the first thing I do is check Twitter and Instagram to see what people are talking about. It’s a good way to gage instantly how people are feeling about the episodes.

Q) What would you like to be sure to share with fans about Winston this season?

A) They should know that he is going to make a comeback with the ladies. Always give Winston hope every year. Also, there are rumors going around that Winston is sleeping with his cat. Winston is not sleeping with his cat! Yes, they sleep in the same bed together. Yes, they do! Sure…Sure, Winston may be there while Ferguson is getting it on during a cat date, but it’s just to oversee and make sure that things don’t get a little hairy, if you know what I mean. People should know that, granted, even though we have such a close relationship we indeed are not sleeping with each other. Winston is going to make a comeback with women and it is going to be strong. Very strong!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of your work?

A) I would like to say to please continue. That would be awesome. Follow future endeavors of me and my cast mates. Follow me on social media! That would be great at @LamorneMorris.