Lamorne Morris Spreads His Wings

Rick Mele May 12, 2020

In New Girl, Lamorne Morris was known for his clothes. Rather, one piece in particular. “My character was known for wearing these weird short-sleeved button-downs with printed patterns,” Morris says. “You know, bird shirts.” In fact, that avian apparel became such a signature for New Girl’s Winston Bishop, it started leaking into the actor’s real-life wardrobe. Call it style by osmosis. The more attention his character’s style got, the more attention Morris began paying to his own, he explains. “Used to be I’d go shopping just for shoes — I’d look for the new LeBrons that came out. Now you go, ‘Let me stop in this store. That mannequin looked like he was wearing a short-sleeved button-down I would like.’”

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Or, well, that Winston would like. After seven seasons and 145 episodes, it’s only natural for the lines to blur, Morris says. His wardrobe started to become his identity — he even started selling his own bird shirts online. “People go, ‘You’re a lot like your character.’ And in the back of my mind, I’m going, ‘15 hours a day for seven years, yeah…I think I got into that character a little bit.’”

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Which is why it’s so exciting for the actor and comedian to jump into something entirely different with his latest project: Valiant Comics’ Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel as a soldier brought back to life with nanotechnology- aided superpowers. Morris plays a British scientist who becomes the antihero’s unlikely ally, and if all goes well, Bloodshot could launch a brand new franchise, potentially even a Marvel-esque cinematic universe — with Morris playing an integral part.

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Meaning even more work for an actor who’s already got plenty on his plate. As we speak, he’s filming a new Hulu series called Woke in Vancouver — “I’m the lead-lead. But because of that, I’m in every moment of this show” — with three more movies in the works, including a Netflix comedy. “I need a month to get back out of shape, eat what I want, drink what I want, travel where I want to go and regroup,” he laughs. “We can’t all be Kevin Hart.”

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But there is one more project Morris is willing to add to his packed schedule: a Fast and the Furious movie. Especially now that he’s an official member of the Vin Diesel family. “Let me tell you something: I hinted at it, I asked about it, and he ignores me,” he says, faux- exasperated. “Hey, yo, Vin, what the fuck are you doing, man? Just put me in this goddamn movie! I want to be in it so bad! These are some of the greatest movies of all time.”

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He’s even got a pitch ready: “I want to jump out of a plane, catch a shark in mid-air, beat up that shark, then an explosion has to happen…” All while wearing a nice short- sleeved button-down with birds on it. Or not. Morris is open to trying on something different these days.