Actor Curtis Morgan poses on Yonge st., Toronto. curtismorgan.media@gmail.com

Photo Cred:  Jeff Chevrier

Who Am I?

My Name: Curtis Morgan.

I am, among other things, an actor.   That is my not-so-secret identity, My “Superman”.  My “Clark Kent” is that I am Music, mainly urban.  One does not exist without the other, and sometimes, depending on the situation, and how close the nearest phone booth is, I need one to make the other better.

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t breathe right without my music. It’s been my obsession since hearing my first Bee Gees harmony at four years old, getting my first cassette (Pointer Sisters) at six years old (still rock that one), to my discovery of Michael Jackson and New Edition at seven. It was always something that was bigger than me, something I was unable to control.

At the time, with the exception of Michael, this music that I loved was, by no means, the popular choice. In the small western Canadian towns where I grew up, I had little, to no, access to urban music. All I had was a weekly one hour program (Soul In The City) on a new channel called MuchMusic and a brand new VCR. That’s really all I needed.

Now I’m not only a fan of the entertainment game, but I consider myself a part of it. I may not have an official title, but I’ve always had my fingers on the pulse. I’m leaving my mark through the input and opinion that some of my famous friends (Nasri [lead singer of the band Magic!, writer of “Never Say Never” — Justin Bieber; “Crawl” — Chris Brown], Ivana Santilli, Quddus, etc.) hit me up for from time to time.  I’m also making some noise as a music and entertainment blog writer here on my blog as well as MobToronto.com.

I’m leaving my mark as an actor by starring in shows like Shadowhunters, Fatal Vows, three independent American Feature Films (American Soldiers, The Four Horsemen, Conduct Unbecoming) and a few more.  Acting, to me, is an extension of the performance part of me that I discovered when I used to sing in my acappella group.  I act for the same reason I sang, to move people, to make people feel something.  I don’t believe in running from emotions, I think we all need to face them head-on a little more, no matter what they are.  That, to me, is the point of it all.

See, this right here…? This is what I do. I entertain. Allow me to entertain you.

Welcome to my world… The downbeat hits, the first note resounds, and your feet just get a mind of their own. It’s your groove,… your own personal groove. It is YOUR JAM, while you are in your favorite outfit standing next to your favorite people. Lyrics that speak to you and water your soul that has been left out in the sun of the real world a little too long. You know the jam I’m talking about, YOUR song… Welcome to my world…, where all things hot and cool, and real, and dreamy all meet to dance.

Some of my highlights

We’re never supposed to pick favorites, every role is like your child. But if you have to, they say that you should pick the latest one. I get that. But I think I would’ve picked this one anyway. My favorite project so far, I would say would have to be Shadowhunters. I hadn’t got to delve this deep into a bad guy yet. Even though it was pretty surface in terms of scope, I had a lot of reference material for Pangborn, and the fans… the amazing fans, they made this role a thousand times more fun. So it will always be special.

That would probably be when I entered the MuchMusic VJ Search years ago. They had over 1500 entrants, and I decided to do it as a dare two days before the deadline. Me and two friends took a camera and went downtown and shot a bunch of stuff and I edited the tape myself, and I got it in right at the last minute. I was selected as one of seven semi-finalists who got to compete on live TV in front of the nation. I didn’t win, but apparently MuchMusic liked me so much, they called me out of the blue to host a TV show over that summer.

In my training, there are a couple of notions that stick with me. One thing I learned from Tom Todoroff was to Play the Love. Even a villain loves something. Start from there and build the complexities of the character, but always start with love. I also try to walk a fine line of creating a character that is not rooted in my own personality, but pulls key parts of my own personality to enhance it, things only I can do.  Lewis Baumander taught me that.  In this business, the term “the best actor” is such an objective notion. Sometimes, it matters more about what you look like and if that look fits the vision of the decision makers involved, more than what your ability is. With that in mind, one’s ace in the in hole, could be one’s ability to take direction and fit into the director’s vision as much as possible, so I work hard on my vision of who I think the character is, but I always leave mental room for the director’s vision or ideas that you would never know until the audition actually happens. It’s a tricky thing we do.

Obviously, anything involving good music. Honestly, I’m a gamer, I love my PS4. And I’m a watcher, I love TV & movies. I am always weary about actors who tell me they don’t watch TV and movies. That’s how I know what’s out there, what’s hot and fresh, who my competition is, and all the tricks that actors and directors are using to push their stories. Storytellers are supposed to love stories, not just the one’s they wrote. And I am a storyteller.