Lindsey Morgan Talks Life After ‘General Hospital,’ New Projects ‘Destroy the Alpha Gammas,’ ‘The 100’

Two weeks ago, TVSource Magazine executive editor Omar White-Nobles got the chance to catch up with former General Hospital actress Lindsey Morgan. Since departing the soap, Lindsey’s kept herself busy with a slew of projects. She landed a plum role on new musical web series Destroy the Alpha Gammas, and landed a recurring role on The CW’s post-apocalyptic drama, The 100. Find out what Lindsey’s been up to!

When I spoke so the Daytime Emmy nominee, she had just thwarted heavy Vancouver traffic. It’s been 11 months since our last interview, and a lot has changed during that time.  Less than a year after joining General Hospital, Lindsey Morgan announced her departure from the long-running soap in March. The actress didn’t let her exit bring her down. She went on to book a guest starring role in TNT’s Franklin & Bash; in addition, she landed role on a hot new web series, Destroy the Alpha Gammas, and can be seen in The CW’s mid-season drama, The 100 as Raven in 2014.

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TVSource Magazine: How has life after General Hospital been for you?
Lindsey Morgan: It’s been nuts. Overall, it’s been great and I’m very blessed and grateful that I was able to find other work so quickly. It’s kind of funny like when you leave a job like that; that was on for a year, it was almost like a breakup. [It was] like I’ve been dating someone and we were pretty serious and I thought we were going to take the next step together and then they weren’t feeling it, you know what I mean? I will say that right after it, I was a little heartbroken. It was my love for a year.

TVSource Magazine: You earned an Emmy nomination for your work. How was that? You looked amazing during the ceremony.
Lindsey Morgan: It was a surprise! And thank you! I was so stoked for Kristen [Alderson]. She deserved it so much. I mean it would have been cool to win, I’m not going to lie and say it wouldn’t have been awesome. But I mean, come on. Kristen really deserved it.

TVSource Magazine: After your run on GH came to an end, what was your plan?
Lindsey Morgan:  Right after GH, all of a sudden I found myself with all this time on my hands. It was dead. Pilot season just finished; episodic season wasn’t for another month or two so I had nothing to do. That’s when I said, ‘Well okay, let me reflect on me a little bit, work on me.’ That’s kind of funny because at that exact moment is when Destroy the Alpha Gammas came up. It was a web series where I’d be working for free and everything. A while back, I told myself, ‘Okay I’m not gonna do anymore free things.’ Not because I’m a diva, but because I’ve been a part of casts where you work for free and [some] people don’t seem to ever consider your feelings. But this project seemed super cool.

TVSource Magazine: How did your involvement with Destroy the Alpha Gammas come about?
Lindsey Morgan: It just kind of fell into my lap. Another girl that was playing Lauren had to drop out because she had booked a pilot. And so they were three days from beginning production and this girl I met in this new acting class that I was taking is one of the producers and just came to me and asked if I’d do it. It was at the perfect moment too. I had nothing going on and it seemed like a really fun role.

I remember when I first started out, one of my college professors just said, ‘Learn to say yes and you’ll be surprised what happens.’ Even then I was like, ‘I don’t know. It’s a free gig, I just met this girl I don’t really know.’ Finally I was just kind of like, ‘Yeah, let me just distract myself from leaving GH and do this.’ And it turned out to be totally awesome! I loved every second of it. I made some great friends and had a great blast doing it. Leaving General Hospital, I feel made me really grow a lot. It made me explore myself and come out the end of it a little bit stronger.

TVSource Magazine: It’s funny how these things work out. If you had still been on GH, Destroy the Alpha Gammas wouldn’t have come up and wouldn’t have this new project on The CW. It kind of worked out for you.
Lindsey Morgan: Yeah! It also allowed me to also be able to do a film for Netflix called ETXR. All the roles I’ve been doing since leaving GH have been vastly different from Kristina. Except maybe Lauren’s [Alpha Gammas] a little bit closer to Kristina. But what I did with EXTR and definitely Raven is completely different. I mean I loved playing Kristina, but it’s pretty cool getting to explore other aspects in new characters.

TVSource Magazine: Tell us about Destroy the Alpha Gammas.
Morgan: It is a musical web series and it’s kind of like Revenge of the Nerds meets Glee and a little bit of Greek. You know that show Greek that was on ABC Family? It’s like that too. There are two sororities at college [that are at war] – The Alpha Gammas and the Delta Phis. [My character] is in the Alpha Gammas. The Alpha Gammas are the hot, popular sorority on campus. The Delta Phis are like the nerds, the loser sorority. So there’s a little bit of The House Bunny in there; how the kind of dorky sorority finds their own. They’re the underdogs, the outcasts; a group of misfits trying to fit in in caste-like Greek society in college and where they find themselves and what they want to represent.

TVSource Magazine: When I saw it was a musical series, I remembered that you didn’t like to sing in public.
Morgan: Oh my god, I know!

TVSource Magazine: How did that work out for you? Was it challenging?
Morgan: I remember when Anna [Roberts, producer] and Leah [McKendrick, creator and producer] was talking to me about it. When I auditioned initially, I was like ‘Look, I’m gonna be straight up. I don’t like singing alone. I’ll sing in the chorus, very quietly so no one hears me’ [Laughs]. It turns out that the role of Lauren, even in the original script, didn’t have any songs. So it kind of just worked out perfectly. Like, I don’t sing. I’m only in one dance number and I’m in the back, hiding [Laughs].

I’ve always loved musicals. Whenever I go see a show, I’m there front and center. But it’s also something I’ve always been afraid of. So when I said yes to this, I was like ‘Oh my god. This is kind of scary and challenging. I’m not a singer, I’m not a dancer and I’m surrounded by all these immensely huge talents who are.’ But you know, it made me grow. I’m taking dance classes now in Vancouver since I have all of this time on my hands. And it’s making me explore a new art form. So maybe in the future I’ll sing a few bars…with some intense training [Laughs].

TVSource Magazine: You’re quite the scene stealer in the series. Lauren has some of the best one-liners in the episodes. How much fun did you have filming?
Morgan: It was so fun. The script was great. That’s what really won me over when I was reading the stuff [Lauren] was saying. She’s like the rudest of Autumn’s group. She’s like the Gretchen Wiener in Mean Girls. Like, ‘I’m gonna be your best friend and second in command but I’m really waiting so I can kill you in your sleep.’ But I just love that she has a secret agenda all the time.

It was really fun working with Anastacia McPherson (Autumn) and Christie Burson (Mary) because they were just so funny and we would like improve with Scott [Brown, director]. Sometimes we’d have a two-line scene, but we’d make it five minutes long and they’d take what they wanted. But a lot of it, we used the original work. Sometimes it’s fun to just be that person who just says whatever they hell they want and doesn’t care about the repercussions. That’s who Lauren is. She says some really rude things that I would never say. You may think them in your head, let’s not lie, but I would never say that out loud, you know what I mean? It’s liberating playing someone that free who like seriously gives zero – you know the rest. She doesn’t give a f—.

TVSource Magazine: Was this the first web series you’ve done?
Morgan: Basically, yeah. This is the first ongoing project. I’ve done a couple web things. I did videos for this thing called The Flipside which Yahoo airs, my friend does it. A lot of my friends who are in the industry make their own work. A lot of times they ask me to be in it, but this is the first real, episodic web series I’ve ever done.

TVSource Magazine: Would you return for a second season if asked?
Morgan: For sure! I loved it. I want to do more. It’s funny, I’m watching the episodes now and I’m just wishing they were longer. I’m just like, come on guys!

TVSource Magazine: It’s like it’s over just as it gets to the really good part.
Morgan: I know! I know. I mean, I understand it’s the Internet and you want to keep everyone’s attention. We all have the attention spans of a squirrel so it’s like 30 seconds, but I’m just wanting more. It leaves me wanting more! It’s not fair [Laughs].

TVSource Magazine: What project are you filming in Canada?
Morgan: Right now, I’m on a new show on The CW called The 100. We’re filming in Vancouver.

TVSource Magazine: I saw the pilot over the summer.
Morgan: I think it’s really cool. They’re even going grittier than the pilot. It’s gonna be more like The Walking Dead.

TVSource Magazine: How long have you been filming?
Morgan: [A few weeks now]. I come in the second episode. I did that about two weeks ago and I was there for like 10 days. I’m here until the end of September. It’s kind of like I don’t know, but I’m booked out for at least 3 months. I’m basically recurring right now.

TVSource Magazine: What can you tell me about your character, Raven?
Morgan: Raven is a total bad ass. She’s super smart, a mechanical engineer on the space station. She’s kind of like a child prodigy, she’s like the smarted mechanical engineer they’ve had in like 52 years. She’s a total guys’ girl and doesn’t take anyone’s shit. Think like Michelle Rodriguez from Fast in the Furious or Kate from Lost. She can totally kick anyone’s ass and handle her own.

TVSource Magazine: Even though you’re doing The 100, are you going to go out for pilot season?
Morgan: You know, I don’t know. If all goes well, my role could turn into something more. If that happens, then I’d be pulled out of pilot season. Which kind of sucks in a way because I’ve never actually had a real pilot season.

TVSource Magazine: Really? Never?
Morgan: No, not at all. The first year I was in LA, I was with like a basement manager/agent and I didn’t even go out for a single pilot. I didn’t know any better. Then when I got a good rep, GH was right there during pilot season so that kind of pulled me out. And then GH again, and now The 100. I don’t know.

TVSource Magazine: You should do it just for the experience. Even if it doesn’t amount to anything. Besides, if The 100 is picked up for a second season, you’d more than likely be doing that.
For sure. I mean, I’ve just been so happy to be here doing whatever. I had one scene yesterday and I was just like, ‘Can I stay and watch and hang out?’ [Laughs]. I’m am excited and perfectly content with anything that comes my way. Thank you universe!

TVSource Magazine: Last time I interviewed you, you had just completed Chastity Bites. How did that fair on the independent circuit? Weren’t there plans to shop it around?
Morgan: Oh yeah! It’s going well. It’s been in a couple festivals. It’s been in more like indie-horror flicks and gay rights festivals. It’s a very pro-feminist story, so it’s in those kind of festivals. We just got word that it’s going to be released on Video on Demand (VOD) so people will be able to check it out. I think there was a news release about it. So that was the newest development, which is very exciting.

TVSource Magazine: And the other project you were filming? When does that come out?
Morgan: That’s ETXR and that’s for Netflix.

TVSource Magazine: Oh cool.
Morgan: I know! Netflix is getting it right? What I’ve been told is, once it’s been completed, they’re going to try and do the festival circuit with that also and see if it goes anywhere. If not, worst case scenario, it’ll just be streaming on Netflix. That one is coming soon. The last thing I did for it; we did a pick up day and they had the first rough cut screening for all the producers and network executives at Fox Digital Studios. That’s who Netflix went to, to create it. It got good reviews. Then we did a photo shoot for some poster stuff and that was cool too.

TVSource Magazine: What’s the premise?
I describe this one as DJs and aliens [Laughs]. It’s kind of like the movie Party Monster. It involves the DJ/rave/underworld scene. What happens is this new, up and coming DJ, who’s like super smart and went to MIT but dropped to be a DJ and do drugs. His friend builds this machine that’s intercepting these crazy sound waves and noises. He asks him to decode them because the DJ is so good with music. It turns out they come in contact with an alien source but the sound is so amazing but it creates this mind blowing music – like it’s almost spiritual and enlightening and takes them to a whole other almost high on its own. The lead DJ starts using the machine on this work and it brings him all this fame, but the government and this anonymous group of activists/terrorists all want this machine to control whatever these sound waves are. Everyone wants to kill him, everyone wants to take control of the machine. The DJ doesn’t know if he’s going insane as he’s hearing these noises. So it’s like a sci-fi thriller. It’s really cool.

TVSource Magazine: Looking forward, what do you see yourself doing next year?
Morgan: Next year? I can’t believe this year is almost over. Like Halloween is almost here. Next year? I don’t know, man. If I had it my way, I would love to be a series regular on The 100 and move to Vancouver and shoot all the time. The show is great, the cast and grew are great. I love the story, I love the characters. I’d love to do some films if that’s possible. And I’d love if Destroy the Alpha Gammas went somewhere. I’d love to keep doing that.

Sometimes it’s tough because if you’re under contract with a certain network, they won’t let you do certain things, but because this is a web series, I think they’d be more lenient. I’d love to do both when I’m not working. I think this web series has so much potential. Scott Brown, did such a good job. Leah is so talented. The entire cast is amazing. It’s just so fun. Being on set with everyone, we just had a blast. It was like a giant sleepover. I would love to be able to do that.

TVSource Magazine: I know you’re a huge fan of music. What’s new on your iPod right now?
Morgan: There’s been so much good music dropping right now, I’m in heaven. Arctic Monkeys’ new album is so great. All of it is super good. I’m excited for Drake’s new album, I love up. I’m up in Canada, repping him [Laughs]. This new artist called Banks, she’s like a female The Weeknd. She’s super great. And The Nationals. Their new album is so awesome.

TVSource Magazine: I’m glad that everything is going well for you. I’m glad you have a lot of different projects in the fire.
Morgan: Thank you so much.

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New episodes of Destroy the Alpha Gammas are published every Wednesday on YouTube. To learn more about Destroy the Alpha Gammas, visit DestroytheAGs.com.

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