Chatting with Joe Morton: Emmy award-winning actor

Actor Joe Morton. Photo Credit: Bobby Quillard

Emmy award-winning actor Joe Morton (“Scandal”) chatted about being an actor in the digital age and about his acting career.

The digital age

On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “The only thing that has changed at this point is AI (artificial intelligence), obviously. There are a lot of things that AI can do that will change the cost of filmmaking for sure.”

Motivations

Regarding his motivations as an actor, he shared, “I am motivated by truth.”

“I just did a reading of a wonderful play called ‘Road to Jerusalem,’ which is a western, and the language was just superb and what they were talking about, even though the play takes place in 1887; it still seemed to be very contemporary. Those types of things really fascinate me,” he elaborated.

‘Firefly’

Presently, he is working on a new project called “Firefly.”

“We just started it,” he said. “We are in the casting phase at this point. ‘Firefly’ is a great story. I won’t tell you the story because I want people to see the film. Basically, it is about expectations.”

“In relationships, we have certain expectations of who we are with one another and sometimes, there is great doubt about what that relationship is. In this particular story that doubt is erased by the end of the film by a wonderful surprise,” he elaborated.

Emmy win for ‘Scandal’

In 2014, he won the Prime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series” for his portrayal of Rowan Pope, the father of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington).

“That was lovely. Winning the Emmy was the cherry on top. The nomination was wonderful, especially since I had just joined the company the season before. So, to win an Emmy after my second season there was incredible. It was a wonderful surprise and it made me obviously very happy.”

Advice for young and aspiring actors

For young and aspiring actors, Morton encouraged them to “study.” “Find some wonderful school or teacher so that you actually have a craft and it’s not just about charisma,” he said.

Career-defining moments

When asked about his career-defining moments, he remarked, “I’ve been acting since 1969. What defines me is the kind of material I seem to choose and the kinds of roles that I play. Those define who I am as an actor.”

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Morton said, “Hurry up and wait.”

Superpower of choice

If he were to have any superpower, it would be “to understand and be verbose in any language in the world.”

Success

Regarding his definition of the word success, Morton said, “Success, for me, means being able to live comfortably and do the kind of work that I enjoy doing and get paid for it.”

Message for his fans

For his fans and supporters, he said, “Thank you. Without the fans, an actor’s career comes to a standstill. To all the fans that seem to enjoy what I do and look forward to my work, I say thank you.”

To learn more about Joe Morton, follow him on Instagram.