Lamorne Morris Reflects On Spider-Noir & Reveals New Girl Casting Secrets

Coffee Chats, ScreenRant‘s signature interview series, returns for its 12th episode with beloved actor Lamorne Morris, who recently returned to the small screen in Spider-Noir. The Prime Video series has received rave reviews, with fans and critics alike praising the black-and-white stylization (though the full-color version certainly still pops) and the performances of Nicolas Cage and the ensemble cast.

Morris is no stranger to ensemble casts, of course, having risen to fame as part of The New Girl‘s winning team. Despite not appearing in the pilot, his character Winston quickly became a fan favorite, and his reactions have graced many a meme in the years since the show ended.

In this episode of Coffee Chats, Morris describes the experience of working alongside Nick Cage for Spider-Noir, shares his thoughts on Robbie Robertson’s journey, and even reveals how he ended up playing Winston in New Girl.

Coffee Chats no. 12 w/ Lamorne Morris

Lamorne Morris Recalls Learning From Nick Cage On The Set Of Spider-Noir

Spider-Noir was a learning experience in many ways, but Morris specifically honed in on the lessons unwittingly imparted by Cage as lead actor on the project. “You realize you don’t work hard enough the moment he gets there,” Morris explained. “A director will give him a note, and he’ll internalize it in such a way that I’ve never seen before, where he’ll start recalling old films where that note may have been used, like he’s pulling up an old film reference.“

I remember one time Harry Bradbury, our director for the first episode, telling him he’ll have the camera come up this way at a certain angle, and he was just like, “Oh yeah, [Mickey] Rooney, ’42. I understand.” He’s piecing it together in his head, how the scene is going to play out or what that’s going to look like. And then when you watch the scene, you go, “My God, that reaction only works with that lens, that framing, that angle.” He knows exactly where the camera is at all times, 100%.

Because the two develop an onscreen bond, Morris had the opportunity to spend plenty of time with the venerated star. “My job, off-camera, was to befriend him,” although he admitted the task was not easy. “We have to play close partners on the show, but he’s Nick Cage, and there is a level of reverence that I have for him. It’s hard to just walk up to him, slap him on the ass, and go, ‘What up, homie?‘ I can’t talk to him the way I talk to everybody else!“

Nevertheless, he persevered:

We just talked a lot, and we spoke freely, so that was how I got into that mode. I was just trying to be loose off-camera, asking him very personal questions – not too personal, but just trying to understand and loosen up a little bit.

The Winding Journey To Lamorne Morris Playing New Girl’s Winston

The Actor Was Previously Considered For Coach

Cece Winston Jess Nick Schmidt in New Girl Christmas episode

New Girl was a highly successful series, in large part due to the cast chemistry. Thus, it may surprise many casual observers to learn that Morris almost didn’t make it as part of said cast, and actually went through more than one round of auditions. “I was offered Coach in the beginning,” the actor revealed, before explaining the “whole process that happened, where they didn’t want to offer it to me, so I had to take a different show.”

Then they came back and then offered it to me, and I couldn’t do it because I just took the offer on another show, so it was a lot of that. They got Damon Wayans Jr. to do it, but he was busy. He could do the pilot, but then he had to go back to his show, Happy Endings. He crushed the pilot, and they wanted to keep his performance, so they just had to write a new character and keep their fingers crossed that maybe he’d be available to come back and play Coach.

Once the character of Winston was created, Morris still had to re-audition.

It wasn’t like they were just like, “Okay, we offered you Coach, so just come and take Winston instead.” It was a whole new character, and they opened it up to everybody. I was pissed off about it. I was just like, “You’ve gotta be kidding me, guys! You just said I was good enough to be on the show.” I’m probably exaggerating, but I think it was about 15 auditions that I had in total for both characters. The rest is history, but that’s kind of how it went down.

Thankfully, those auditions worked out, leaving viewers with the undeniably unforgettable character of Winston Bishop.

Coffee Chats with Lamorne Morris is available on YouTube now.

Source: ScreenRant Plus

More About ScreenRant’s Coffee Chats

Custom Image by Laura Watson, Jacques Reeder

Coffee Chats operates as a mixture of personal discussion through the lens of coffee as well as a dive into the guest’s latest project. Along the way, we’ll hit a Cold Brew Open, give our First Sip Synopsis, discuss our personal Coffee Callbacks, share our dream Desert Island Drinks and more.

“I pride myself on being a conversationalist, and there’s no better setting to chat it up with someone than a cafe,” ScreenRant Reporter, Host Liam Crowley said. “Back when I attended Syracuse University, I used to make ‘coffee review’ videos with my friends on my social media. To essentially expand that 60-second concept into a full-blown production and be accompanied by some of the biggest names in Hollywood is a true ‘pinch me’ moment.“

“From the moment I reached out to Liam about joining ScreenRant’s New York team, we envisioned expanding our content offerings with engaging, in-depth interviews, including an original series,” ScreenRant Editorial, Branding, and PR Director Rob Keyes said. “Liam already had an idea for this, and Coffee Chats perfectly embodies this vision, offering a unique format that connects audiences with leading industry talent while supporting local businesses. We are thrilled to launch this series and collaborate with local establishments on this exciting initiative.”

“Over the past 21 years, ScreenRant has interviewed every star in Hollywood several times,” ScreenRant Content Director Alex Leadbeater said. “Across press junkets, red carpets, convention panels and beyond, we’ve been a constant presence in the entertainment industry. Coffee Chats builds upon this success to create a more intimate backdrop for a more personal, longer-form style of interview.“

Coffee Chats is created by Crowley, Keyes, and Leadbeater and is produced by Tiffany Loving, Laura Watson, Sierra Nutkevich, Jacques Reeder, John Aljets, Leah Nucum, Cesar Garcia, Kazden Risk, and Joe O’Shea.

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