From Ottawa Hills to Beverly Hills
Morgan Phillips on acting, rejection, and hearing his name on the PA By Joseph Schafer When TCP spoke to him, Morgan Phillips was driving a Volkswagen Jetta, purchased from Ed Schmidt Volkswagen in Perrysburg. But he was driving the car through downtown Los Angeles, where Phillips has lived since 2009. “Knowing where you’re going, learning the city and getting there on time is half the battle. It takes half an hour here to go five miles. It’s ridiculous.” Having a car is one of the many prerequisites to being a professional actor in California. It’s been a hard road for the Ottawa Hills native, but he recently landed his first major role — a four episode appearance in the CW’s 90210, a reboot of the ‘90s series Beverly Hills: 90210. Phillips recalls his roots with him on the West Coast, in more ways than just his vehicle.
He maintains Midwestern humility on the West Coast. For example, Morgan said he was a little off put by having a standin, and being swarmed by makeup and hair stylists in between takes. “Nobody on this set was a prima donna. It’s funny, but the people around them create that environment. The first day I was there someone got on the PA to announce ‘Morgan is coming to the set,’ and I was so confused. I’m right here!” On the show, Phillips plays Simon, a member of a mysterious fraternity called Cronus, a fictional west-coast answer to the Ivy League’s Skull and Bones order. Simon is college-aged, as Phillips is — he’d be a senior in college were it not for his detour to Hollywood.
Authentically from the Midwest
Coaching and an Agent
According to Phillips, the most important thing about acting is honesty. “The camera is an x-ray, it sees through everything, and it only tells the truth. If you have one inauthentic moment, it will show up,” he said. Authenticity can be a hard goal on a busy television shoot. “It’s interesting how long it takes — to shoot thirty seconds of footage can take six hours.” He describes the set on 90210 as a thorough, fine-tuned machine, with teams of people seeing to every detail from makeup to lighting.
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During his senior year at Ottawa Hills, in January 2009, he competed in the International Modeling and Talent Association Convention — the same convention that started the careers of fellow Toledoans Katie Holmes and Alyson Stoner. Phillips moved to LA that March, and completed his last high school semester from California. Stoner, a Maumee Valley Country Day School alumni, became his mentor and referred him to two acting coaches. Phillips also took improvisational comedy classes at
The Second City, whose alumni include Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey. Phillips’ hard work, however didn’t get him any auditions. “I couldn’t get any auditions because I didn’t have a manager or an agent.” The search for proper representation took Phillips three years. “The term overnight success doesn’t exist in reality. Anyone like that has actually been working very hard for a long time and only recently got their break.” Phillips wouldn’t call 90210 a break, however. “I would call it a necessary step to achieve my goals. A very solid brick in that wall.” “This whole thing is all about rejection,” Phillips said of his career. His first meeting with a modeling agency ended in rejection. He was even initially rejected for the part on 90210 — that role was snatched by Grant Gustin of Glee. The mark of a professional is turning small defeats into large successes — the 90210 writers expanded Phillips’s part from two episodes to four episodes after seeing his performance.
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Acting still doesn’t pay all the bills— Phillips sells real estate to put bread on the table. “It’s a good idea to have a skill or a craft to make money. It’s hard to be self-sustaining on acting.” And being a professional actor does not mean celebrity. “There are many people out here who act for a living, but you wouldn’t know them.”
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