Natalie Morales has left a large footprint in television and film. A native of Miami, Florida, and the daughter of Cuban immigrants Morales moved to Los Angeles and has been involved in acting and filmmaking since the early aughts, becoming an integral part of the entertainment industry. Hers is a face that any TV viewer finds familiar, with roles in shows like “Girls,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Dead to Me,” “The Morning Show,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and much more.
Morales is an expert at crafting a great supporting character. Finding her in a show or a film is always a joyful experience. Viewers who've never seen her work can expect her to play characters that are funny and genuine, always adding some backbone to the stories where she's featured.
Her new film “My Dead Friend Zoe” is premiering in select theaters this February 28th. The story follows an army veteran named Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) who returns home, where she experiences a cocktail of complicated feelings and situations. She’s just lost her best friend Zoe (Morales) and is caring for her ailing grandfather (Ed Harris). Meanwhile, the spirit of Zoe begins to hound her, reappearing in Merit’s life as a reminder of all she’s lost and a manifestation of her guilt.
Watch: 'My Dead Friend Zoe' official trailer
In an interview with HOLA!, Morales talked about her relationship with the film, the challenges of playing a dead character and a person who served in the armed forces, and her stressful but fun stint in “Celebrity Jeopardy.”
“My Dead Friend Zoe” is coming out soon. Can you tell me a bit about your feelings and your relationship with this movie?
I'm excited for it to be out in the world. We made it with a lot of love and a lot of care and we really tried to do something that could help people.
I know that it premiered in South by Southwest last year where it won the Audience Award. So people are responding to it.
Yeah, very much. It was an incredible experience to be at SXSW with so many people. There were several screenings of it so it wasn’t just our audience that it won the award with (laughs) but I got to see it with a room full of veterans and it was really impactful and special. This movie is not just for veterans, I think it’s for everybody. But I think that veterans are an underserved community and it was special to be a part of it.
You play Zoe, the titular dead friend. So it’s a different type of character than the ones you've played before. Can you tell me a bit about your prep for that role? Was there a layer of responsibility when playing a character that served in the army?
Well, Zoe… she’s dead but she’s not a ghost. I saw her more like a manifestation of guilt or like a guilt demon (laughs). So it was interesting to play her because she didn’t have the motivations of a regular person. She had the motivations of someone who was trying to make you feel guilty and keep you in that place, you know? And that was interesting to play.
And as far as portraying somebody in the armed services, Kyle [Hausmann-Stokes], who wrote and directed this movie, this is his story. It’s based on his life and his best friend. So he showed me a lot of videos and conversations between him and his friends. Also, most of our cast were veterans, so we got to speak to them about their experiences and learn from them. That was really important for us.
Natalie Morales and Sonequa Martin Green in 'My Dead Friend Zoe'
Do you have a favorite memory of your time on set?
There were so many. I really had a great time. Getting to work with Sonequa [Martin-Green] was really special. She’s an incredible actor and person and just getting to watch her work from really up close was awesome, because sometimes I would forget to say my line because I would just be watching her (laughs). So I would say anything that I got to do with her was my favorite thing.
You’ve had a very impressive and long career. You've worked with Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Jennifer Aniston, you're in Grey's Anatomy now. Do you have a favorite collaborator? Or maybe a project that you ended up loving a lot and you think about still?
Oh, God, that would be really hard to answer (laughs).
I have been so lucky to work with so many people that I admire and who have been so wonderful to me. And I have been so lucky to work on so many great projects. So I don't know that I can pick a favorite. They're all very special to me in different ways.
I wanted to ask about your desire to be an actress. Is that something that you've always wanted or was there an influence in your life that inspired you to pursue that?
No, I did not really know that it was an option for me until I took some drama classes in high school, and then I really loved it, so I started doing it and then from there I started writing and directing. It kind of just evolved from there. But no, when I was smaller, I wanted to be an astronaut or a lawyer.
I was looking through your filmography and I remembered ‘Language Lessons’ which was the first movie you directed. I love that movie. Was there a difference in acting in Spanish?
Thank you for saying that. It was wonderful to act in Spanish. It’s my first language and it's not something I get to do.
I think a lot of the roles, especially when I first moved to LA and started working in this business, I felt like a lot of the roles that were Spanish-speaking were a bit stereotypical. And I did not like that, and I didn't wanna be a part of that. And so I haven't been able to do that much. So to get to do it on my own terms and make what I wanted to make was very very special for me.
Yeah. It’s difficult to find genuine Hispanic representation without it feeling like… “Representation,” you know?
Exactly. I mean, we don’t just start salsa dancing for no reason (laughs). Maybe some people do, but it’s been represented enough.
You were on Celebrity Jeopardy recently. How was that experience?
I was so nervous. I was so nervous the whole time. I have no idea how I won. And also, I will say for anybody that was watching or anybody that wants to play ‘Jeopardy,’ it is a buzzer game. If you are not hitting that button at the exact right time, you are not answering. I hit that button so many more times than I got to answer. And it can be very frustrating (laughs). But I was really surprised and really happy that I won some money for my charity and it was a really great experience.
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