Matthew Morrison “Glee” Interview
By Abbie Bernstein
Matthew Morrison is heading into his fourth season as Will Schuester, a teacher who starts as a high school Spanish instructor and winds up resurrecting the school glee club on Fox’s GLEE. His New Directions musical group finally triumphed in the Nationals in Season Three, and Will proposed to his beloved Emma (Jayma Mays).
Going into fourth season this fall, several of Will’s star performers have graduated from McKinley High, though GLEE will follow their adventures in New York, even as it continues to explore Will’s work with a mixture of new and old students back at the high school in Ohio.
In real life, Morrison was born in California, but he made his mark in New York as an actor in Broadway plays and musicals. He was nominated for a 2005 Tony for his work in the musical THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA and also played Link Larkin in the original production of HAIRSPRAY and Lt. Cable in the revival of SOUTH PACIFIC, among other notable roles.
In 2010, Morrison was nominated for a Lead Actor Emmy for his work as Will. Since GLEE has taken off as an international phenomenon, Morrison has toured with his TV cohorts in GLEE concerts, and has toured independently as well. His first solo album, titled simply MATTHEW MORRISON, was released in May of 2011.
At a party thrown by Fox for the Television Critics Association, Morrison talks about where he and GLEE have been and where they’re going, both jointly and individually.
Morrison says he’s pleased that regulars who’ve been with GLEE since its beginning, like Lea Michele and Cory Montieth, will continue with the series into its fourth season. “Honestly, I didn’t think it was ever going to happen,” Morrison says of the New York storylines. “There was so much back and forth [before] I heard they were still going to be on the show. I’m just happy that the core group we started with on the show will hopefully be the core group we end with.”
How this will all play out is not known to Morrison. “The first time I heard of [the continued story for the graduating characters], the first time I heard about a lot of stuff, obviously, it was like right at these things,” he says, referring to a press event. In other words, the actors are not necessarily any more privy to plot threads that don’t involve their own characters than viewers are. “It’s not the big plan to hide it from you guys!”
Will having a new group of students change things up greatly for Mr. Schuester? “I guess it’s a whole new set of problems, really,” Morrison replies, “because we [as the high school singing group New Directions] have never been on top before. It’s like we’re coming into the season as national champions, we are now the coolest public school, so everybody wants to audition. So [as the character] I’m having a hard time finding people that are actually passionate about performing. Everyone just wants to be in a club now.”
Having a bunch of new young cast members doesn’t worry Morrison. In Season Two, he points out, “We had so many kids. At Sectionals, I think you only have to have twelve, so I think that we’ll get twelve again.”
None of the changes strike Morrison as anything difficult. “I think the challenge is more for the writers,” he explains. “For me, it’s going to be kind of the same thing – it’s just adding new people into my same world that we’ve had for so long. High school shows – my mind goes to SAVED BY THE BELL, and after they graduated, it was SAVED BY THE BELL: THE NEW CLASS, but that didn’t work too well, so then it was SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COLLEGE YEARS. We’re kind of doing the same thing, but in the context of the same show. I’m interested – I think everyone’s interested, actually – in seeing how it’s going to work, because we are splitting up – it’s going to be New York and Ohio in the same episode, week after week. So it’ll be interesting. The kids are good, and I think the audience is going to love holding on to the same people and seeing their journey continue.”
Meanwhile, Morrison has been one of GLEE’s constants.: “Yeah, and I still am,” he observes with a laugh.. “I’m comfortable with the show, I’m comfortable with my character. I think for me, I’m hoping my relationship with Emma, my journey outside of the classroom, will develop more. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Speaking of Emma, nobody, including Morrison, seems to know whether Will and his intended will actually tie the knot. He says, “The proposal was so out of this world and so amazing that I can’t wait to see what happens.”
One thing that happened was Will and Emma making love – Emma’s first time. “I’m glad they were at least engaged first,” Morrison offers. “We’ve waited so long for this moment that I didn’t want to cheapen it in any way.”
A high point of Season Three for Morrison was the episode “The Spanish Teacher,” which guest-starred Ricky Martin. For those who don’t remember, Morrison provides a plot recap. “He came on the show because [as the character Will], Spanish-speaking skills were coming into question, so I started attending night school and he [played] my Spanish teacher. So he comes in and I bring him to the Glee Club, and people really love him, he’s a great teacher and stuff, so my job is kind of on the line now, because people really love him. So we have to have kind of an Espanol-off. So he does a song, I do a song.”
As a scene partner, Morrison adds of Martin, “That guy is so incredible – there have been a lot of great [guest stars] in the show, but I don’t know that I have ever been as starstruck with someone. He has this great energy about him and he’s so humble, so hard-working, so nice, and I’m so happy that he is, because you want to see people who have such great success, be like, ‘Oh, he’s a great guy.’”
How did Martin’s 2011 concert tour go? “I had a great time,” Morrison replies. “I did my whole solo act and then I went on tour with Backstrret Boys and New Kids on the Block, which was a crazy experience, because their fans are just incredible and it was really fun opening for those guys. I got to tour all over the country. I can’t wait to do it again. I’m thinking about my next album and it’s going to be more standards [already-famous songs]. I want to just tour around the country playing with different symphonies.”
Asked how he feels about the history of GLEE so far, Morrison says, “I thought first season was so spot-on and well done and people loved it. I think it took some risks in the second season, and for some people it paid off and for some people it didn’t. I [felt] like the third season, we were right back on track, like the heart of the show used to be, I think the show [was] right back where it used to be and I think it’s great again. I think this season is going to be great and I’m really looking forward to it, and I hope the audience is as well.”
It’s obviously too soon to make any determinations about fourth season, but GLEE has already made an indelible mark on pop culture, something that makes Morrison proud. The series already has an on-air legacy on other networks, he points out. “The fact that musical television is okay now, like SMASH and NASHVILLE – What we’re doing to television, I think, is a great thing.”
By Abbie Bernstien
Buzzy Mag Entertainment Reporter
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