Q&A With Morgan Fairchild – Entertainment News

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photo Credits: Michael Mann, Keith Munoz and Jan Wong

Morgan Fairchild is an American actress known for roles in various TV shows: “Search for Tomorrow”, “Dallas”, “Flamingo Road” (for which she earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama nomination), “Paper Dolls”, “Falcon Crest”. A guest role on “Murphy Brown” earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nomination. She starred in the role of Mrs. Robinson in the stage adaptation of “The Graduate”. She is an activist for environmental issues, abortion issues, AIDS, Covid education and very vocal about it on X. She is doing a podcast with her sister, Cathryn Hartt, called “2 Bitches From Texas” and has a recurring part on “The Bold and the Beautiful”.

KB: Did you always want to be an actress growing up?

No, I wanted to be a doctor or a paleontologist. I thought I’d spend my life in the Gobi desert dusting off dinosaur bones! Or the Rift Valley!

KB: Your first onscreen role was that of maniacal Jennifer Pace in “Search for Tomorrow”: How did you get this part, and what is your fondest memory of working on that show?

I had just started with the Eileen Ford Agency in their commercial division. They asked me to go audition for a 3-day arc on “Search For Tomorrow”, which I didn’t get. BUT! A few days later, “Search” called back and said a new girl they had hired wasn’t working out, and offered me that part.

KB: Constance Weldon Carlyle in “Flamingo Road” was your first primetime role. How did you get this part and what was it like working on a popular show?

It wasn’t really my first primetime role, but my first primetime series role. They just offered it to me, based on previous work. I had created the role of Jenna Wade on “Dallas” for the same production company a couple of years before, so they knew me. It was great fun to work with so many wonderful actors I had grown up watching – Barbara Rush, Stella Stevens, Howard Duff, and Kevin McCarthy!! I remember I told my sister, and we were excited that Kevin would play my father because we loved “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”!

KB: You played a rape victim on the show “Hotel”: How do you prepare for such a difficult role? You made it look so believable!

Thanks! I have dealt with some sexually aggressive men in my life (believe me!!), and I read a lot about the way women react to such a major trauma as an actual rape. It is very traumatizing, and I wanted to convey that, even within the mores of American TV at that time.

KB: You played in many series and movies. Do you have favorite Top 3 highlights of your career so far?

Playing Racine on the series “Paper Dolls” was one of my favorites! Loved that show! I was also very proud of my work on “Falcon Crest”, playing a victim of incest. It was icnoclastic at the time, as I believe it was the first time the adult repercussions of incest were portrayed on TV. I can’t omit my work on “Roseanne”, playing a lipstick lesbian on TV. Again, I think it was the first time that had been done. I like to show up places where people don’t expect me.

I did a big tour of “The Graduate”, which I loved! I always love getting back to Live theatre, where I started out when I was 10

KB: Are there people you would love to collaborate with or you wished you had?

So many folks I’d love to work with! Colin Firth, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Ian McKellen…so many. I almost got to do a US tour of “The Apple Cart” with Peter O’Toole and have always regretted that he decided he didn’t want to tour. I did get to have a wonderful meeting with him about it, though. I got to meet Alan Rickman on the “Galaxy Quest” set and just adored him. I would have loved to have worked with him

KB: I give you the lead in a movie and you can choose the director and co-star. Who would you pick and why?

Tim Burton and Ben Stiller. I had a small part in Tim’s first movie “PeeWee’s Big Adventure”, and I love his creativity. I also love Ben’s comic twist on things. OR Matthew Vaughn and Colin Firth, since I love the Kingsman franchise!

KB: You are very vocal on X and I admire you for that. Where does the interest in politics and social issues come from?

I have always been a science nerd, so that motivated a lot of my early political interests. I worked on environmental issues, abortion issues, AIDS, and now Covid education, since they are all science-related. Yes, I was considered “controversial” in Hollywood for my public stands, especially on AIDS, at a time when the fear mentality was quite rampant. Still, I felt it was important to help educate the public and also take the stigma off the gay community. I hope we can restore some of our political norms coming up

KB: What are you currently up to?

I’m currently doing a podcast with my sister, Cathryn Hartt, called “2 Bitches From Texas”. It’s very eclectic, and we are having great fun with it! So far, we’ve had my actor friends Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, and Donna Mills, as well as my political friends Tom Nichols of The Atlantic and Norman Ornstein, the foremost expert on our Congress and voting rights, and John Edward, the Psychic. And more! Very diverse group!!

I’m also doing a recurring part on “The Bold and the Beautiful”, which has been a lot of fun!

Follow Morgan on X: HERE

Click Here to Order Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt