When Lamorne Morris learned he’d been nominated for an Emmy for his performance in “Fargo,” he processed the emotional, career-clinching moment in a way only a father could appreciate: His young son laughed at him.
On that fateful July morning, a friend's video shared on social media shows a stunned and tearful Morris coming to terms with the news as his then 3-year-old daughter tries to make sense of his behavior.
“My daughter is with me through a lot of the things I go through, the ups and downs, and she’s so young that she can’t quite understand what’s going on,” he says. “Seeing her visceral reaction to her dad crying, which was meant to mock him, I thought, ‘Man, this is my daughter, for sure. This is my daughter, absolutely.’”
How did she explain it to her? “I said, ‘Well, people think Dad did a really good job at work, so they want to throw a party for him and other people who also did a good job at work. ’ She said, ‘Can I go to the party? ’”
Since it's already bedtime, Morris won't be partying with his dad (plus, he celebrated his fourth birthday on Saturday). Instead, Morris will bring his mother along to the 76th Emmy Awards. It's her first Emmy nomination, and Sunday's ceremony will be her first to attend.
Lamorne Morris at his home in Encino, California, on Sunday with his daughter Lily.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Morris received a supporting actor nomination for his role as trusted North Dakota Constable Witt Far in the fifth season of “Fargo,” the FX dark comedy crime anthology created by Noah Hawley. The actor is best known for his comedic timing on television series like “New Girl” and films like “Game Night,” but “Fargo” gave Morris a chance to show his range. In a fictional world of effusive, eccentric characters — including performances by Emmy nominees Jon Hamm and Juno Temple — Morris’ Witt stood in stark contrast to that of a decent, unassuming man driven to action.
And Morris isn’t done showing off his talents. Later this fall, his portrayal of “Saturday Night Live” cast member Garrett Morris can be seen in Jason Reitman’s film about the long-running sketch comedy show’s first broadcast. And he’ll star in Prime Video’s Marvel series “Spider-Noir,” alongside Nicholas Cage.
“Every actor dreams of years like this,” he says. “I just have to keep my head down a little bit and not get too uptight or down on myself — that’s what LeBron James always says when he talks about the course of a season. The journey you’re on, the things you’re able to do, obviously you want to grow and evolve, but you have to keep the same energy that got you here.”
For now, it's showtime. Morris invited The Times to tag along exclusively as he prepared for and experienced his first Emmy Awards ceremony. Follow along with our live diary of his day.
Lamorne Morris, center, watches his daughter Lily as she prepares for the Emmys.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
12:28 pm: How does a first-time nominee prepare for an event like the Emmys? After spending Saturday night checking out some pre-ceremony parties, Morris said he woke up at 7:30 a.m., his mind already racing through possible jokes to make onstage if “by some miracle” someone called his name. “But I quickly ruled them all out … If I don’t win, all hell will break loose,” he jokes. But more seriously, he adds, “I just don’t want to forget names. The people who get you to where you are matter.”
We're at his home in Encino, California, and he's sitting at his kitchen island, getting ready; his mother Gwennett, who flew in from Chicago on Monday, is nearby, fixing her hair and wishing out loud for their dream meeting: “Will Denzel?” [Washington] “Will he be there?” (Morris has predicted she’ll say the same thing: “He’ll be happy with Denzel or Jesus, one of them.”) Their daughter, still in the euphoria of her birthday last night, jumps up and down near a bouquet of unicorn and princess balloons, asking when she can have a doughnut (she’s been promised she can have one while watching Dad on TV later). Until then, she begins listing off the princess dresses she got for her birthday (Elsa, Cinderella, and Tiana).
13:14: Morris is nominated for best supporting actor in a limited series alongside Jonathan Bailey (“Fellow Travelers”), Robert Downey Jr. (“The Sympathizer”), Tom Goodman-Hill (“Baby Reindeer”), John Hawkes (“True Detective: Night Country”), Lewis Pullman (“Lessons in Chemistry”) and Treat Williams (“Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”). And the genius of it all is not lost on him. He shares that Downey sent him a gift package of his coffee brand, Happy. Morris rushes into his office to pull out the note that accompanied the gift: “I’m happy to be nominated alongside you. With great respect, Robert.”
Morris leads me into a hallway lined with movie posters, a mix of things he’s been in, like “Game Night,” and his favorites, like “Tropic Thunder,” the poster being of Downey as the egotistical Australian actor, Kirk Lazarus, who takes method acting to the extreme. “If it were up to me, I’d do a drama with him that had comedic elements,” he says. “There’s a movie of his that I love called ‘The Judge.’ Being in something like that with him would be great. It’s not like we could have a father-son relationship. That would be ‘Different Strokes,’” he jokes.
