She is the charming girl-next-door, and with her beaming smile and humble attitude, Morgan Griffin is tipped to be the next big thing.
And her latest role in the mini-series Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted To You has really got people talking. Morgan plays Olivia Newton- John from ages 16 to 22 in the series, alongside Delta Goodrem, who plays her from age 22.
But the young actress has in fact met Delta before!
They first crossed paths back in 2003 when Morgan scored her first break at only 11 years of age, after being handpicked by Delta to play the younger version of the singer in her Innocent Eyes film clip.
Now, they are sharing the screen again as the same person, and while they didn’t get to work together, Delta helped Morgan get into character.
‘Delta and Olivia are pretty good friends, so it was nice to hear some stories and anecdotes from Delta about their time together,’ she tells New Idea.
In an exclusive shoot, the actress explains what it’s like to play a world star.
‘I love [Olivia] so I was excited to play her,’ Morgan tells. ‘She started her career so young and she’s been doing it for a long time, I had no idea. I would love to have that longevity in my career, so it’s motivating and inspiring to have an icon that’s done that.’
But playing a woman as famous as Olivia also comes with a lot of pressure to get it right.
‘We are not trying to impersonate anyone, [the series] was just trying to bring her energy as much as we can,’ she shares.
‘I’m sure it’s a very intrusive thing to have a biopic made about you, but I think it’s more of a celebration of her life. I just hope that people will enjoy it and love her even more than they already do.’
It’s the role of a lifetime for Morgan, but it wasn’t easy.
‘The biggest challenge for me was changing my voice, because my natural register is a lot lower than Olivia’s,’ she says.
Unfortunately, Morgan didn’t get to test out her singing chops.
‘I don’t sing, I mime over Delta,’ she revealed. ‘But Delta is amazing, so I’ll let her sing.’
As a fan of Grease, Morgan was disappointed she didn’t get to don Olivia’s famous leather pants from the film.
‘I got to see the costume on the day though,’ she shares.
‘It was amazing and Delta looked incredible.’
Of course, Morgan also got to wear a number of stunning costumes during filming – and even got to take some home.
‘I kept some really cool tan knee-high boots and one of the dresses they made for me. But I can’t wear it once the show comes out because everyone will recognise it,’ she jokes.
Like so many before her, Morgan is making the leap to Hollywood – but it isn’t always easy on her loved ones.
‘My partner and I live here and my family are all here, so they find it hard when I go to LA,’ she says.
But the actress has a special way of keeping the romance alive when she’s overseas.
‘Because of the time difference, we can sometimes have breakfast and dinner at the same time, so we can have a meal together via FaceTime,’ she says.
And Morgan says her family make sure she stays grounded.
‘If I ever got too big for my boots, my parents would bring me right back down,’ she laughs.
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea – out now!
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