Interview with Y&R’s Joshua Morrow

 

As amazing as it has been to watch Joshua Morrow portray Nicholas Newman on “The Young and the Restless” for the past 20 years, it’s always fun to see him tackle a new role too. Warning: contains spoilers. His latest is in "Golden Shoes" as George Larou, a family man who goes missing in action while deployed in Afghanistan. His wife (Dina Meyer) is in a serious accident and hospitalized, so their 8-year-old son Christian (Christian Koza) is left to pick up the spirits of his family - and the entire country - through soccer.

 

"It is a great family movie," Morrow told Soaps.com. "Get your kids, some popcorn and sit down and watch it. Show them that anything is possible. All it takes is a dream and an opportunity and you never know what can happen. I loved shooting it, it has a great cast, I love the message and I hope people dig it as much as I did."
Morrow spoke with us about how he was able to draw from his own relationships with his children for the role, and also dished plenty about Nick’s current storylines on “Y&R."

 

 How did you come to be involved in "Golden Shoes?" What about the script appealed to you?
Morrow: First and foremost I am a sports fanatic. It runs my life, it’s all I think about. And I love children. My own children are the coolest things on the planet, I love getting a chance to work with children on my show. So this project came up and it is about soccer, which is my absolute favorite sport and a chance to shoot a movie. It was kind of a no-brainer and when they asked if I was interested I said yeah, let’s do it. It worked out really well with my schedule on the show and everything, and it was really cool to be a part of.

 

  We have seen you on Twitter posting pics of coaching your own children in little league.
Morrow: That is my true job. Being on a soap opera is a side gig.

 What is it about sports that can be so vital to a father and son’s relationship?
Morrow: I think my relationship with my own dad was amazingly special growing up, and he coached me in everything I played in and I really wanted that opportunity to do that myself. I knew eventually I would have kids of my own and I take the father role very seriously. I love being a part of life, I love seeing my kids compete and work hard and try to get better and figure out what they need to do to win. All those elements really feed into my love and desire to coach.

 

  Your character George is on screen very briefly but has such a powerful presence in the film. His relationship with his son Christian is one of the main drivers of the film. Was your closeness difficult to convey even though you were not together until the end?
Morrow: It was not because I always have the easy thing I can think about when trying to get into this feeling of playing that character which is my own children. I love my own sons and daughter so much that is all I need to think about to accurately try and convey love for a child, whether it’s the show or that movie. It was easy for me because I love my boys so much, all I had to think about was my boys playing soccer.

 

 The idea of lifting a nation’s spirits is very timely, and everyone loves an underdog. Why do you think the film’s message of hope is so important right now?
Morrow: Kids can and should dream big. Their goals are attainable and there are always things or people or circumstances that can go against you. But preserve and keep dreaming and amazing things can happen. I really liked that message that the movie conveyed. Any family, especially a family with boys or young children who love sports will dig this movie. America could use something to cheer and root for today, and the movie does a good job of doing that.

 

 What would you do to someone if they treated your kids like Frank (Eric Roberts) treated Christian? That guy was horrible!
Morrow: I’d be in jail. That is a no-go. But Eric Roberts couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He knew this role that he was taking on and I remember talking with him about it and he knew he was going to get barbecued for this. He did a great job and it wasn’t so over-the-top – it could have been really creepy but he did a great job. I got to work with him on my own show for a while [Roberts portrayed Vance Abrams in 2010]. What a great dude, really professional and it has been an honor to work with him for a few times.

 

   You’ve been playing Nick Newman for nearly 22 years on Y&R so it must be fun to branch out and embrace a new character like George.
Morrow: It was amazing. People join the entertainment business or become an actor because they like doing lots of different things and playing different roles, being different people. I have been the same character for 21 years, so any chance I get to go off and shoot a movie, I really relish the opportunity. The last few years I have been able to go off and shoot about one movie a year, and it keeps things fresh and keeps me on my toes.
I really liked the character of George when the director (Lance K.R. Kawas) called me about it I said let’s do it. I love it and I’ll be able to do it no problem.

 

  Moving on to your role on "Y&R," Nick’s got a lot going on right now. One element of that is trying to put out fires at Newman Enterprises with his father. Why has Nick changed his mind about wanting to be involved with Victor and the company, and do you think it will last this time?
Morrow: I think Nick has always had a desire to help his family’s company succeed and thwart off outside attacks. What he doesn’t like is when his dad tries to dictate how he needs to perform or how much time he has to put in at the office. Nick is not Victor. His job doesn’t consume him, the company is not the overriding drive in his life. He wants the company to succeed but he is not willing to pay the price that Victor has in order to achieve success. So when he sees the company is in some trouble Nick is obviously going to jump in and do everything he can to help out. But it has got to be on his own terms. He will never be what Victor wants him to be and as long as Victor can accept that I think they will be fine going forward.

 

  Nick is also dealing with Sage having gone into labor after they argued. She’s just had surgery and the baby is in the NICU. Will Nick soften toward Sage again or was her keeping Adam’s secret the straw that broke the camel’s back?
Morrow: Well, that’s pretty tough. There have been a few instances where Sage has not been completely honest with Nick and the Adam issue is very difficult for him to get past. He truly hates this person, he has been a ridiculous thorn in his side. That she would lie to him about something that he has clearly conveyed has meant so much to him, it really hurts him. Time will tell. He loves this woman. He’s had a child with her – maybe. The paternity is still a slight question. But Nick is going to have to decide if her keeping this secret about pretty much his mortal enemy is worth blowing up this relationship that they have spent a great deal of time trying to nurture and turn into something bigger. They are married and he wants to make it work. But he is going to have to get over this Adam thing. Hopefully he will but you never know. Nick can be unpredictable at times.

 

 Nick’s half-brother Adam is alive. He’s clearly the enemy, and yet he delivered Nick’s newborn son and saved his life. That seems to always be the way with Adam. Do you foresee Nick having more tolerance for Adam because of his good deed?
Morrow: In his heart he will, but I don’t think it will be so much on the surface. Family means very much to Nick as it does to all the Newmans. They might be a pretty ridiculous bunch at times, but when things go sour or things get rough, they tend to band together. Nick is not going to jump to his defense but I think in his heart he knows he owes a great deal to Adam, but his pride and his ego might be too much for him to willingly accept it. You have to understand that Nick still believes Adam killed Delia and all that stuff hasn’t come out yet for him. So it is a pretty raw situation and will be pretty tough for him to get over, and you are just going to have to wait and see. We are about a month ahead of what is viewing right now. Some of the performances I have seen in the last month have been awesome. The show has done a great job of leading up to this story. It has been a real ace up their sleeve, and now we are dealing with the fallout and it has just been awesome. It is must-watch television.

 

  Sharon went to Fairview on Nick’s advice. She may or may not be pregnant, and some weird stuff is starting to go on with Sharon’s doctor and Patty Williams. Will Nick get involved with Sharon’s drama again anytime soon?
Morrow: Probably. Nick and Sharon can never completely shake the other one out of their system. Nick cares deeply for this woman and really does not like to see her mess up in any way. To the extent he gets completely drawn into it - I don’t know, because now it is different. In the past Nick has felt the need to go in and save and rescue Sharon whenever she gets in trouble, but now she is with Dylan and Nick trusts Dylan implicitly to take care of her and get her out of any rough spot she may be in. The situation is a little different now – Dylan is in her life and is such a strong, good person. I think he trusts that Dylan will be able to do the role Nick used to.

 

  One question for the Phick fans out there. Since Phyllis (Gina Tognoni) returned from her coma, there has been very little interaction between her and Nick, who were once such a huge part of each other’s lives. Do you know of any plan for them to share a storyline again in any capacity, and would you like to see it happen?
Morrow: I sure hope so. Michelle Stafford is one of my very best friends and they hit an absolute home run when they kind of out of nowhere paired Nick and Phyllis together. And then Michelle went off and did some other stuff which I fully supported, and then they brought Gina on who has been absolutely amazing. I really look forward to getting a chance to work with her in the future. I think for the time being there is definitely not going to be any plans for that. Phyllis is trying to work and repair her relationship with Jack and Nick has something going on with Sage and there are only so many stories you can tell at one time. For now there is probably not going to be too much going on.