Interview with Lindsey Morgan: The Girl Who Walked in Space

Imagine being shipped to an unforgiving post-apocalyptic universe from a wretched rocketship, fighting Grounders, being shot, crippled and manipulated. It’s safe to say that female characters are often hard to balance, especially when it comes to girls, fighters, and geniuses – and Raven Reyes is all three.
She’s a young woman that discovers she’s been lied to by her boyfriend after she has risked it all; she’s the youngest mechanic of her generation, she fights through loss and death and even addiction.
 In the world of “The 100,” Raven’s character, played by the actress Lindsey Morgan, born in Georgia and raised in Huston, certainly doesn’t have it easy. But Lindsey managed to go deep into a complex character, turning a name on a script into a real person made of shadows and lights, of sufferings and compromises (both with herself, with her friends and the world they are slowly discovering). 
Next to series leads Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor, for 6 seasons now (The CW confirmed the 6th Season of “The 100”) Lindsey has been one of the most solid presences on the show, despite all her character’s goes through.

But how did Lindsey prepare for the role, and what were the funniest moments on set? How did she feel when she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series and what are her dreams for the future?
Discover it all in our interview with her!

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You’re one of the most popular Latino actresses of the recent years: how did you start acting and how was your relationship with acting when you were younger?
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I was pretty terrified in the beginning, classic stage fright, but something inside of me was really drawn to performing. I think because I was shy I was drawn to the bravery of performance and to being free in front of others. I didn’t really start until I began to pursue it in college. I did small bit parts in school, but again, was too shy to really ever go for it. In fact, spent more time painting sets than I did on stage.

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You played Captain Rose in “Beyond Skyline,” the sequel of “Skyline:” how did you prepare for the role and what was the best thing on set?
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This role was pretty crazy because I was offered it and it was slated to film on my 27th birthday, but then I had food poisoning the night before and had to play unconscious for the first half! It will always be kind of funny and special to me for that reason.

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You started as Raven Reyes from the very first season of “The 100.” Back then, did you imagine how much resonance the series would have and what a success it would become?
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Back then, I had no idea what a series like this would become or my role in it, how it would change my life and how the audience would perceive it. But I do remember a special energy on set when we started. We had a lot stacked against us as a show, and we really made something spectacular despite that. Something that has never been seen on The CW and I’m really proud of that.

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What made you say, “Yes, I want to do this” when you first read the script of “The 100”?
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I always joke and say “unemployment,” but the truth was Raven interested me and she was the first role I read in a very long time that wasn’t informed by her sexuality. Sure she had relationships, but she wasn’t defined by them. She defied all stereotypes up to that point as a female character or the “other woman” or “competition” for the lead. They didn’t have a love triangle, they had an actual dynamic of respect and hurt. I loved that.

I always retell how when I was auditioning for Raven, she didn’t have a last name yet. I didn’t have a last name until somewhere around the middle of Season 2 and the writers let the actor inform that. I remember having three friends, all of different races, also going out for Raven, so I loved that she wasn’t being defined or minimized to her ethnicity.

“They didn’t have a love triangle, they had an actual dynamic of respect and hurt.”

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Since the end of season one to season five, Raven’s body undergoes very drastic changes: how did you work on her disability and how did you prepare for the changes in her attitude and character?
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I did a lot of research on people with chronic pain and who have lost the feeling or use of their legs. I read this amazing biography about a young girl getting polio at 13, and it really resonated with me. To have the use of your body and then all of sudden, be without it? Raven had to experience that shock, frustration, and imprisonment. I also found this amazing website where anyone can post anonymously an experience they had, from skydiving to a root canal. It’s almost like a public diary.

I needed those interpersonal accounts of the emotional states people who were dealing with a disability felt, not the sugar-coated “it’s difficult but I bear it,” but the true evolution of your psyche, the depression, the anger, the resolution and the evolution.

I also found this amazing website where anyone can post anonymously an experience they had, from skydiving to a root canal. It’s almost like a public diary.

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Raven is an intelligent girl that goes against clichés, she’s a talented mechanic and goes through a lot of pain, both physically and emotionally: what was the hardest part of playing her and what was the best one?
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I’ve always been extremely sensitive, my emotions run deep. Unfortunately, I can’t fake cry, it has to come from some source of truth inside of me, and therefore Raven has her fair share of traumatic experiences. Exploring her darkness has been difficult and painful, emotionally and physically, some days you are just tired of hurting, drained from pouring yourself out. So, I’d say that.

The best thing about playing Raven is that I’ve been constantly challenged creatively as an actress. It’s not often a young girl gets to play the spectrum I’ve had with Raven. I’ve been paralyzed, possessed, in love, zenned out and lost my mind, only to rebuild it all over again. That is a pretty epic run in my opinion.

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Recently, “The 100” has been renewed for a sixth season: how do you think the series will change and what can we expect for Raven in the new season?
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That is if she makes it to Season 6…

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What’s your must-have on set?
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Lemon water and my headphones.

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What was an Epic Fail on the job?
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I had prepared the wrong scene and had to scramble to be ready in a matter of minutes. I ended up having to peek at my lines during the take!

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What’s the last series you binge-watched?
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“Altered Carbon”!

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What’s the question nobody asks you and you’d like to answer?


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“What do you struggle with, in this job?”

I think everyone just assumes because I’m in this line of work, I love attention and red carpets, etc. Frankly, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
I’m an inherently shy person and struggle with self-confidence in that realm. I’ve always felt that acting to me was the need to be seen without being looked at. To me, it’s not so much about entertaining as an honest expression of the human experience and fantasy. Most of the time that’s raw and imperfect.
We live in this weird dichotomy of a world of perfection which is in direct conflict with the idea of being human. So, I’m not perfect, I struggle and I know that’s human, but I feel like I’m expected to not be that and that has always bothered me. I feel strong because of the struggle, not because I am born without it.

“So, I’m not perfect, I struggle and I know that’s human, but I feel like I’m expected to not be that and that has always bothered me.
I feel strong because of the struggle, not because I am born without it.”

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The most beautiful thing while filming “The 100”?
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Paige Turco’s eyes and the forest.

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What’s your dream project?
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I would love to play a superhero!

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What’s next for you?
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Sleep? Or maybe finally unpacking my suitcases.

Photo credits: Ryan West.