Garrett Morris.Photo:netflix
netflix
Garrett Morrishas had quite the Hollywood ride.
In 1975, he was cast as one of the original players inSaturday Night Live,becoming the first-ever Black cast member — although he was originally hired as a writer.
“Some producers didn’t want a Black cast member butLorne Michaelsknew the show needed one,” Morris, whojust received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fameon his 87th birthday, tells PEOPLE. “I dealt with some racism there, but never with Lorne. He doesn’t have a racist bone in his body.”
Morris says that during his five-year tenure on the show, he was also heavily addicted to cocaine — not unlike his costarJohn Belushi.
“We lost one of the greatest talents in the country,” Morris says of his former costar’s untimely death. “But John and I never really partied together. I was more introverted, After they wrapped up the show, usually they’d all go to a bar but I’d just go home. I’m not sure the cocaine helped with being introverted.”
Garrett Morris and John Belushi on ‘Saturday Night Live’.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
His addiction didn’t end after he left the show in 1980, and Morris went on to play memorable roles in shows likeThe Jeffersons,Martin,TheJamie Foxx Show, and2 Broke Girls.It wasn’t until 10 years ago that he finally got fully sober and stopped using the drug.
“I went to alcoholics anonymous,” he explains. “And they give you a sponsor. And that guy calls you all day long, but it works. Within six months to a year, I felt like I could stay sober forever.”
Besides his cocaine addiction, Morris went through other tough times during his showbiz career. Early on, when he was in his 20s and a singer with the Harry Belafonte Folk Singers, he says there were times he wasn’t allowed to stay in the same hotel as the White singers.
“The Black guys had to go to the Black part of town to try and find a hotel there,” he recalls.
One time in L.A., when he was about to sing at the Greek Theater with Harry Belafonte, he was arrested for WWB. “Walking while Black,” he says of the acronym.
He says racism was a common theme throughout his Hollywood tenure, although it wasn’t as overt as it was when he grew up in segregated New Orleans.
“I thought Hollywood would be all progressives,” he says of being naive, noting that the racism he encountered in New York and Hollywood was “hidden.”
“It surprised me,” he adds.
Garrett Morris in July 2019.Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Jon Kopaloff/Getty
In 1994, Morris also survived being shot. “I had run the New York City marathon in 1993,” he says, before sharing that he accidentally got caught up in an attempted robbery while going to the store for juice the following year.
Two men demanded money from him, and Morris says he always had a problem with running his mouth. “I said, ‘Oh, somebody’s looking for a fight,’ but then the guy shot me. It ricocheted into my lumbar number five. That’s the only reason I survived. The doctors told me I might not walk or run again,” he recalls.
Morris recovered, though now, at 87, he says he now needs a walker to get around, but that’s mainly due to arthritis.
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Garrett Morris on ‘Saturday Night Live’ beside Shelley Duvall.
“Michael B. Jordan could play me,” Morris joked before the casting news was announced.
50 years after he rose to fame onSNL, Morris says he’s nothing but grateful for everything, and hopes to tell his full story in an autobiography.
“I’m working on it now,” he says, adding, “There’s a lot more to talk about!”
For more on Garrett Morris, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
source: people.com
