IN CONVERSATION WITH SAM MORELOS

interview by JANA LETONJA

Sam Morelos will make their feature film debut starring in Hulu’s modern day coming of age comedy ‘Summer of 69’, slated to premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival and will stream on Hulu this May. In television, Sam got their big break starring in two seasons of Netflix’s ‘That ’90s Show’, a spinoff from the iconic series ‘That ’70s Show’.  

‘Summer of 69’ is your feature film debut. How did you prepare for your role as Abby Flores in this coming-of-age comedy? 

I really prepared in the only way I knew how, the way I’ve always prepared for roles, whether it be for ‘That ‘90s Show’, a piece of theatre, or a scene I’m working on in class. I sit with the script and read it a billion times. I also like to write out my inner monologue on the page next to my lines, sometimes to a point where there’s more pencil than printer ink on the page. I tend to come at a character like they’re my best friend, try to really understand where they’re coming from, support them, and never judge them. Abby felt like an extension of myself because, while not a complete mirror image of me, there were definitely Abby-isms that were inspired by my own coming-of-age in high school. I also have to note that I watched ‘Booksmart’ on the plane to Syracuse. Felt like an important detail.  

Abby is described as an awkward high school senior with a strong personality. What do you think makes her so relatable to audiences, especially in a coming-of-age story like this? 

I genuinely believe that in order to be a cool, grounded, well-rounded adult, you had to be weird in middle or high school. In that liminal space of childhood and almost-adulthood, there are so many forces pulling you back and forth between what you seem to have “out-grown” and the ways you need to “grow-up.” I, personally, struggled ,and still struggle, with that timeline, as if it’s something possible to measure. The reality is that everyone should grow at their own pace and feel comfortable in the way they interpret that timeline, which is exactly what this movie is encouraging. 

She’s relatable in her naiveté, I think. It’s funny, there was a point in high school where everyone was just expected to know everything. No one really talks about the “before,” the awkward in between knowing and not-knowing, the question and the millions of other questions following the answer, especially when the topic is sex and sexuality. I also love how awkward for Abby doesn’t exactly mean quiet or shy. I feel like that’s a common misconception about the awkward-teen character, that awkward means no personality. In reality, Abby is the most herself when she’s alone and there’s no social pressure to be anyone else but herself, like how she is on Glitch. But at the beginning of the movie when she’s at school or in social situations, Abby doesn’t really know how to take up space. I think it’s something a lot of people, including myself, can relate to. 

How did you approach capturing the essence of Abby while balancing the humor and depth of the character? 

I want to start out by saying that I just adore Abby. She reminds me a lot of me in high school. I was a different type of socially awkward where I would overcompensate in group settings, but when I went home I was a really lonely kid. I hardly went out with friends outside of school hours and I didn’t have the habit of texting or calling anyone. I was very Abby. Because I could really empathize with her, I could understand all of her characteristics and contradictions, the four-dimensionality of it all. All of the deep, soap-boxy details aside, I really just let myself have fun on set, especially because Jillian Bell is a phenomenal director that is amazing at creating a safe space for her actors to play and explore without judgement. I was able to be a teenager playing a teenager, a four-dimension person behind and in front of the camera. 

‘Summer of 69’ is premiering at SXSW before it streams on Hulu. What does it mean to you to have your film debut at such a prominent festival? 

To premiere my first feature film as a co-lead at SXSW was more than a dream come true. The day I landed in Austin, before the hustle and bustle of press began, my best friend and cousin called me. And it helped me slow down and really take in what I was actually doing. I was fulfilling a childhood dream. It’s cheesy, I know, but I sat on the phone and we just cried. We couldn’t stop saying back to each other “This was the dream, right? You’re doing it. This is it.” I’m just beaming with pride that I got to celebrate our film with all the beautiful people that made it while also being surrounded by a bunch of filmmakers doing the exact same thing, sharing their work. SXSW is more than electric.  

How do you think the themes of ‘Summer of 69’ resonate with today’s audience, especially considering the modern take on the coming-of-age genre?  

After watching it, I realized that if I had this movie when I was a kid, I can’t imagine the person I’d be today. I grew up, like many of us, with the high school makeover trope - the 28-playing-a-17-year-old takes off her glasses, lets her hair down, and suddenly she’s prom queen. It really affected me as a spectacled kid without even realizing it. I was so uncomfortable in my skin because everything in media told me that the only way to have friends is to change completely. This movie is so far from the “pretty = wanted” trope because the real makeover was a shift in confidence. Abby started to feel more comfortable in her skin and was willing to take up more space. Also, in today’s era of social media, it’s so easy to compare yourself to other people, not just how they look but also the pace that other people are doing things. This movie taught me that in order to have meaningful relationships, you need to heal your relationship with yourself first and allow yourself to take things at your own pace. I think it’s a really important message for a new, younger audience to learn and for older audiences to relearn.  

You starred in Netflix’s ‘That ’90s Show’. What was it like stepping into the shoes of such a memorable character in a spinoff of an iconic series like ‘That ’70s Show’? 

I loved my time on ‘That ‘90s Show’. It made for a perfect first professional acing gig. To step into her shoes was to step into this feisty, unapologetic energy that I don’t normally exude in my day to day. I just adored Nikki’s wit, sarcastic humor, and no BS grind-set. Not to mention I was a huge fan of ‘That ‘70s Show’. I’ve watched all eight seasons. So, to step foot into the iconic basement and work with idols Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp was a complete fever dream that I cannot believe is real. Those two never failed to make us new kids feel welcomed and part of the family while also teaching a huge masterclass on comedic timing every time they would step up to work.  

What was the most rewarding part of working on ‘That ’90s Show’, and how did it help you grow as an actor? 

The most rewarding part was walking away from that set with a family. The people on 7That ‘90s Show’ are genuinely some of the kindest people I know, and I’ve made friends there that’ll be at my wedding. I felt like I grew up on that set. The three years between high school junior and post grad are like dog years, so I feel like I grew a lot as both an actor and a person. As an actor, it taught me how to play and collaborate with so many different types of people. It taught me how to be flexible, how to think on my feet, and to have fun.

As a first-generation Filipino-American, you’ve expressed a passion for AAPI representation in the entertainment industry. Can you talk a little more about why that’s so important to you and how you see it evolving? 

It’s not hard to name why it’s important to me, it’s who I am. It’s the one thing that I cannot take off, I wear my Filipino identity on my skin. Especially being raised in an immigrant household, my entire childhood was steeped in the culture. That’s why ever character I will ever play will be Filipino. Both Nikki and Abby have Filipino flags in their bedrooms and one of the coolest parts of being an actor is being able to bring my heritage into every role I play. I am so proud of being Pinoy and that’s a relatable experience with most Filipinos I’ve met, if not all. I think representation is so important, just to be able to see yourself on screen and in media makes you feel less alone and part of a community.  

There are so many Filipino creatives and what I’m seeing in our corner of the industry is this outpour of support for one another. We are no longer waiting for someone to hand us opportunities, we are making them for ourselves and each other. It gives me full body chills just thinking about it, how strong our community is and how dedicated we are to having our voices heard. I was an audience member for the very first Los Angeles Fil-Am Film Festival in 2023, and one of the hosts, Jeff Fransisco, said “Thank you all for being part of the tide that lifts our ship.” I think about it all the time, the privilege I have of being a drop in that ocean. This is only the beginning.  

Alongside acting, you dedicate time to supporting the IRC and advocating for refugees, asylum seekers, and those in humanitarian need. How has this work shaped your perspective on life and your role in the entertainment industry? 

I was first connected to the IRC by a dear friend, director Julie Anne Robinson. I was so inspired by their work and the determination they all have to amplifying the voiceless. Because I have the privilege of a platform granted by the entertainment industry, I thought the least I could do was tell people about the amazing work the IRC does. To be completely candid, I’ve barely begun. My collaboration with the IRC has been paused due to the recent administration’s budget cuts to not-for-profit organizations. People are not only losing their jobs to the USAID funding cuts, real people who are doing beautiful work solely based around helping people, but heaps of resources are being taken away from those who need it most. It really puts into perspective the current socio-political climate and how now more than ever is the time to put energy and donations to organization like the IRC. 

You’ve mentioned your commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community. How do you see yourself using your platform to amplify voices within that community? 

Queer voices, trans voices especially, need to be heard now more than ever. I have no interest in talking over the stories that need to be heard the most, so right now I really see myself uplifting other queer voices rather than using my own. It’s a really interesting question because at 19, I connect with the community by listening to trans people in my personal life outside of my “platform,” mostly because I’m at such an early stage in my career where I don’t even know how to use my platform yet. As a college student, my priority right now is to continue to be an active listener and support system for the trans and queer people in my life. It’s an actionable, tangible, and baseline thing to put into a daily practice.  

Also, falling in love with a trans man has made me much more precious about the trans community. There is so much joy and love that my partner has, and a lot of his peace came after life-saving gender affirming care and the ability to be comfortable in his skin. To watch today’s administration actively try to take away trans joy and life is infuriating and near impossible to cope with, and it feels like all I can do is hold my people tighter. 

I hope to one day be part of the larger conversation as a participant and advocate, and work with queer youth on a larger, more impactful scale. There are so many amazing organizations that I see myself being involved in, and it’s a step that I cannot wait to take. Trans people deserve peace. 

What can you share with us about your other upcoming projects? 

I’m actually in Atlanta shooting an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s ‘Regretting You’. And at the same time, I’m juggling going to school and finishing up my freshman year at NYU Tisch. I’m in a really exciting, jam-packed moment in my life and career that has been so rewarding. I can’t wait to share all of it.

CREDITS:

photography EMILY SOTO