Fall River native, actress Pamela Morgan one degree away from Kevin Bacon in new role

FALL RIVER — It's been quite an exciting journey for city native and actress Pamela Jayne Morgan, whose pursuit of her passion has her soaking in the spotlight alongside some well-known faces.

"In one year, I acted in projects opposite A-list (actors) including Kevin Bacon, Keira Knightley, Paul Giamatti, and Jesse Eisenberg. How’s that for a girl from Fall River!" said Morgan, 58.

In the Rehoboth resident's latest "pinch me" moment, she can be spotted on the small screen, just one degree away from Kevin Bacon, in the Showtime series "City on a Hill."

Morgan, who cut her teeth in local community theater groups, appears in Season 3, Episode 2 of the series, which is set in early 1990s Boston, sharing a scene with the "Apollo 13" star.

According to the show's official description: "Assistant DA Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge) forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran, Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon). Together, they take on a case that ultimately changes the city's entire criminal justice system."

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How she ended up in 'City on a Hill'

Morgan — whose most recent work includes a scene in the HBO Max series “Julia” that premiered this spring — said she's been climbing that hill toward "City on a Hill" for a while now.

"Being that I have lived near Boston my whole life, and can turn on the accent at will, in addition to being a huge fan of Kevin’s, I made it my mission to book a role on that show," said Morgan, noting the project piqued her interest a few years ago when it was still being developed.

So she took classes to meet the casting directors so they would get to know her and her work, watched the show so that she became familiar with its tone and storylines, and trusted that she would eventually score an audition.

"So much of one’s success in acting, as well as life in general, is being positive; sending positive energy into the universe in order to manifest your dreams," Morgan said. “'If not this one, something better' — a solid mantra to live by."

"Sometimes it's about timing and the vision the director and studio have in mind for a particular role," she added.

Turns out the third time's a charm for Morgan. She auditioned twice for a role in Season 2 but didn't get cast, and when they started production for Season 3 snagged another audition for a part that was "perfectly suited to me."

Morgan plays Philomena Moretti, "a battle-scarred, experienced forensic pathologist in the city morgue who’s not easily intimidated, especially when Jackie Rohr digs for information about a particular cadaver."

Filming for "City on a Hill" took place in Manhattan in October and was a quick shoot. Her scene with Bacon ended up being just a little over a minute, but her time on set was most memorable.

"The crew is always so impressive. It’s amazing how many people work together to pull off what we see on TV and in the movies. They run like a well-oiled machine and to be a part of that mechanism is so rewarding. Best job ever!" she said.

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What Kevin Bacon is really like

In fact, this isn't the first time Morgan has crossed paths with the versatile actor whose role in the crowd-pleaser "Footloose" made him a household name in 1984. She worked with Bacon and his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, in June 2021 on the movie, “Space Oddity,” which was shot in Rhode Island and directed by Sedgwick.

Morgan, who landed a small role in scenes opposite Bacon, recalls what a surreal experience it was.

"I cannot tell you what incredibly kind people they are," Morgan said. "I had such a 'pinch me' moment being directed by Kyra, and having her cheer on my performance, and acting opposite an A-list actor like Kevin.  So, when I booked 'City on a Hill,' I already had a comfort level with him. He is so down to earth."

She describes Bacon as being very soft spoken and easy to talk to.

"He's very kind and likes to chat in between scenes. He told me that their son was composing the music for the movie. I told him one of my goals to be cast on 'City on a Hill.'  And it happened," she said.

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While it can be hard not to get star-struck in the presence of Hollywood elite, Morgan said the butterflies eventually fade.

"Once you get beyond that you are just two actors there to do a job and to do the best that you can and play off each other. It really does kind of go away because if you can't get beyond that you 're not gonna be able to do your job well," she said.

And while chatting with these A-list co-stars in between takes, she said, you quickly realize "they're just like us."

"Ya, they're well-known but they talk about their kids... we talk about the latest movies," said Morgan, recounting the conversation she had with Paul Giamatti on set about binging recommendations.

Though some actors shy away from watching themselves on screen, Morgan said she finds it both exciting and helpful.

"I want to see it.. we're all our biggest critics," Morgan said. "At this stage of my career this is all still really exciting for me that I'm booking roles with these A-list actors and I want to see if I'm holding my own in the scene, am I shying away, what can I improve. I think everyone should watch their own work and applaud themselves."

How she got her start in acting

Since being bitten by the theater bug at age 15, when she was cast as Mrs. Keller in Durfee’s production of “The Miracle Worker,” it's been a long, winding road for Morgan as she realized her acting dreams.

In her 20s, she took a 20-year hiatus from performing with community theater companies, which included Little Theatre of Fall River and Your Theatre in New Bedford. During that time, she charted an interesting career path — from working at an AM radio station in Fall River selling ads and doing voice overs for commercials, to media communications specialist, to opening a theatrical dance company to serving as children's theater director for a nonprofit she co-founded.

"I feel so damn lucky to do what I love to do. As a girl I dreamed of this. As a young adult, I put that dream on hold to create a very successful career path, raise my daughter, and tend to my family. As a ‘mature’ middle-aged woman, I gave myself the gift of pursuing my dream again," she said.

"I always wanted to do film and TV and when I turned 50 years old I said I'm just gonna throw my hat in the ring, I have nothing to lose" she added.

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Morgan's big TV break came in 2019, when she was cast in “Law & Order: SVU” in a scene with Mariska Hargitay, who plays lead character Olivia Benson. This past year has been her most successful yet when it came to solid bookings, Morgan said.

In addition to "City on a Hill" and "Space Oddity" the latter of which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, Morgan shot scenes in the upcoming “Out of the Blue,” playing opposite Ray Nicholson, Jack Nicholson's son, and Diane Kruger. She's also in the upcoming feature films “Boston Strangler,” “The Holdovers,” directed by Academy- and Golden Globe-winner Alexander Payne, in which she has a scene opposite Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, as well as the TV mini-series, “Fleishman Is in Trouble” opposite Jesse Eisenberg.

Though she has plenty to be excited about lately, Morgan said her favorite project she's worked on so far is "Boston Strangler," set to release in 2023, in which she shares the screen with Keira Knightley.

It's based on the true story of the Boston Strangler, the name given to the killer of 13 women in the Boston area during the early 1960s, told from the perspective of Knightley's character, a reporter for the Boston Globe at that time.

"This role for me was so gut-wrenching that I feel like it's probably the best role not only that I've been cast in but from a performance standpoint that I delivered," said Morgan, who is in four scenes with Knightley. "And the story is so meaningful so that goes a long way."

She also shot a couple of episodes in the TV series, “Luna, the Witch,” which is available on Amazon Prime, and a short film, “Aaron with 2 A’s.”

And several of Morgan's films have gone on the festival circuit.

She produced and starred in her own short film, “The Principal’s Assembly” — shot at the old B.M.C. Durfee High School — which received second runner-up in the Audience Choice Award at the 31st annual Woods Hole Film Festival.

Prior to the pandemic, she also shot the short film “Blood Brothers” in Fall River — written, directed, and produced by fellow city native Kyle Gregory — for which she won a Best Actress award at the 2021 Open Gate International Film Festival. She was also awarded Best Actress for her role in the indie film, “Goodbye Honey” at the 2021 Garden State Film Festival and the 2020 NOLA Horror Film Fest, and will be making her rounds at others this fall, including the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival.

While Morgan said she doesn't have any projects in the works at the moment, films she's worked on are expected to release in the coming year.

In the meantime, she's plugging away at auditions and enjoying the ride.

"It feels so good to receive that email from my agents or casting offices that basically says, we want YOU to audition — it’s a vote of confidence in my ability to be a piece of the casting puzzle that brings a script to life and moves people to laugh, think, cry… feel," Morgan said.

To learn more about Morgan, visit her website at www.PamelaJayneMorgan.com or her  IMDb page at www.imdb.me/pamelajaynemorgan.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River native Pamela Morgan in City on a Hill with Kevin Bacon