By Kayla DeKraker
Leanne Morgan’s new Netflix series LEANNE aired on July 31, and the comedian shared the advice she got from another legend in her field.
“I’m pinching myself today,” Morgan gushed on TODAY WITH JENNA & FRIENDS. “I wrapped it in May, and I can’t believe y’all, you know I wanted this all my life. This was my dream, but it is still. I can’t believe it.”
Acting on a show is new territory for the stand-up comedian, and it came with some unique challenges.
“I mean, it was a thrill. It was hard. It was a challenge. Y’all, I had to learn a script, every week. And then it almost killed me. I thought maybe I won’t get dementia because I am working so hard,” she joked.
“We got to film in front of a live audience on Friday night and that helped me, being a stand-up,” she added.
Morgan mentioned that comedian Jerry Seinfeld gave her some very helpful advice as she ventured into this new medium.
“We talked for two hours. He loves talking about comedy,” she explained. “He through my Netflix special and my bits and how I wrote them. And we talked about the sitcom. He gave me a lot of advice, you know, just because it is my name on it. I have got Chuck Lorre and Susan McMartin, these wonderful people.”
“He said, ‘Remember, Leanne, you know what’s funny. You can go in front of 2,000 people a night for an hour and make people laugh, so you can do this.’”
In the end, Seinfeld’s encouragement rang true for Morgan.
Related: Comedian Leanne Morgan Inks Netflix Sitcom Deal: ‘I’ve Dreamed of This’
“It was intimidating, but it ended up being wonderful and I felt at home. He said, ‘I promise you by the end of these episodes, you will feel like you are walking into your own house. And I did.”
Morgan says that her story is a testament that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
“I tell people all the time, you get one time around this earth, you know? Go for it. Don’t have regrets that you didn’t try,” she said. “I have so many women in my audience that I think they feel inspired because I was about to quit in my early 50’s. It was not going well, but this happened to me.”
She added, “So I tell people, don’t give up. Dreams never die.”
That’s a lesson that rings true for her on-screen character, too.
“A grandmother’s life is upended when her husband leaves her after 33 years of marriage,” IMDB’s synopsis reads. “She navigates this new chapter with the help of her family, grace, dignity, and jello salad.”
She leaned into her Southern roots, which shone through in the sitcom’s Christian worldview, according to Movieguide®. Part of the review reads:
The first three episodes of LEANNE have both a moral and a Christian worldview. The episodes focus on Leanne’s strong family bonds, such as her sister’s and children’s support for her following news of the divorce. There are also mentions of several Christian elements, such as Leanne and Carol working a bake sale at their church, Leanne discussing her grandson’s baptism, and the sisters praying together after their mother’s fall. There are two instances of foul language and several suggestive jokes, as well as scenes featuring alcohol, but otherwise, there is no objectionable content. MOVIEGUDE® advises caution for young viewers.
Morgan’s story is an inspiration that if she can keep following her dreams and succeed, you can too.
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