Lamorne Morris has some big shoes to fill – but he’s ready.
At the American Black Film Festival Honors in Los Angeles on Sunday, the original Saturday night live cast member Garrett Morris told PEOPLE of the advice he gave New girl alum Lamorne (no relation) about his role in the upcoming SNL movie, titled in 1975.
“We talked about it. He’s got to be a guy who deals with some young people,” said Garrett, 87, who was one of the honorees at Sunday’s evening event. “When I was in there in that life, I was 39 and stuff [of the cast]they just got out of high school and college.”
“The black thing is, it takes you longer to do what younger white guys do, and usually you have to do it two or three times better,” he continued, adding of his conversation with the “wonderful” Lamorne, 40, “Told me about it and he already told me that’s how he was going to play – an older black guy dealing with these younger guys. I said, ‘Wow, man.’ ”
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Garrett Morris at the American Black Film Festival Honors in Los Angeles on March 3, 2024.
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Asked about his early days as a player at SNLGarrett told PEOPLE that he remembers most “the struggle to get someone to write for me,” adding that “it was very difficult” and “it took me a long time to get a few people to write for me.”
“Chevy Chase did, a guy named Alan Zweibel did,” he continued. “But it took a little while for that to happen, because some of the writers were — strangely, in a show that was progressive and most people understood on a racial level, some of the writers weren’t as progressive as they should have been.”
About being honored at Sunday’s event, Garrett said he felt “full” and that it was “awesome that the ABFF did this for me.”
“And the fact that I’m on stage with Jeffrey Wright, Taraji Henson and [Mara Brock] Achilles. People have been watching their careers, so I’m happy to be here,” he added.
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Garrett Morris receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on February 1, 2024.
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Garrett received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 1st — on his 87th birthday! — and joked with PEOPLE at the ceremony that despite not receiving the honor until he was 87, “Whenever it comes, it’s fine. I’m grateful.”
He also opened up in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE released two days later about his 40-year cocaine addiction, surviving a 1994 gunshot wound and more, including his feelings about being featured on screen in the upcoming film in 1975 movie directed by Jason Reitman.
“Michael B. Jordan could play me,” Garrett joked before the casting news was announced.
Almost 50 years after he became famous on SNLGarrett told PEOPLE that he’s just grateful for everything and hopes to tell his full story in an autobiography.
“I’m working on it now,” he said, adding, “There’s a lot more to talk about!”
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