Morgan Dudley Shines on Netflix's "A Tourist's Guide to Love"

The movie is a love letter to Vietnam, where a free-spirited tour guide helps a young woman on a work trip open her eyes to the beauty of life.

Photo: Francis Hills

I recently watched "A Tourist's Guide to Love" and it's such a special film. It takes place (and was filmed too I believe) in Vietnam. What was this experience like?

The experience was honestly unlike anything I’ve ever gotten to do! The whole film was done on location meaning that as I, Morgan, was exploring Vietnam, I felt like I was living through my character Robin as well.

You're also starring in "The Pocketwatch" which is sort of a prequel to the Disney series, "Descendants." Can you give us any hints about what we can expect from your character Ella and the film as a whole?

It’s actually a sequel with time travel! And definitely what you can expect from Ella is a character with a little more ‘tude and sass than maybe past Cinderellas which was really fun for me. Expect a lot of bops and fun dance numbers! Oh, and the hair… she’s colorful.

You've had the opportunity to work on both movie sets and Broadway productions. How does your approach to acting differ between the two mediums?

Truly the 2 are very very different! Approaching theater is very much about being able to both feel the piece you’re doing and simultaneously convey it to people that may be a hundred feet away from you! It’s expressive and needs to be projected for audiences to feel encapsulated by the story. Approaching film, on the other hand, is of course more natural. The camera catches everything, so I typically like to have some sort of inner monologue going on with my character during scenes. You especially don’t want to force anything when it comes to film.

You're multi-talented in that you play several instruments. How do you find time to pursue your music interests alongside your acting career? Do the two ever connect?

Honestly, it’s really easy! Music and acting have always both coexisted and merged together in my life. I’m always writing or singing or playing the piano or guitar in my free time, whether it be on set or off. Plus, I’ve already gotten to do a Broadway show & two movie musicals! So, I never really feel like I have to neglect one or the other.

"The Prom" which was directed by Ryan Murphy, was such an iconic (and IMO, needed) film in 2020. Can you share any fun memorable moments from the set?

We filmed "The Prom" around the time that doing the renegade TikTok dance was popular, and I just remember one day during filming randomly, I made it my goal to teach it to as many people as I could. So, I just went around set offering to teach other dancers and some of background the renegade. I was relentless about it too. It was a lot of fun at least for me!

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