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There is a dreamlike quality to the way Sam Morgan moves through the frame; a deliberate, unhurried presence that feels at once intimate and unknowable. Actor, director, musician, model, he carries the rare duality of someone shaped by both discipline and mystique. Raised outside Indianapolis, Morgan began making films at fourteen, long before any industry scaffolding existed around him, guided only by instinct and an early hunger to translate interior worlds to the screen.

That instinct followed him to NYU’s prestigious film program, where his directing thesis was produced by John Riggi. Later, an encounter with acclaimed producer John Wells shifted Morgan’s trajectory, ushering him from the quiet making of images into the charged space of performing within them. Audiences first met Morgan as the younger love interest of Alicia Silverstone in Paramount’s “American Woman” and then opposite Jeremy Allen White in Showtime’s “Shameless”. But Morgan is no longer the ingénue; he is an artist in evolution, one whose director’s eye now informs the emotional precision of his performances.

His work across music and fashion reveals yet another layer; not as ornament, but as portals into the parts of himself that refuse translation. Whether performing live or constructing a character on screen, Morgan gravitates toward interior tension, the whispered risks rather than the loud ones. It’s this sensibility, the ability to make a private world cinematic, that positions him for the roles – and the conversations – he is circling now.

With new projects unfolding and a creative compass that leans toward vulnerability rather than spectacle, Morgan enters this moment not as a newcomer, but as an artist refining the story he wants to tell.

Dream Story becomes the perfect frame: a descent into the subconscious terrain where identity, desire, and imagination converge and where Sam Morgan is learning to shape his next era.

Sam Morgan @thesammorgan

Photographer Dimitri Pollalis @dgpoll Assistant Nathan Shoop Stylist Sébastien Hohl @sebastienhohl_ (The Only Agency) @theonly.agency Groomer Jenna Nelson (The Wall Group) @thewallgroup

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You started making films at fourteen, long before any industry permission slips. When you look back at that version of yourself in Indiana, what instinct was already fully formed?

This is a fun way to start. I remember when I was little, my grandma who grew up in rural parts of Appalachia used to make me sing sad folk songs to her because she liked my voice. At the time I didn’t really think too much about it other than, I liked singing for her. But there’s something about the way we were able to connect to one another when I would sing her those songs. It’s like I was able to transport her somewhere else; to a different place or time. It was less about hitting the right note or singing the right way, and more about telling her a story and her connecting to the song, while simultaneously teaching me about her and her heart. In a lot of ways, I feel like that’s where I first learned the power of storytelling and I think that sort of soul connection is at the core of everything I do.

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Your early path moves from NYU film directing to acting on screen. How does your director’s eye still guide the way you inhabit a character today?

I love cinema. As pretentious or cringe that may sound, I am a huge cinephile; so getting to be a part of that world is so important to me. I love playing a part in the director’s vision, it almost feels like being a certain paintbrush or tool in a much larger medium. It’s interesting because you’d think given my training that I’d be one of those actors who’s always trying to direct my scene partners or you know guide somebody’s vision to fit mine but what I’ve come to find is that I’m much more the opposite. I like being able to take a backseat to a director and have them guide me in – tell me where to go. It really puts me at ease. I love the collaboration and getting notes and creating something that feels like a meeting of the minds. That is the beautiful thing about filmmaking. You truly cannot do it alone. And it’s where friendships and creative partnerships can really be forged in fire. So far it’s been the greatest adventure I could’ve imagined for my life.

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“Shameless” introduced you to a global audience alongside Jeremy Allen White. What did that experience teach you about vulnerability, both on camera and off?

Jeremy is just such a present and electric actor. It was really fascinating to see how engaged and excited everyone on that set was to show up even after being on here for over ten seasons. I’ve been on some sets where it feels like people are just clocking into any other job and some of the excitement seems to have waned, but that was not the case at all when it came to “Shameless.” Everyone just seems so excited to be there and do the work and make it fun and active and alive. Kind of what I described earlier. It felt like a meeting of the minds. And getting to go head to head with somebody like Jeremy totally boosted my confidence in myself and my work. 

You’ve had pivotal moments shaped by encounters rather than strategy, from James Franco to John Wells. Do you believe chance favors preparation, or curiosity?

Well, I’m a huge believer in synchronicity and positioning yourself in such a way for luck to find you. Everything starts with curiosity in my opinion. When we have a curious mind, it keeps us open to dreams. And when we dream we allow ourselves to use our imagination to circle things that we want to experience in our life. And once you get really clear on whatever it is that you want in life, then you can start preparing yourself. So you prepare yourself for a thing that has not happened yet, but you act as if it will one day come to pass. When you set yourself up for something to happen, you’re much more likely to take that leap of faith when opportunity actually does present itself. It’s like being on a train station platform waiting for a train to come. First, you have to get to the station, but once you get to the station, there’s always trains coming, but you have to have a vision of where you’re going to make sure you get on the right train. And just know there will always be a train going the direction you want to go, but it’s up to you to look at the map and figure out where that is. 

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In Object of Desire, the tension feels internal, almost whispered rather than performed. What kind of emotional risks do you allow yourself to take now that you did not earlier in your career?

I just think I let myself have a lot more fun these days. When I was first starting out, I was so nervous and serious all the time, but as I’ve gotten more comfortable with myself and being in my own skin, I have also allowed myself to just enjoy life more. It sounds cliché, but most things that we encounter in our day-to-day life are just not that deep. Obviously, bad things are gonna happen every now and then, but for the most part if we can just loosen the grip that we have on the comings and goings of our daily life, I think we’d all be much happier for it. 

As you think about your future in Hollywood, are there certain kinds of roles or stories you feel drawn to now or even a part you wish you’d had the chance to play?

I’ve always wanted to play a character like Lestat in Interview with a Vampire. When I was little, probably too young to be reading Anne Rice novels, my mom would come home and leave them out for me. Which, thinking about it now, seems a little mature for a kid, but I loved them. Especially as I was growing and developing my sense of self and sexuality. I loved the eroticism and philosophical questioning that she explored using these supernatural entities. It really shaped so much of my worldview and the way I think about life and humanity. Also, “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin. If they ever adapted that, I would fight tooth and nail to be in it. That book totally shattered me in all the right ways. 

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When you look at the conversations and projects you’re circling right now, what through-line do you see emerging in the kind of work you want to build moving forward?

I remember I had an acting teacher once who told us to “live in Chinese red.” In Chinese culture, red is a color that represents vitality, life force energy and good luck. And I would say that that is the through line of everything that I do. To live an experienced life ferociously. To love and fight and dance and cry and sing. To feel it all. I know it might sound like a corny answer but truly that’s it, to feel it all. And I hope my work continues to allow me to do just that. And maybe help others do the same.

Music seems to offer you a different kind of truth than film. When you perform live, what part of yourself finally gets to speak without translation?

Music is an amazing gift – to make it and to experience it. There’s all kinds of studies that I’m sure you’ve seen, where they talk about how music can literally change people’s biological rhythms and all of that. It’s very powerful. And there is a direct line connecting you to the audience you’re performing for. The feedback is instantaneous whereas with a film or TV show you really don’t get to experience it with the audience. 

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Fashion and image play a visible role in your work, yet never feel like armor. How do you personally define elegance in a world that often confuses it with noise?

For me what is elegant is also what is timeless. Elegance and timelessness go hand-in-hand. There’s something about simplicity and the beauty of what is natural that has always struck me as being elegant. I recently read “Wabi Sabi” because I heard Guillermo Del Toro talking about it and it really made me appreciate how beautiful daily life can be when viewed through the proper lens. The whole concept of ‘Wabi Sabi’ is that things are beautiful because they are ephemeral. Everything on earth (including us) exists somewhere between birth and death and the natural decay and erosion is what makes something elegant. 

You are vocal about the causes you care about and the responsibility that comes with visibility. How do you stay sincere in your activism without letting it become performative?

This is a great question, and the honest answer is that it is very challenging to remain sincere, and not let your activism become performative. Especially in a world racked by social media. I’ve been so busy with my career and life events lately that I haven’t been able to get out and protest, and be as involved as I’d like to be particularly with what is currently happening here in the US. But, I found that there are other ways to be helpful and involved even if you can’t be there physically. I’ve spent much of the last couple weeks calling state representatives all over the US regarding issues with ICE and our malfunctioning Department of Justice and that has felt really productive. It’s easy for me and so many others, I’m sure, to slip into despair when we look at the current state of the world we live in, but the only salve for that feeling is to take action and to stay involved. And to not let exhaustion and apathy wipe out our determination to stand up for ourselves and others in the face of injustice.

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