Lance Avery Morgan
One of our favorite actors is Texan Lane Garrison. Steady, strong of character, and a straight shooter, Garrison’s rise in the films is just like the Texas pioneer story: do good work and get ahead. Which is exactly what he has done in Hollywood…and in his last four films that have been made by Texans. Garrison continues to climb higher heights these days in Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount Plus and on August 30th, in his theatrical film with Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear, You Gotta Believe. He also appeared in the film, The Iron Orchard about the oil boom days in Texas in the 1940s. Here we get a close-up and personal look at the dynamo who keeps rising to the top.
Three qualities that got me where I am today are…
LANE GARRISON: Qualities that I stand firm on are resilience, tenacity, and faith. Resilient for the roller coaster ride of highs and lows, and being able to endure the good, the bad, and the ugly. Tenacious because when I do hit a low, no matter if it’s by a critic or a flop, I’m going to keep creating when all I hear is no or negative. Being tenacious will set you apart from the herd and eventually you will get that one magical, Yes. Faith for me is the most important quality I have because there are a lot of films I want to do but don’t get to do or am rejected for. It’s my faith in God to trust that whatever that next movie or show is—whether writing it or acting in it, it was the one I was supposed to do for a higher calling that I only understand when it is done. It is also my faith and belief in myself that allows me to be resilient to what most deem impossible.
Easiest career decision I ever made is…
LANE GARRISON: Oddly enough, moving to Texas was the best career decision I ever made. People thought I was crazy for leaving Los Angeles, that I’d never work again but I trusted my gut instinct and my wife’s intuition that this is where we were supposed to raise our children. I left willing to give up on my dream for my family, but every door that was closed in L.A. was opened as big as our state and opened with friendly arms and a smile. My last four films have all been made in Texas, or by Texans.
I chose the film business because…
LANE GARRISON: It’s been magic ever since I was a little boy. I was always fascinated that 500 strangers could get together and laugh, love, cry, feel pain together, be emotionally moved to change their lives for the better. I wanted to inspire other people the way I was inspired.
When I am on a set or location, it never fails that…
LANE GARRISON: I don’t have a football in my hands. I use it to run lines, decompress any pressure, and also meet some of the greatest people from all different walks of life by throwing with them. On the set of Mayor Of Kingstown I actually had Door Dash bring us one from the local sports store. I think the
driver who dropped it off at the prison we shoot in was as surprised as the rest of the production who thought I was insane for doing that, but by the end of the shoot everyone on set was throwing it around.
My personal style signifier is…
LANE GARRISON: Boots, jeans, white Hanes T-shirt, and a big Lone Star belt buckle. I’m a Texan so that’s my standard-issue uniform. If it’s a fancy date night with my wife I’ll throw on a sports coat.
The classic movie star style I most identify with is…
LANE GARRISON: James Bond. Custom fitted suit, tieless—but it’s hard to lose the boots.
Classic designer I wish was still designing today is…
LANE GARRISON: The Marlboro Man—I prefer the rugged over the rigid.
If I had to limit my shopping to one neighborhood in one city…
LANE GARRISON: I am from Dallas so I should say Neiman Marcus, but the truth be told, I let my wife do all the shopping. I will say Letty’s in Fort Worth is one place I could lose my wallet in.
How I made my first dollar…
LANE GARRISON: I was 16 when I started working at Richardson Heights Baptist Church…as a janitor during the winter and fall, and during the spring and in summer, I was cutting the property’s grass. The church lot was so big by the time I’d get done around back, it was time to circle back around and cut the front. I think I smelled like grass for the next two years. My first dollar I ever made in the entertainment business was on my very first audition. I booked a commercial for Eastpak backpacks, which was a blessing since I only had $400 to my name and was living at a $ 19-a-night motel in a seedy part of LA.
Last thing I binge/marathon watched…
LANE GARRISON: Mayor Of Kingstown, of course.
Book that left a lasting impression on me…
LANE GARRISON: It happens to be the one that I’m adapting into a limited series and the best book I’ve read ever. Not Between Brothers is an epic novel by one of Texas’ most famous authors, David Marion Wilkinson. The novel at its core is a love story that pits cowboy against Comanche when Texas was still in its infancy. It is a must-read.
On that note, my favorite fiction character is…
LANE GARRISON: That’s a hard toss-up between Pete Mitchell, aka Maverick from Top Gun and Maximus from Gladiator. They both speak to my personality on and off screen.
My real-life hero has got to be…
LANE GARRISON: My wife Mary Kaitlin is my hero. I say that not to score brownie points but because it’s the truth. She pushes me daily to be the best husband, father, and a man of integrity that others can trust and lean on.
First music I bought…
LANE GARRISON: Was a cassette tape and it was Appetite For Destruction by Guns N’ Roses. I was seven years old, and they were 80’s rock gods.
If I could live in a foreign city it would be…
LANE GARRISON: Any city in Greece. Love the food, love the Mediterranean beaches.
What everyone should try in their lifetime is…
LANE GARRISON: To take the risk on whatever that one thing they’ve always dreamed about doing but have been too scared to do. It is better to die trying than to die without purpose.
If I could compete in an Olympic sport, or create a new one, it would be…
LANE GARRISON: My winter Olympic sport would be Super-G downhill skiing which is one of my favorite things in the world to do. Strap on the skis and fly down a mountain at warp speed is exhilarating. My Summer Olympic sport would be playing on the U.S. golf team…or being the shortest point guard for the Men’s basketball and leading them to another gold medal. If I could create an event they’d have good old-fashioned grid-iron American football. I’m pretty sure the entire U.S. team would be made up of Texans.
If I weren’t doing what I do I would be a…
LANE GARRISON: Member of a Special Forces unit for the United States military. Those guys are the real heroes who allow me to sit here comfortably and freely write out these answers. Thank you to our military and first responders!
My hidden talent that most people might not guess is…
LANE GARRISON: I can throw a pro football 65 yards and change a dirty diaper with only one hand. I think the diaper change takes more talent because I’m a Texan…playing football is in our DNA.
If I had a superpower, I’d want it to be…
LANE GARRISON: Is there any other greater superpower than the ability to fly like Superman? I’d spend my lunch breaks on remote beaches around the globe and fly right back to work.
A simple way to get people to laugh is easy. Just…
LANE GARRISON: Invite them to my house during dinner time so they can watch me scrambling while trying to manage three screaming toddler terrorists.
A phrase I might overuse would be…
LANE GARRISON: Coincidences are God’s way of staying anonymous. I say it quite often because I believe it to be true. In fact, I use that quote in my next film, You Gotta Believe, which comes out in theaters August 30th.
My motto? Easy. It is..
LANE GARRISON: Pray and pursue life with purpose and passion. You are alive for a reason so figure out what that reason is and do it…no excuses.
In my fridge, you will always find…
LANE GARRISON: Whataburger ketchup and Ranch.
Favorite scent these days is (because)…
LANE GARRISON: Flower Bomb, the perfume my wife wears.
The handsome essential you’d have to pry out of my cold, dead hands is…
LANE GARRISON: A razor. I’m OCD about being clean-shaven.
A celebrity I would prank phone call and what I would ask them is…
LANE GARRISON: Chris Nolan or Martin Scorsese. I’d pretend to be a casting director and tell them both they’ve got to cast Lane Garrison in their next film.
An artist whose work I would like to collect is…
LANE GARRISON: George W. Bush. I think having a President’s paintings hanging in your home would strike up quite the conversation.
My favorite beverage these days is…
LANE GARRISON: Texas’ own 1877 lime-flavored Mineral Water.
On my tombstone, it will likely say…
LANE GARRISON: Loving husband, father, and a man who gave life all he had…and then some!
My perfect day would end…
LANE GARRISON: Watching the sunset on the beach with my family…and then the kids passing out and letting us sleep through the night.
