Warning: Contains SPOILERS for St. Denis Medical season 1, episode 13.
St. Denis Medical season 1, episode 13 aired Tuesday, February 25 on NBC and saw TikTok star, Morgan Jay, in a role that was “easy to fall into.” Jay portrays Colby Twill, a local singer-songwriter and social media influencer who is scheduled to play at the Pediatrics’ unit. The official synopsis reads: “When a famous musician’s performance at the hospital is delayed, Joyce throws an impromptu talent show with the St. Denis staff; Alex attempts to connect with her daughter, Ella.”
When Ron discovers a lump on Colby’s neck, he orders immediate tests, which postpones the concert. However, after a fair amount of stalling, the musician is given a clean bill of health. “Some Famous Internet Guy” ends with a live performance, in which Jay was able to use his own gear. The actor was surprised by the amount of creative freedom he was allowed, praising St. Denis Medical’s collaborative culture.
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ScreenRant interviews guest star Morgan Jay about joining another NBC sitcom, Colby’s storyline in the episode, working with Josh Lawson, and what’s next after his St. Denis Medical role.
Jay Enjoyed Seeing Another Side Of David Alan Grier In St. Denis Medical
“When he performs on stage and in theater, he’s such a loud and boisterous and eccentric type of performer.”
ScreenRant: I was super excited to see you in St. Denis Medical because you did an episode of Night Court last year, as well.
Morgan Jay: I did, yeah. That was fun too. Just getting to work with legends—I’m just lucky like that, I suppose.
They’re both NBC sitcoms, so did Night Court have anything to do with how your St. Denis Medical role came to fruition?
Morgan Jay: Now that I think about it, all the co-stars and guest stars have been NBC because I did Girls5eva a couple years ago. That is interesting, isn’t it? I don’t know if they had anything to do with one another, but it worked out. Doing St. Denis Medical, it was really easy to fall into that character considering my social media background and presence.
How was the character initially pitched to you?
Morgan Jay: I don’t know if they had somebody else in mind and then my team over at WME, Samantha Korn, who’s really amazing, and my manager Matt at Brillstein, they might’ve floated my name or they said, “We have the perfect person for this.” I do music, and the show is comedy. The character’s a musician, and I do music and comedy. It was kind of like a perfect storm of things to come together.
What were your thoughts on your character’s storyline and how it sets up these comedic performances throughout the episode?
Morgan Jay: When they were putting the lump on my neck, the question was, “Is the lump lumpy enough? Is it too lumpy? Is it noticeable?” And then David Alan Grier, whose character notices it first, I saw him when I started doing comedy many, many years ago in New York.
When he performs on stage and in theater, he’s such a loud and boisterous and just an eccentric type of performer, incredibly talented. But on the show, it was so interesting to see this other side that was very subtle, very sarcastic. He was annoyed by everything a little bit. It was so funny.
He was one of the only people who was completely unfazed by your character throughout the episode.
Morgan Jay: Oh, yeah. He doesn’t care. He’s like, “I’m a doctor. Can we just do some doctoring? Let’s just do some doctoring.”
Jay Breaks Down His Character’s Comedic Dynamic With Bruce
“It was funny because he could be a little bit over the top, but it never felt like it wasn’t grounded in some sense of reality.”
On that note, what do you think Colby thought about Bruce? He puts up with him for much longer than most people would’ve.
Morgan Jay: Josh was so absolutely funny. He’s from Australia. He came out to my show in Sydney, and we got to reconnect and chat backstage. His character is so reminiscent because that’s a real type of person that does exist in Hollywood or any type of entertainment industry.
They have a side hustle, they’re a DJ, but they play trumpet. They’re a yoga instructor, but they also do collage art. They have some sort of hustle they’re trying to get into. It was funny because he could be a little bit over the top, but it never felt like it wasn’t grounded in some sense of reality or anything like that. It was so funny.
Since Colby ends up being a patient there, what do you think he thought about the hospital as a whole? This very chaotic but talented staff.
Morgan Jay: Long story short, it’s like the backup hospital. So it definitely has hospital from Temu energy, a hospital from Wish kind of energy. They don’t quite have everything they need there, but they make do with what they have because they’re such a good unit. They all work together really great.
I think Colby, he’s probably used to getting a little bit of more of a five-star influencer treatment, even though I am not like that. I don’t expect that. But I do know influencers who could get, as they say, the “ick” from something. But it seems like Colby’s character was really happy to be there. He’s there for the kids to do shows for them.
What can you share about filming the performance at the end?
Morgan Jay: I was really kind of surprised that the writers and the showrunner were cool with me bringing my own gear that I used at my actual live show and kind of letting me make up a little silly song for the kids. It worked out great. I really was surprised about that.
I just realized I did another NBC show, Peacock show, called Bring The Funny, and it was like 2019, and they also gave me the freedom to kind of do what I want on that show. I think that kind of just speaks to the culture there. They’ve had so many hit shows there. 30 Rock is a great example of a show where you could tell that the actors had a lot of fun on the show. I feel like they’re just continuing that culture with something like St. Denis Medical.
Jay Hopes To Share More Scenes With Mekki Leeper In The Future
“I think we could probably have some good moments on camera together.”
I thought this was the funniest episode yet. Was there one scene in particular you were struggling to keep a straight face throughout?
Morgan Jay: I feel like it’s the one where Josh has to shush aside the child. He’s like, “Get out of here.” He pushes aside a child, which he did over and over again. It was just so funny.
If you ever came back for another episode, is there a character in particular you’d like to have a storyline with?
Morgan Jay: Mekki Leeper’s character who was doing terrible magic, or he was just trying to entertain. We’ve actually done shows together throughout our careers as comedians and entertainers, and he’s incredibly funny and talented, and I think we could probably have some good moments on camera together.
What’s next for you? Are you hoping to do more scripted series?
Morgan Jay: Yeah. We have something coming out on Apple TV in June, and then I shot a couple of movies that are going to be coming out, and I tested for my first pilot last year. If you say this is the funniest episode of the season so far, I’m just hoping this builds my profile and allows me to work with just as many legends that were on this show going forward in my career.
It was just such an amazing experience to work with Wendy and David and Josh. They were just so funny. They were really great. And Wendy was so nice. She was so nice on set. I was testing for a pilot, and I was talking to her, and she’s like, “Don’t worry. You’re going to be great no matter what happens.” Everybody was just so nice. It’s not a coincidence that the show is going to get renewed and picked up again.
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More About NBC’s St. Denis Medical
Created By Eric Ledgin And Justin Spitzer
Devoted nurse Alex has just been promoted to Supervising Nurse in the emergency department at St. Denis Medical Center in Oregon. She works alongside an eclectic team of underfunded yet dedicated doctors, nurses and hospital staff, including her boss, Joyce, who wants nothing more than to turn the hospital into an international medical destination, and Dr. Ron, who’s done it all, seen it all and is pretty much over it all. They’re all doing their best not to lose their patience in a hospital overrun with patients — while caring for everyone who comes in the door, including each other.
Check out our other St. Denis Medical interviews here:
St. Denis Medical airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and is available to stream next-day on Peacock.
St. Denis Medical
6/10
- Release Date
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November 12, 2024