Nathalie Morris is the humble breakout star from Stan’s Bump who is peering her way into the spotlight and set to return to the much-loved series for a second season.
WATCH: The stars of Bump reveal how to have “the talk” with teenagers.
The Aussie drama dropped on Stan at the start of this year, and the high school drama was a refreshing addition to the Australian television industry.
Bump tells the story of Oly, a bright and goal-orientated teenage girl whose life flips upside down when she gives birth to a surprise baby, and as expected, this is only the start of her complicated journey.
23-year-old Nathalie plays Oly, and she handled the role with a care that the most considered and talented actresses can only achieve.
We thought it was time to dive deep into the modest but intriguing Nathalie Morris.
How old is Nathalie?
Nathalie is 23 years old.
Where is Nathalie from?
Nathalie was born in Canberra but she has spent most of her time between Australia and Wellington, New Zealand.
What did Nathalie do before she was an actress?
According to her Facebook, Nathalie was a swimming instructor at Aquazone Swim School.
Where did Nathalie study acting?
She studied her craft a the Toi Whakaari school in New Zealand.
What projects has Nathalie acted in outside of Bump?
After leaving Toi Whakaari, she dove straight into her acting career and starred in the horror/thriller Black Christmas and the New Zealand series One Bridge Lane.
Nathalie didn’t meet her co-star Carlos Sanson Jr. until they were on set
Casting directors like to test the chemistry between actors before casting them, but because the audition process was happening during last year’s COVID lockdown in March, they had to take a gamble on Carlos and Nathalie.
It wasn’t until they were on set that the pair met but Nathalie told the publication Side-Note the risk paid off.
“We just had a great back and forth straight away,” she said of their instant connection.
“We listened to each other a lot and trusted each other, and I think we realised early on that we shared a similar devotion to and passion for what we were doing. We were very lucky in that sense.”
Nathalie and Carlos’ real-life bond
The two proved they have incredible on-set chemistry, and luckily that translated into a wholesome friendship off screen.
They spent New Year’s Eve together with friends in Byron Bay, and they have gone on weekend bush walks together with the rest of the cast.
Nathalie also posted a cute Instagram post dedicated to her co-star, thanking him for being her ultimate side-kick.
“Thank you to everyone who has watched Bump, and for all of the love we’ve received @__sars I couldn’t have done it without you, and anyway, it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun 😝,” she penned.
Nathalie on her playing her character Oly
The actress told The Guardian that she wanted to play Oly because she was written with a nuance often neglected in stories about young women.
“She’s a perfectionist, she’s an overachiever, she’s obsessive,” the 23-year-old explained.
“The character has all these little quirks that I haven’t seen on screen. When I was reading the script I was like, ‘Woah – the creators of the show have really picked up on the world of teenagers.’ She has a lot of layers and depths.”
“But is also quite funny. I felt like I could be myself in this audition, that I may be right for it. It’s all the parts of me that I had hidden.”
Nathalie on how she related to her character Oly
Although Nathalie has never experienced teenage pregnancy or the complexities of motherhood, to help play Oly, she turned to the mothers in her life and on set to help her navigate the topic.
Speaking to Now To Love, she explained how she prepared for labour scenes and playing a young mum.
“I’ve never experienced something as shocking as unexpected labour, but I’ve always put very high expectations on myself and I’ve had to deal with curveballs and come to terms with unexpected new realities. That’s one of the things I love most about the show – it’s celebration of mistakes, awkward moments, and bizarre behaviour,” she said.
“I couldn’t relate to the motherhood aspect of the show at first, but there were so many mothers in the cast and crew that shared their hilarious – and horrifying – stories with me throughout the shoot and showed me how to hold a baby, breastfeed, change a nappy etc.”
“Those conversations were actually one of the greatest parts about being in this production.”
How Nathalie approached intimate scenes on Bump
For most people, the idea of filming an intimate scene is terrifying.
Nathalie told Now To Love that despite some awkward moments, they could feel comfortable thanks to their intimacy coach.
“We had the incredible Danielle Micich as our intimacy coach and she worked with each director in rehearsals to choreograph very distinct and honest sex scenes.”
“Sometimes we felt the urge to laugh to break the awkwardness but she urged us to stay only in relationship with each other during those scenes and not with anyone else in the room,” said Nathalie.
What is Nathalie’s next project?
Nathalie is currently back in Queenstown, New Zealand to film the second season of One Lane Bridge.
She plays Emma Ryder on the murder mystery show about a young Maori detective, Ariki Davis, who accidentally awakens a spiritual gift that puts his career and life in danger.
Where can I follow Nathalie on Instagram?
You can keep across Nathalie’s antics via her Instagram page here.
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