Gig Morton gets paid for goofing around.
But it means working 11-hour days and dealing with constant change. That’s considered normal for a person in his line of work.
Morton plays the character of Derby in the new YTV situation comedy series, Mr. Young. Created by Dan Signer, writer/producer for Disney Channel’s international tween hit, The Suite Life on Deck (formerly The Suite Life of Zack and Cody), Mr. Young is scheduled to air March 1 at 6:30 p.m. on YTV.
“Playing Derby might be tiring at times, but it’s never boring. It’s always really interesting and a lot of fun,” says 14-year old Morton, who was born and raised in the Comox Valley.
While feature films, television movies, animation, and television series are regularly filmed in Vancouver, Thunderbird Films’ Mr. Young will be the first multi-camera sitcom series produced in the city.
And you don’t have to wait until March to check it out. Call 604-433-0779 or e-mail: mr.youngaudience@gmail.com to get free tickets to a Friday filming.
Mr. Young is the story of 14-year old Adam Young. A recent graduate from college, Young is returning to high school as a science teacher. But the whiz kid finds himself trapped between two worlds — he’s the same age physically and emotionally as his students, but he’s young enough to be the child or even grandchild of his co-workers.
“Derby is the class clown and doesn’t care about getting good grades,” explains Morton. “He tells jokes and goofs around in class and figures he can get away with it because he’s Adam’s best friend. My job is to bring Derby to life so people understand his character. He’s very unpredictable. I’ll read a script and think, ‘I didn’t know Derby was interested in that.’”
Originally Morton, along with 400 other teens, auditioned for the role of Mr. Young. He made it to the final cut of 10 before being informed that he wasn’t going to be the lead. But he was invited to audition for Derby.
“I actually liked auditioning for Derby better,” admits Morton. “He’s a very physical person and that carries over to his jokes. I like being active, so this role really suits me.”
Of course Morton didn’t just decide he wanted to be an actor and ace a supporting role in a TV series. His career started seven years ago. By accident.
“When Gig was seven, he reluctantly tagged along with his three older sisters to audition for Rainbow Youth Theatre’s Wizard of Oz,” says Gig’s mother, Christine Morton. “It turned out he really liked it and was good at it. He ended up with so many roles that he had his own dresser.”
“Gig’s energy is infectious and his approach professional and committed,” says Lori Mazey, who directed Wizard of Oz. “Gig was like that from a young age. He’s really fun to watch and work with.”
Morton honed his skills in Rainbow Youth Theatre and Courtenay Little Theatre productions and by studying acting, dance and singing locally and in Nanaimo and Vancouver. He was playing the lead role in Oliver in Nanaimo when an agent approached the family.
Morton’s first professional role was in the pilot episode of the TV series Eureka when he was nine. Since then, he’s performed in a variety of theatre, film and TV productions, including the television series Psych for the USA Network and Fear Itself for NBC.
He’s the only young actor to be in all four of the Walt Disney Buddies franchise and he’s been nominated for a slew of awards. Since October, Morton’s lived in Burnaby with his mother.
Monday’s a school day; Tuesday and Wednesday he starts work at 8 a.m. and doesn’t finish until around 7 p.m. In between reading scripts and rehearsing, he fits in more schoolwork. Late in the afternoon, the cast does a run-through for the producers and writers. The next day, there’s a revised script to work from.
Thursdays and Fridays are filming days, with the Friday performance in front of a live audience. “The writers change the lines and scenes all the time, even sometimes when we’re performing in front of a live audience,” says Morton.
“Most episodes have a different director, too. Everyone has to be on the ball all the time.
“Sometimes memorizing all the lines is a challenge, but it’s good exercise for my brain,” he continues. “The important thing with comedy is timing. You have to stop for laughs. If you keep talking, the audience won’t hear the next part.”
Until he’s 18, Christine has to be present while Morton’s working. She does the regular mom jobs like making sure Morton gets enough rest and eats well. She’s also consulted about safety issues and acts as a personal assistant, helping Morton keep track of scripts, etc.
The production schedule calls for three to five weeks of work and then a week-long break when Morton and Christine come back to the Comox Valley to spend time with dad Gary and the one sister that’s still at home. This is the first time Morton’s been away from home for so long, but he’s so busy he doesn’t think about it much. Weekends in the Lower Mainland are filled with tap and ballet lessons, visiting family and going to movies with the other teens in the cast.
As an actor, Morton makes good money. Until age 16, the government puts 25 per cent of his earnings in a trust account that he can access when he’s 19. “Running two households and commuting back and forth isn’t cheap,” notes Christine. “But there will definitely be enough for Gig to go to university without having to worry.”
And when that time comes, Morton says he’ll study acting and science. “I’m very interested in electronics and robotics.”
If the first 26 episodes of Mr. Young prove popular, there’s an option to continue for three more years. If that doesn’t pan out, Morton says he’ll audition for roles in other productions. “In the meantime, I’m having a lot of fun.”
