Copyright trinidadexpress
At 19, Mishael Morgan was lying in a hospital bed at San Fernando General, unable to move. She had broken her neck in a car accident while visiting T&T. Five days flat on her back gave her time to think and to pray. “I had a lot of conversations with God,” Morgan recalled during a heart-to-heart with the Kitcharee last Tuesday. “I realised the one thing I’d regret is that I never tried. I never tried acting, this thing I always secretly loved. So, I made a promise in my hospital bed that if He got me out of this and I could walk again, I would try.” A decade later, that promise carried her across the world to the Emmy stage. In 2022, Morgan made history as the first black woman to win the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role as Amanda Sinclair on the iconic long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless. For her, the moment was deeply personal. “I couldn’t believe it, and I knew it,” she said with a small laugh. “It was such a combination, because I couldn’t believe it, but deep down I knew it. I felt my dad with me that night.” Her father, Michael Morgan, had passed away three years earlier. His story inspired the plot line that earned her the award. “The storyline that became my Emmy win was inspired by my dad,” she explained, her voice cracking under the weight of the memory. “He didn’t really know his mother until he was 21, when he went to St Vincent to meet her. He passed away in 2019, and I spent a lot of time trying to make that storyline real and honest and use it to connect to my father.” The night before the awards ceremony, Morgan says her father gave her a sign from beyond the grave that it would be a special night. “My husband (Navid) came home and told me (actor) Sean Dominic was announcing my category,” she recalled. “Sean has my dad’s birthday, and he was presenting with (actor) Christian LeBlanc, whose character’s name is Michael, the same as my dad. I just knew right there. I said, ‘My dad’s got this. He’s going to be holding my hand. I won.’” From San Fernando to Hollywood That mix of faith and fearlessness has shaped Mishael Morgan’s entire career. Born in San Fernando and raised everywhere between Moruga and Diego Martin before migrating to Canada at five, Morgan carried her Trinbagonian sense of family and community into every new space she entered. “I think every Trinbagonian will agree one of the strongest memories I have is of doubles,” she said, laughing. “That memory never went away. I’ve always been waiting to get back for doubles, on the side of the road, hot on the spot.” Her mother Sharon is one of 18 siblings, so she grew up surrounded by voices, food and love. “I have memories from all the way down in Moruga to Diego Martin and everywhere in between, playing with my cousins in my grandmother’s shop, hanging out by the pool. The heat and the love, that’s what I remember most.” Canada brought new opportunities but also self-discovery. “In Trinidad, I was extroverted, talkative, always singing,” she recalled. “When I came to Canada, I became more introverted. But over time, I found strength in the immigrant experience. Canada is full of people from everywhere, and that helped me find pride in being Trinidadian again.” That pride deepened after her recovery. While studying political science at York University, she met a talent agent at her part-time bartending job. He saw potential she had buried since childhood. “He said he really liked my look and wanted me on his roster,” she said. “I couldn’t believe God worked that fast.” Soon after, she landed a major TV role just as she was preparing to start law school. “That was the sign I was waiting for,” she added. “So, I took the leap of faith and became an actor.” Living Young and Restless Morgan’s career grew steadily, from guest roles on Republic of Doyle and Supernatural to the eventual breakout opportunity that would define her to a new generation of soap opera fans. “Stepping into The Young and the Restless was surreal,” she said. “Like many Caribbean families, it was a staple in our house. My mum watched it every day, my dad watched, too, even though he pretended he didn’t. To walk onto that set, the backdrop of my childhood, was unreal.” The girl who once lay in a hospital bed, unsure if she’d walk again, now found herself walking onto a Hollywood set with quiet confidence and purpose. “When I started at Y&R, I looked at it as my university for acting,” she revealed. “Winning that Emmy was solidifying that I’ve arrived. I was not trying to be an actor anymore, but knowing this is who I am.” The Morgans back home shared in that triumph: “They were so proud of me! I got messages from cousins and aunts across Trinidad. And when I visited a month later, the love was overwhelming. It felt like all of Trinidad was celebrating with me.” A firm grounding Morgan credits her T&T upbringing for keeping her grounded in an industry that often feels distant from everyday life. “Being Trinbagonian gives me such a unique lens,” she said. “We’re a true melting pot. Our food, our culture, our people, it’s a harmonious display of what multiculturalism can be. So, when I step into Hollywood, I come knowing that we’re more alike than we are different. That sense of unity guides my storytelling.” Her warmth and ease with people comes from that same place. “Trinidadians love to talk, to connect, to bring joy,” she related. “It helps me cut through the surface stuff and connect to who people really are.” She carries that same clarity into her deep sense of purpose to stand tall for an underestimated demographic. “I do feel a sense of responsibility,” she said. “I think God puts you in places for reasons. And I’ll spend my life trying to rise to that occasion, to represent black women and Caribbean women in the way God wants us to be seen: strong, beautiful, resilient.” Never Forget Home Now based in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, Morgan balances acting and producing with family life. But T&T remains her north star. “Don’t forget Trinidad and Tobago,” she said softly. “No matter how far you go, you’ll realise how incredible Trinbagonian people are. Celebrate it, come back home, and never forget where you came from.” And for every young dreamer trying to build a life beyond these shores, she leaves this final truth: “Figure out your why. Make sure it’s deep, connected to your purpose. That will take you further than you ever thought you could go.” From a hospital bed in San Fernando to the Emmy stage in Pasadena, California, Mishael Morgan has lived the promise she made to herself and to God 20 years ago, and still carries Trinidad and Tobago with her every step of the way.
