The MouthSoap conversed with Morgan Dixon in an exclusive interview about her new holiday film A Christmas for Mary, an OWN and Hybrid LLC production, in association with Harpo Films.
This will be Dixon’s first time leading a TV movie. Up until this point, her credits included a role on the TV series Being Mary Jane and on the mini-series Polite Bitch. Noting the times, Dixon believes there’s no better time for a Christmas movie than now.
“I think 2020 has been such a year for everyone, so to get to be this sort of fun, vivacious, bubbly, bold character,” Dixon said. “…This whole experience has been life changing.”
Watch The Trailer Below:
Dixon will star alongside a stellar cast that consists of veteran actors Jackée Harry (A Black Lady Sketch Show) and Vivica A. Fox (True To The Game 2), and Leah Briese (Jane The Virgin), Ricco Ross (P-Valley) and Alonzo B. Slater (ICE: Chapter 1).
“Onscreen, I’m sharing it with some big names — Jackée Harry, who is a legend, Vivica Fox — getting to work with them I was taking notes the whole time,” Dixon said in the interview. “To watch their talent up close was so inspiring.”
Dixon is not afraid to admit that transitioning into Hollywood was not an easy feat and she had to create many of the opportunities for herself.
“I think being young and African American in this industry, it was hard — I’m just now really getting some real success,” Dixon told Gloria Altonnia of The MouthSoap. “I had one liners, two here or there, on short films. But, in terms of navigating, I think you find a group of people and you kind of, stick with them and you motivate each other.”
Follow Morgan Dixon On Instagram
Penned by up-and-coming scribe Angela Marie Hutchinson, A Christmas for Mary is a heartwarming tale that follows journalist Lena Jones (Dixon) who is looking for the perfect story to impress magazine editor Vivian Vaye (Fox) in hopes of receiving a promotion. A portrait of a mysterious woman painted by her late grandfather leads her on a journey to unveil a love story that inspires her to find her own true love.
A Christmas for Mary is part of “OWN for the Holidays,” a celebration of original Christmas movies on the network. David DeCoteau, who helmed a series of dramatic thriller TV movies with Vivica A. Fox as executive producer — including The Wrong Stepmother, The Wrong Boy Next Door, The Wrong Mommy, and The Wrong Cheerleader, is director of the holiday film.
For Dixon, debuting as a lead actress in a TV movie has been a long time coming. She attributes her success to continuously learning by taking acting classes and embracing her smaller roles on sets.
“I used every opportunity possible to learn something new and to just practice and network, and maintain relationships,” Dixon said. “I think the key for me was to just always be training and always have my hand in something, even if it wasn’t the thing that I wanted to do.”
When viewers watch the film, Dixon is hoping that it will inspire them as much as it has inspired her, especially as 2020 ends and many unknowns wait around the corner.
“They should be curious about life — they should go after what they want,” Dixon advises those who aspire to act. “Be bold, life is short. Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work out and then you try something else, but at least you went for it.”
A Christmas For Mary premieres on OWN Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 9 P.M. ET/PT.
