‘Summer Of 69' Star Sam Morelos Talks Acting And Being Asian American
Sam Morelos
In the new Hulu original comedy Summer of 69, Sam Morelos stars as Abby Flores, a socially awkward high school senior who's determined to win her crush after learning he has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend. When Abby hears of his particular fondness for a certain sexual position, she hires a local stripper named Santa Monica (played by Chloe Fineman) to give her a crash course in the 'bedroom department,' leading to an unlikely friendship and a journey of self-discovery.
Poster for 'Summer of 69'
There's a lot to like about comedian Jillian Bell's directorial debut—its quirky humor, the nods to classic teen comedies like Risky Business, its ability to entertain audiences without being too raunchy (there isn't a single sex scene in Summer of 69, despite the title). But perhaps the best part about the movie is Morelos' show-stopping performance as Abby. Morelos makes Abby wholly believable and endearingly awkward, delivering lines with an impeccable comedic timing usually seen in only the most seasoned actors.
It's hard to believe that Morelos is only 19 years old and just finished their freshman year of college. They enrolled at NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts last August—less than two weeks after filming for Summer of 69 had concluded.
'It was the craziest turnaround,' Morelos tells Forbes. 'I wrapped Summer of 69, had a vacation for like a week, and then two days later, I moved into my dorm.'
For the young but already in-demand actor, a packed calendar is nothing new. Recently they've been cast in the upcoming screen adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel Regretting You, which completed filming in Atlanta earlier this month.
'I would fly back and forth to New York like every other weekend from Atlanta. I've been on a plane 12 times in the past month,' Morelos says.
Fortunately, that dizzying schedule has taught them to strike a healthier balance between school and acting. 'Because I had that experience, now I know for the future that it's not worth putting 50% of yourself everywhere. I'm learning to choose one at a time,' the busy actor admits. 'I feel like my college experience is not going to be linear. If I don't go to school, that means I'm working, and I get to learn somewhere else. And if I don't book, that means I get to go to school. I tried to have both things at the same time. I'm glad I did it, because now I'm not gonna do it again.'
SUMMER OF 69 - An awkward high school senior hires an exotic dancer to help seduce her longtime ... More crush before graduation, leading to unexpected friendship and lessons in self-confidence, acceptance, and adulthood. (Disney/Brett Roedel) SAM MORELOS, CHLOE FINEMAN
Morelos, who grew up in San Gabriel Valley just outside of Los Angeles, started out doing musical theater in their local community at the age of four. 'I was a singer first. I didn't think I was a very good actor,' Morelos reveals.
The budding star was studying musical theater at a local performing arts high school when the pandemic hit. They credit one of their acting teachers at the school for making them fall in love with acting. 'She was like, 'We can't do musical theater on Zoom. Let's make this a camera acting class,'' says Morelos. 'I was like, 'Oh my God, I love this!' And then that year, I switched into the acting department, and it was that year that I booked That '90s Show.'
That '90s Show—the spinoff of That '70s Show—was Morelos' first taste of professional acting. Morelos, who received rave reviews for their performance as Nikki Velasco in the sitcom, eventually landed the role at the age of 16 after submitting to an open casting call, launching their whirlwind introduction to Hollywood.
'I got the call that I got '90s on a Thursday, and then on Friday, I told my teachers that I'm not going to be in class for two months. Saturday and Sunday, we had to find some way of getting a work permit really quickly for a minor, and then Monday, I was on set for pre-production, COVID testing and costume fittings,' Morelos says.
'So yeah, in conclusion, I don't sleep, and I haven't slept since,' they comment half-jokingly.
Summer of 69 marks Morelos' feature film debut. As for what drew them to the movie, Morelos remembers 'laughing out loud' when they first read the script and thinking that it was something they would want to watch. 'And the more I got to know Abby, and the more I got to know about Jillian and the production and what the messages were, it went beyond my expectation of what this movie could be, which is—at its core—a movie about self-love, confidence, taking your own time to do things and being true to yourself,' Morelos says.
SUMMER OF 69 - An awkward high school senior hires an exotic dancer to help seduce her longtime ... More crush before graduation, leading to unexpected friendship and lessons in self-confidence, acceptance, and adulthood. (Disney/Brett Roedel) SAM MORELOS
'Also, the makeover that Abby undergoes is not the typical ones that you see in these teen sex comedies, where the protagonist takes off her glasses, takes her hair down. The second that she fits into a mold of what a woman is supposed to look like and be, she's desirable,' Morelos points out. 'It was so not Abby. Abby's a nerd. Abby likes to game, and the second that she started to really embrace the things that she loves about herself, she [becomes] a magnet to other people, because people really want to be around people who know themselves.'
To bring Abby to life on screen, Morelos explains that they focused heavily on physicalizing the character. 'I thought a lot about how Abby takes up space—just physical space. How does she carry herself? How does she walk? She waddles a little bit. She's very stiff. The posture that she has is very hunched over and almost protective—like she's protecting something about herself,' Morelos says.
'But as she gets more confident, you see her spine straighten a little more, and you see her more willing to take up space,' Morelos goes on. 'There's a parallel shot of Abby walking across the parking lot at the very beginning, and also at sort of the middle. We shot [both scenes] on the same day because it's the same setup, but in one, I was hunched over with my head down, and in the second take, Abby was waving to people, like, 'Oh, hey, how are you doing?' Just taking up space. Abby never changed—she just grew.'
Director, co-producer and co-writer Jillian Bell and actor Sam Morelos on the set of the Hulu movie ... More 'Summer of 69'
Morelos notes that they and director Jillian Bell—who also co-wrote the screenplay—shared the same perspective on Abby, which made the character feel very relatable to Morelos. 'Jillian had a very specific vision for Abby, and we just happened to agree. It was really inspired by her life, because Abby is Jillian, almost. And Santa Monica kind of represents the mentorship that she got from her older sister Breanna, who produced Summer of 69.'
It also helped that, like Abby, both Bell and Morelos came from a Catholic background. 'Jillian went to Catholic school, [where] topics around sex are just shrouded in shame and guilt. I'm the kid of two immigrant parents from the Philippines, and I grew up Catholic and went to church every Sunday. So it was something I could relate to,' says Morelos.
'But I don't think it's a coincidence. It felt like fate,' they add.
Sam Morelos as Abby Flores and Chloe Fineman as Santa Monica in 'Summer of 69'
Like Morelos, Abby Flores is of Filipino descent, but the character wasn't originally written that way in the script. 'The audition that I got was any ethnicity, and then the second that I was cast, Abby's Filipina,' Morelos says. 'Same as in That '90s Show—Nikki never had a last name, and then season two, it was Nikki Velasco. I think that I'm so vocal about it that productions can't unhear my voice being like, 'Yeah, I'm a proud Filipino American.' It's a huge part of my identity. It's the one thing I can't take off. So every single character that I will ever be will always be Filipino. Always.'
In Summer of 69, Philippine influences can be seen throughout Abby's house, though Morelos points out that they fortunately didn't have to push for any of that. 'Our set designer is also an Asian American woman. So she knew,' says Morelos.
Besides the Philippine flag proudly displayed in Abby's room, elements of her Filipino heritage can be found throughout the kitchen. 'There's a whole box of mangoes and shrimp chips. There's a 'Live Laugh Love Lumpia' sign. Like little details,' Morelos explains. 'And for some reason, in every Filipino household, there's a giant wooden fork and spoon decoration in the kitchen. Don't know why, but that was in there too.'
And with Summer of 69 premiering in May—which also happens to be AAPI Heritage Month—some viewers might be wondering: was that a pure coincidence?
'It's fate,' Morelos says with a smile.
Summer of 69 is currently streaming on Hulu.
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Jonathan Joss murder investigators consider whether actor's sexual orientation played a role. Here's what to know.
Tributes pour in for actor Jonathan Joss after shooting at San Antonio home | What's Trending Tributes pour in for actor Jonathan Joss after shooting at San Antonio home | What's Trending Tributes pour in for actor Jonathan Joss after shooting at San Antonio home | What's Trending While it remains unclear what prompted the fatal shooting of Jonathan Joss, a Native American voice actor best known for his work on the animated television series "King of the Hill," police say they are looking into whether his sexual orientation played a role in his death. Joss' husband has claimed it was a hate crime, saying the person who killed the actor yelled "violent homophobic slurs" before opening fire. Initially, San Antonio police said they found "no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation." But on Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus walked back that statement, saying it had been made prematurely and whether Joss' sexual orientation played a role in the shooting "is part of the investigation." In this image taken from video, Jonathan Joss, an actor best known for his voice work on the animated television series "King of the Hill," talks to reporters following a fire at his San Antonio, Texas, home on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. KSAT via AP Since Joss' killing, friends, actors Joss worked with and fans have honored the actor's memory with tributes and fond remembrances. Here's what to know about Joss, his career and his shooting: Who was Joss? Joss, 59, grew up in San Antonio and graduated from the communications and theater program at Our Lady of the Lake University in 1990. Joss was best known as the voice of John Redcorn, a Native American character on the popular "King of the Hill" animated series, which ran for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2008. A reboot of the show, which Joss had already worked on, is set to start in August. Joss also had a recurring role on the television show "Parks and Recreation," playing Chief Ken Hotate. He appeared in two episodes of the series "Tulsa King" in 2022. What was Joss doing in the months before his death? Joss' childhood home, where he still lived, burned down in January. He lost all his belongings, and his three dogs were killed in the blaze. A GoFundMe account had been set up to help Joss and his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, get back on their feet. "We may have lost our home, but not our hope. We're moving forward with love, humor, and a little elbow grease … and we're incredibly grateful for every ounce of support," Joss said in a May 14 Facebook post in which he indicated he was in Los Angeles looking for a new home. By the end of May, Joss was back in Texas, and on Saturday, he took part in a live music performance in Austin, located about 80 miles northeast of San Antonio. Who is accused of fatally shooting Joss? Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, is accused by police of confronting Joss and his husband as they were checking their mail at the burned-down home Sunday night. In a statement, de Gonzales alleged that when Ceja Alvarez opened fire, Joss pushed his husband out of the way and saved his life. When police arrived, officers found Joss lying near the roadway, police said in a statement. CBS affiliate KENS-TV reported Joss had been shot multiple times. Ceja Alvarez was charged with murder. He is free on a $200,000 bond. KENS-TV captured video of Alvarez walking out of the Bexar County Jail on Wednesday afternoon after posting bond. Candles, flowers, and notes make up make-shift memorial for voice actor Jonathan Joss who was recently killed, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in San Antonio. Eric Gay / AP Ceja Alvarez's attorney, Alfonso Otero, has not returned multiple calls or emails seeking comment. Robert Rios, a friend of Joss', told TV station KSAT that Joss and Ceja Alvarez were neighbors and the two had argued for years. McManus said police had been called to Joss' home and his neighborhood about 70 times over the past two years related to "neighborhood type disturbances" and that sometimes Joss made those calls and other times neighbors had called to report Joss. How is Joss being remembered by friends, actors? Actor Chris Pratt, who worked with Joss on "Parks and Recreation," fondly remembered the actor in an Instagram story on Monday. Both actors had also appeared in the 2016 remake of "The Magnificent Seven." "Damn. RIP Jonathan. Always such a kind dude," Pratt wrote. "Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones." Nick Offerman, who also worked with Joss on the show, told People in a statement that the heartbroken cast had been "texting together about it all day." "Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate," Offerman said. "A terrible tragedy." In a Facebook post, San Antonio-based Our Lady of the Lake University, Joss' alma mater, called him "a trailblazer in his field. His work and advocacy have left a lasting impact, and his legacy will continue to inspire." "His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan's friends and family," the show's creators and producers - Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson - said in a statement on the animated series' Instagram page.
CNN
2 hours ago
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A memorial grows for Jonathan Joss
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Then, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez – the neighbor whose brother said he had been threatened by Joss with the crossbow two years ago – drove up behind Joss who was parked in his driveway. He got out, the two exchanged words, witnesses said, and seconds later, Joss was dead. 'I shot him,' Ceja told police, according to an incident report. Ceja, 56, was arrested and charged with murder. His bond was set at $200,000, which he posted on Monday. He was released from jail with GPS monitoring on Wednesday afternoon and is due to appear in court on August 19, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office public information officer. When most people think of an actor's life, they tend to imagine gleaming houses high in the Hollywood Hills. For years, Joss lived in the modest house his father built in the 1950s. This week, a makeshift memorial for Joss began growing at the property's fence. A man pulled up in a truck with a royal blue memorial cross adorned with ribbons and flowers. He tied the cross to the fence above the growing memorial. The man, Adrian Reyes, told CNN he had known Joss since high school; they were both in the class of 1984 at Dillard McCollum High School, which recently held its 40th year reunion. 'We're very, very close with him in that class. We track him everywhere,' said Reyes. 'We helped him financially. We helped him get to his events when he didn't have transportation.' 'It's a shame that people are learning about him now that he's gone rather than when he was alive and how talented he was and what a talent we lost,' Reyes said. 'He was a different kind of guy, but he was the life of the party.' Neighbors said there were years, maybe even decades, of disputes, particularly between Joss and Ceja. San Antonio Police logs show numerous calls to both addresses over the past year. 'Me and Jonathan had all these fun little side projects where we were coming up with these little scripts, most of them just for fun to make ourselves laugh. And we would be acting them out in the yard and I guess to the outside world maybe it looked a little crazy,' de Gonzales told viewers on Instagram Live. He did say that although they would sometimes walk around the neighborhood with things like a stick or pitchfork, they never 'threatened' or 'pointed any weapons at anybody.' Police were called to Joss' residence nearly 50 times since January 2024. In some instances, officers were dispatched multiple times in a single day. Neighbors said Joss' behavior turned more erratic and harassing as the years went on. Some said they saw him throw trash and wine bottles onto a nearby property under construction and damage that neighbor's mailbox. 'He went over there and yanked the mailbox off the top, and it was in a brick casing. 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'Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation,' the department posted online. But, on Wednesday, as the police department was sharing a Pride Month community forum event, they also released a new statement saying they were continuing the investigation. 'Although we arrested a suspect, our homicide detectives continue to follow every lead to fully understand what led to this senseless act.' On Thursday, San Antonio police expressed more regret. 'We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss's murder that was way, way, way premature,' SAPD Chief William McManus told CNN affiliate KENS on Thursday. 'We shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information and I will own that.' He echoed similar sentiments at a forum hosted by San Antonio Pride and the SAPD on Thursday evening, explaining that a judge can attach a hate crime to charges later on. He said they will gather all of the facts leading up to Jonathan Joss' death and will present the case to the District Attorney's office to make that call. He added that police are also investigating the January fire at Joss' home. Joss had told everyone that he was going through a lot. Online, he said he was fighting an uphill battle with financial difficulties. In November, Joss spoke about the difficult living conditions he and his then-fiancé were facing. He said that their home lacked basic utilities such as gas and electricity and described using a fire pit to heat coffee. Despite the challenges, he expressed hope about 'getting through some rough times.' There was one bright spot: his marriage to de Gonzales. Still, Joss also talked about using a stove to heat up water for a hot shower. On Instagram, he showed the poor condition of his house, revealing several holes in the walls and ceiling. In January, Joss experienced two house fires. The second destroyed the house and his car and killed his three dogs, according to social media posts from Joss and his partner. 'Everything I owned… gone. My memories, my keepsakes, my family, my comfort in this world lost in the flames,' he wrote on Facebook. In the months that followed, Joss frequently took to social media to ask fans for financial support. He regularly shared a GoFundMe link started by a fan, which has now raised over $20,000. He sold autographed photos, personalized video messages, t-shirts and '$1 wisdom sayings.' He also posted about marrying his partner on Valentine's Day. In one post with de Gonzales, Joss wrote: 'We shall endeavor to persevere together.' He frequently tried to secure transportation and financial support on Facebook to be able to make celebrity appearances at conventions. Just two days before he was killed, Joss showed up at a 'King of the Hill' Revival Sneak Peek event at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas – although he had already written on Facebook that he was not invited to attend. Attendee Brandon Robinson said Joss walked up to the Q&A mic and started 'ranting.' Robinson originally thought Joss' speech was planned but said he soon realized it wasn't. After making some references to his character in 'King of the Hill,' Joss said: 'My house burned down three months ago because I'm gay.' The panelists then announced Joss as the voice of the show's character John Redcorn, prompting applause from the audience. Joss spoke about feeling ignored at the event in one of his final interviews, which took place on 'Bwaaa! A King of the Hill podcast.' But he also said he'd loved his life as an actor. 'I've just been really lucky to have really decent parts. I mean, I never had a – I've never done a bad thing when it comes to acting,' Joss said. Another family showed up this week to remember Joss at the site of the shooting. Paul Gonzalez and Tiffany Zurita said that they lived nearby, but never knew Joss lived in the area. 'We grew up watching the cartoon, you know, me and my wife when we were kids – so just shocked by it,' Gonzalez said of the killing. They brought a pinwheel to place at the memorial, explaining that it helped their own family when experiencing loss. It was something 'to kind of bring that little life back in,' Zurita said. 'You know, the wind's blowing, you see it blowing in the wind, and it just, you know, kind of reminds you that that person's still here,' she said. 'It's a symbol of peace and serene surroundings.' They both said prayers for everyone involved in the tragic incident – and for the neighbors as well. 'I hope they all find peace in time,' said Gonzalez. CNN's Lisa Respers France, Dianne Gallagher, Devon Sayers, Andy Buck, Jeremy Grisham, and Leah Thomeer contributed to this report.
Fast Company
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The same goes for the ad Toys R Us released last year using OpenAI's text-to-video tool Sora: The kindest thing one could say is that its human characters looked marginally more lifelike than the unsettling, motion-captured Tom Hanks from The Polar Express two decades earlier. So far, AI-generated ads have been rare enough and mostly the domain of heavy-hitter companies, making them lightning rods for attention and backlash just about every time a new one is released. The simple fact that they were AI-made has been enough to generate headlines, even before factoring in the slop. But maybe not for much longer. If the Coign ad is any indication, there may be an entire class of AI ads coming that will be subject to far less attention—and far less scrutiny. We're at a precarious moment with AI, collectively feeling out its least objectionable uses through trial and error. So far, uncanny ads from massive companies have triggered backlash, but when lesser-known brands dabble—especially without obvious visual glitches—they often escape notice. Advertising legend David Droga once noted the existence of a ' mediocre middle ' in marketing and entertainment, and that may be exactly where AI quietly thrives: in ads from companies too small to spark outrage. Advertising, after all, is already the most disposable and least emotionally protected form of media—expensive to make, widely avoided, and largely unloved. That makes it the perfect Trojan horse for AI—slipping past scrutiny not because it's good, but because few people care enough to notice. On a moral and economic level, the advertising industry should not be diving headlong into a technology that makes large swaths of professional workers expendable. And on an aesthetic level, just because AI technically can create an ad doesn't mean it can create a good one. Once a seemingly harmless use case eases people's minds about a given technological breakthrough, it's only a matter of time before the more flagrantly objectionable use cases take hold. The facial recognition tech that first allowed Facebook users to tag their friends in photos was eventually used to strengthen the surveillance state and threaten privacy everywhere. Today's drones that make aerial photography easier become tomorrow's drones that mistakenly blow up weddings in other countries and threaten to displace delivery workers. Obviously, AI is going to play some role in humanity's future. The size of that role, however, is not yet set in stone. As machine learning creeps into all creative fields, workers need regulations to ensure the technology doesn't spread too far too fast. The good news is that a majority of Americans seem to want AI regulation. Although the House of Representatives recently passed a major tax and spending bill with a provision forbidding state governments to regulate AI over the next 10 years, that clause is getting bipartisan blowback. According to a recent poll, 81% of voters agree that 'advances in AI are exciting but also bring risks, and in such fast-moving times, we shouldn't force states to sit on the sidelines for a full decade.' Even the CEO of generative AI company Anthropic is a full-throated advocate for stricter AI regulation. The people have spoken. Whether they are listened to is another matter altogether. A single, silly credit card ad may seem an unlikely step toward a dystopian future of unfettered AI and full unemployment, but if we laugh it off now, the bill may still come due later.
