Exclusive Interview: Morgan Holmstrom Discusses SkyMed, Reflecting the World We Live in Through Art, and More

Morgan Holmstrom is a gifted storyteller who is quickly making her mark in film, television, and on the stage. Her past credits include Day of the Dead, Outlander, Under the Autumn Moon, and Shadow of the Rougarou. This July, she stars in the must-see medical drama, SkyMed.

SkyMed follows the intense personal lives of young nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada. Morgan brings strength, depth, and vulnerability in her portrayal as Crystal Highway, a multifaceted nurse who is running from her past.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak with Morgan about getting her start, SkyMed, her character’s arc in Season 1, and how the show reflects the world that we live in.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Morgan: I was a very artsy kid. I loved anything to do with singing and dancing. I played violin. I tried to get my hands in everything that I could, but the one thing that I was actually scared of was theater. I didn’t go into theater. My mom kept pushing me and pushing me, and I kept telling her no. Later on, I started modeling. My agent started to push me to try to get into film and acting. I told her no as well. [laughs] It made me really nervous, but she forced me to take an acting class. That was when I was eighteen or nineteen, and I fell in love with it. I couldn’t put it down, and I kept trying and trying until now.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Morgan: I would say one of my teachers growing up. He was one of my music teachers: Mr. Rempel. He had a big influence on me. I remember running into him at a store one time after I had graduated. I was trying to get into medicine. I was in the sciences during my first couple of years at university. That was the path that I was on. He saw me and pulled me aside. He was like, “What are you doing these days?” I was like, “I’m going into science and maybe going into medicine.” He was like, “You have so much talent in the arts. I feel like you should go into something like that.” It took me back a bit. I was like, “Maybe I could.” Then a year later, that’s when I made the decision to go into acting. But he had a huge impact on me.

PC: You’ve shared in other interviews that you recently started writing your own projects. Have you found that your experience behind the camera has impacted the way that you approach your work on screen?
Morgan: Yeah. It inspires me behind the camera and in front of the camera. I feel like I’m still very new to writing, so I’m still trying to find my way through it. It’s this weird journey of not really knowing what I’m doing and finding inspiration from things. But I feel like being on camera and understanding how it works technically does help how I write and how I structure things. But it’s hit and miss. I’m still figuring it out as I go along.

PC: Tell us about SkyMed, your character, and what drew you to this role.
Morgan: SkyMed is loosely based on the creator Julie Puckrin’s family. Her sister and brother-in-law were actually a flight nurse and pilot in Northern Canada. It’s loosely based on their lives. It follows the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of flight nurses and pilots in Northern Canada.

My character is Crystal Highway. She’s a flight nurse, and she flies in air ambulances up north and lives in a crew house with all of the other characters you’ll see in the show. She’s definitely the mama bear of everyone. She’s the veteran. She’s been around the longest and doesn’t take anyone’s crap. There’s a little bit of animosity at the beginning that you’ll see when a new flight nurse arrives. You’ll see their relationship evolve over the course of the show. There are a lot of things that every character is running from, especially Crystal. She has her own demons.

The writers did an amazing job of creating these wonderful, full-character arcs for everybody. I felt lucky to be able to play the role of Crystal. When I first read the script, I really loved it. I’ve always loved medical shows. I grew up watching House with my dad. I love Grey’s Anatomy. This was really fun. It felt different because pilots were involved. You’re 20,000 feet in the air trying to save people’s lives. That’s super high-stakes. That’s partially what drew me to the show.

PC: You got to meet Julie’s family as part of your preparation. How helpful was that as you stepped into Crystal’s shoes? Did that bring a different weight, knowing that these are real-life circumstances that someone has experienced?
Morgan: Yeah! A lot of what is in the show is actually based on real-life events. It was really awesome to hear their stories and what they had to go through. This is going to show people that when you live in a city you’re really privileged. It makes you second-guess everything that you grew up with. I grew up in the city of Winnipeg, and you don’t have to second-guess about going to a hospital and finding those resources. But you hear their stories where there’s a lack of resources and lack of funding. They have to fly to remote communities to save people’s lives and bring them to a place that does have all of those resources. It’s really awesome to learn from them. We got a lot of training from them. We also had an on-set EMT. We called him Medical Steve. He helped us with all of our medical training as well. We felt very taken care of throughout the show.

PC: There’s such great chemistry amongst all of the characters in the crew house. How did you and the cast build that bond?
Morgan: Our cast is really like a family. We all immediately got along with each other. It’s funny because in the show we all live in a crew house together. When we were filming we all lived in the same apartment building. We all would leave our doors open. We’d be like, “Who’s having game night? Who’s doing movie night?” We would work out together. We did a lot together. The relationship that we built off screen, you’ll see reflected on screen. We were really a tight-knit unit, and we talked every day.

PC: It definitely does. Like you were saying earlier, not only are we going to see these high-stakes situations that these characters find themselves in on the job, but we’ll also see what they’re dealing with personally. What can you tease about Crystal’s arc in Season 1?
Morgan: I don’t know how much I can give away, but she’s definitely running from her past. You’ll see throughout the show that she’s trying to cover for somebody that she deeply cares about and she gets into a few tiffs with people along the way. But there’s a common theme throughout the show: it’s about how we take care of our own. I feel like Crystal takes that very seriously, right through to the end of the season. You’ll see that she really cares for the people around her deeply. You’ll have to watch to find out.

PC: Which of Crystal’s relationships was your favorite to explore in Season 1 and why?
Morgan: All the relationships were great to explore, but I feel like the one with Natasha Calis’ character Hayley was the best. You’ll see how their relationship with each other evolves over the season. We do come to terms with one another and find a common ground. I really like exploring that friendship between two female nurses and how they take care of each other.

PC: Representation has been such a driving force throughout your career. You’ve brought these characters and stories that are not often depicted in mainstream media onto the screen. What has it meant to you to be a part of projects like this that are pushing these inclusive storylines forward?
Morgan: We’re showcasing the world that we live in, and representation is important in all aspects—on and off screen. The show did an amazing job at that. We had a very diverse writing room as well. Our crew was very diverse. Praneet [Akilla], one of the actors on the show, says it best: “It doesn’t always have to be about our ethnicity. You can be who you are and be a badass nurse and that’s completely valid.” I feel like that’s just a proper reflection of the world that we live in and having diversity is important to our work and our everyday lives. I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m proud to be part of such a diverse cast and crew.

PC: This is such an exciting time in your career. As you look ahead to the next five, ten years, is there a dream role that you would love to bring to life on the screen?
Morgan:I feel like I have lots of dream roles. I take it as it comes. I’ve always wanted to be in a rom-com. I’m still putting it out there. I’ve never been in a rom-com. I grew up loving them. So that’s one. I love independent films. I feel like every actor says A24. I love what they do. I feel like I would just take it as it comes and see what the universe brings me.

To keep up with Morgan, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Binge-watch Season 1 of SkyMed on Paramount+ today.