For the new season of Fargo, airing now on FX, actor Lamorne Morris lived in the frosty Canadian city of Calgary, which stands in for North Dakota and Minnesota on screen. Though he loved his time there, as he explains ahead, he’s ready for a change of pace. “Some buddies want to go somewhere for New Year's, and the debate is: Do we go to Aspen and ski, or Cabo and hang on the beach? I just spent seven months in Calgary filming Fargo, where I was freezing my ass off. I'm not voluntarily going back to the cold on a vacation,” says Morris. “It's my stress-free time. And you want me shivering every damn day? Absolutely not.”
Ahead, Morris, who’s best known for playing the wonderfully wacky Winston on New Girl, chats about his awe of the Calgary food scene, how he entertains his three-year-old daughter on flights, and an unforgettable time in first class.
How early he arrives to the airport
They say to get there two hours early but I try my best to get there earlier than that so I can hang out in the lounge and catch up on work. Usually the international lounges are pretty swanky, with free food and free drinks, so that's definitely a must. If I'm traveling with friends, I want to make a whole day of it. If I'm with my daughter, I like to get there as close to flight time as possible because it gives her less time to terrorize the airport.
His best advice for traveling with kids
Bring plenty of activities for them to do, and stuff that's not necessarily iPad-related. Someone gave me a trick once, and it lasted my daughter 45 minutes on the plane: We took a salt container with three or four big holes in it, and a bunch of Q-tips. I had her put the Q-tips in, then empty them out onto the seat, then put them back in, rinse, repeat. It depends on the age, but a change of clothes is obviously very necessary. Before my daughter was potty-trained, yeah, you can guarantee you that. Can you imagine trying to change the messy diaper of a screaming baby in a small airplane bathroom? Not good.
His travel pet peeve
When people aggressively fart on planes. You don’t know where it’s coming from, you don’t know who did it. I can understand if you go in the bathroom and you’ve got to let one go and it happens to seep out of the door—you tried. That’s what the bathroom is for. But people will stand up and just go to work, and won’t stop until you have to crack a window, which is illegal. It’s so inconsiderate. The idea that 300 people have to suffer! At least once a flight, I get a whiff of someone’s insides, and it’s not pleasant.
His first flight in first class
I booked this Microsoft commercial and I had to fly to Budapest, which was insane; I’d only maybe flown internationally to Canada, once, at that point. I flew first class on Lufthansa and it was the greatest experience of my life. I didn't know what a lounge was; I was so used to fending for myself in the airport. I was so confused by everything! I went to the bar and was pulling out money to buy stuff, and they're like, “No, it's free.” And I said, “What the fuck are you talking about? Nothing's free!”
It was one of those double decker planes and I walked up the stairs to my own little first-class area, and [UFC fighter] Quenton “Rampage” Jackson was there, and Sharlto Copley, the actor from District 9, and Bradley Cooper. I think they were all promoting The A-Team. I had my own separate exit, and they had a Porsche pick me up and it drove right up to the plane. That was one of the coolest moments of my life! We went to Greece and Italy recently for my birthday, and I made sure that we flew home on Lufthansa because I wanted to see if the planes still look as cool and feel as cool, and they did not disappoint.
What surprised him when filming this season of Fargo in Calgary
It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be desolate. When you watch Fargo, you see the plains, the vast fields, and you’re like, Man, there’s got to be nothing to do out there. Then you get there, and people are nice. The nightlife is great. It’s one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The restaurant scene is insane. Some of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my life are in Calgary, and people don't talk about it! At least, I’d never heard anything about Calgary. It might be the best culture and restaurant scene in Canada, and I've been all over Canada. It feels better than L.A.'s food scene. Not better than Chicago or New York, but definitely in the top five out of the places that I've been all over the world. I was thoroughly shocked at how great the restaurants were.
And I got a chance to go to Banff, which is awesome. It's a ski town, but while everyone's doing snowy stuff, I'm just hanging out in the hot tub. Hang out in the house, [go to] the spa, do the sauna, walk around with a robe on me, maybe drink an old-fashioned…That’s my energy right there.
Recommendations for visitors to his hometown of Chicago
Go to the West Loop. That's the area I would hover around. Everything is within walking distance down there: all the best restaurants, all the best bars, and it’s Chicago, so the people are just better. One of the best burgers I've ever had is at Au Cheval there. Soho House is also there if you like to chill. Anyone can go into the main level; people think you have to be a member, but in Chicago there are a couple of [spots] downstairs that you can hang out and eat in. And the Chicago boating scene there is pretty good. You can charter a boat, which is not that expensive if you're with a group of friends. Everyone's out on the water in summer, having a good time. It's super chill.
The place he’s hoping to return to soon
I think people know Cape Town is awesome, but I don't hear people talking about it [enough]. I was there for a couple of months working on a movie called Bloodshot, so I got a chance to walk around, hang out with the people, kick it, hike. The hikes are great there. It was cool. When you’re there, you just feel relaxed and comfortable. People are chill. I had an awesome time in Cape Town. I’m going to go back for leisure and do more touristy stuff.
What he prioritizes when planning a vacation
Relaxation and food are at the top of that list, and then potential nightlife. Where do people hang out? I don't like to party that much, but I like to be around it. Being an observer is really fun for me. I'm not a club goer—I hate clubs—but if I'm at a nice lounge or a cool event, and I get to hang out with my friends and chop it up with folks, that's my idea of a good time.