PHOENIX — She is known for her breakout role on Glee; she dazzled across the stage on Dancing with the Stars -- and did we mention she shared the stage with Beyonce as one of her backup dancers?
But that's not all Scottsdale native Heather Morris is known for. The Desert Mountain graduate, wife, and mother of two has certainly had her hand in many pots over the years. But now, Heather is opening up to ABC15 about one of her new ventures - a podcast where she is serving as the executive producer.
"I love that I've learned, that I feel like I've grown; I've leveled up in a way...I always love learning more," Morris says, talking about her podcast, "The Bystanders," which is available now.
"The Bystanders" explores a psychological phenomenon known as "the bystander effect" where people may be less likely to act during an emergency or tense situation if other people are around. Complete with a star-studded cast, "The Bystanders" takes a look at this, infuses in some dark comedy, and creates a podcast with lots of twists and turns that will keep you hooked.
"We have a whole new story," says Morris. "It's just a whole new idea about a group of people who witness an attack and do nothing about it and find themselves a year later bound and captive by someone trying to teach them lessons on why not to be a bystander."
Heather also addressed the ongoing actors' strike in Hollywood.
ABC15's Nick Ciletti: "I think there is a misconception that every actor in Hollywood is making millions and millions of dollars a year and you just snap your fingers and you get all these high-paying roles but for the majority of actors that's not at all how it is."
Morris: "Absolutely not. A lot of these actors can't even make their healthcare, the SAG-AFTRA healthcare, because we aren't getting our residuals and we are not getting the proper pay as far as guest spots."
We first interviewed Morris in 2017 when she was competing on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She explains she's done a lot of growing since then.
"I feel like I'm sort of meshing this first version of me, this old version of me and this old soul with this new motherhood, being an executive producer on a podcast, also teaching dance."
But before Morris did any of that, she was roaming the halls at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale.
"We had a really great dance program," she recalls. "I just always loved that community."
To learn more about "The Bystanders" podcast, click here.
