Kaitlin Olson is Soaring With Her Lead Role in HIGH POTENTIAL: ‘Morgan is a Funny Person, But This World is Not Goofy’

Kaitlin Olson’s neurodivergent character in the hit CTV drama HIGH POTENTIAL has an ability to figure things out when others — including the police — are stumped. But has that translated to Olson’s personal life?

She was asked if her friends and family now lean on her a little bit more, perhaps even in a sarcastic way, kind of like, “okay, if you’re such a know-it-all, what’s happening now?”

“Listen, it’s better than being called a ‘bird’ everywhere I go, so I guess I’ll take it,” Olson replied. “Count your blessings, you know?”

Olson is back in her role as Morgan as Season 1 of HIGH POTENTIAL continues with a new episode, Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. But the “bird” reference will bring a smile to the faces of Olson’s loyal fans, as it’s the derisive nickname of her character Dee Reynolds in the long-running comedy IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (available on Crave).

Olson is grateful for the opportunity to showcase her dramatic acting muscles in HIGH POTENTIAL, but she suggested that it’s more of an adjustment for viewers to see her in a new light, than it is for her to take on different roles as an actress. “I think the real question you’re asking is, do people realize that actors who mainly do comedy can also do drama?” said Olson, who also plays the daughter of Jean Smart’s character in HACKS, available on Crave.

“I think there’s this perception that comedy isn’t really acting. You must just be a funny person. And I understand it. But I think a good actor can do whatever. And I have a theatre background. I’ve done tons of drama, it’s just that nobody has seen it, except for the University of Oregon.”

Olson continued, “I know a lot of very dramatic actors who are very funny in real life as well. So I understand that it is surprising to people that, like, ‘wait, hold on, she can have a truly emotional scene? She can cry? That’s crazy!’ It’s not really that crazy. I am an actor.”

In HIGH POTENTIAL, Olson’s Morgan is a single mom who was working as a cleaning lady at the Los Angeles Police Department as the series began. But because Morgan is also a high potential intellectual, with an IQ of 160, her unconventional viewpoint and previously untapped knack for solving crimes has led her into a consultant’s position with the Major Crimes division.

“When this show first came along, just being pitched the idea from my agent, I was like, ‘an hour-long network show that’s a drama? I don’t think so,’ ” Olson admitted. “But he said, ‘you’re going to read it, because you’re going to like it.’ And I did. I fell in love with the character. I loved that it was different from Dee. I loved that it was dramatic, and I personally really enjoy a procedural crime drama. But I also felt like we could make this one special, and that the character at the centre of it could provide a tone that is different from all of the other crime procedurals out there right now.”

So what is the tone of HIGH POTENTIAL, specifically?

“Morgan is a scrappy person, a mama bear, a funny person, but the world is serious – this world is not goofy,” Olson explained. “These are actual crimes that you should care about, and you should want to solve. Blending those two and finding that tone is really hard, but I was excited for the challenge. I can be funny once in a while, with a look or something, but let’s not be funny if it’s not funny. The situation has to be real. You have to buy into the fact that you’re watching something that potentially could be a real issue.”

The way Morgan’s brain seems to work in HIGH POTENTIAL brings to mind what experts often say about top-level athletes, and how the game tends to slow down for them. “I think that’s really insightful, and I 100% agree,” Olson said. “And she’s also able to see things all the way through to the end, whereas most people just see this one next step, and then they’re trying to figure out what that means. I know people like this. I have a lot of super high IQ and neurodivergent people in my world. And it’s almost like a puzzle to them. They can see it all the way through to the end. They might not know exactly how it gets there, but yeah, it’s almost like you’re ‘in the zone,’ right?”

Ah yes, the classic sports expression of being “in the zone.” But Olson is also cognizant of the fact that Morgan can’t score a goal every time.

“Otherwise it can get boring,” she said. “We’ve had this conversation so many times (Olson is also a producer on HIGH POTENTIAL). Sometimes this character is not ‘in the zone.’ I don’t want her to always get everything right. It’s much more interesting to watch her screw up sometimes, and even though she’s sure that she’s right about something, maybe it was Karadec (played by Daniel Sunjata) who was right. It’s funny ironing out the kinks of a first season. You want people to come back and be truly invested in these characters’ lives, but you also really want to see which case is going to happen next. I like combining those two.”

By BILL HARRIS
Special to The Lede billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv