It is with great pleasure that THETRIBE.CO.UK welcomes the very lovely Morgan Palmer Hubbard to our tribe cast interview. Morgan originally played the role of Patch within The Tribe – a quiet and reserved technical expert who aided the Mall Rats in their fight against the Technos.

THETRIBE.CO.UK

Morgan, what was it like joining The Tribe in such a late stage of the show’s development? Was it difficult to integrate with the cast and crew or come up to speed in any way? And did you possess any awareness of the show and its cult following beforehand?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

I think I’d watched it prior to joining the cast, but I didn’t know much about it beyond the basic storyline. The cast and crew were all really welcoming – I suppose it comes with having spent so much time together already over all the seasons until then, they were quite comfortable in the production process – and they’re a great group of people.

It was certainly a surprise to find out it had a following overseas – growing up in New Zealand, you don’t think of locally produced content having much profile elsewhere! Although of course in my lifetime there have been some wonderful exceptions like Flight of the Conchords and Fat Freddy’s Drop.

THETRIBE.CO.UK

The former go-to-geek Jack, played by Michael Wesley Smith, was not available for a large portion of series 4. Are you aware if Patch was originally introduced to be a specific replacement in order to fill Jack’s role within the Mall Rats? Or was Patch a character that was always going to be introduced in order to aid with the ever growing technological aspects that the show was now tackling?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

I think it was probably a bit of both.

It was definitely a sense of filling a gap in the spread of characters, but with the focus of the storylines during the season it seems obvious they’d need more tech-oriented characters as well.

THETRIBE.CO.UK

What was the original auditioning process like? Do you remember being nervous or excited? And what were the circumstances behind the audition for the character: were you someone that Raymond Thompson always had in mind due to your affiliation with his past project, A Twist In The Tale?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

By that time, I’d done a range of TV and film roles so I was fairly comfortable with the audition process. The fact I’d worked on Twist meant that Ray and Cloud 9 already knew me and so I’m sure that influenced their choice. It’s an industry where personal connections, and knowing someone’s skills and presence as a performing artist, mean a lot.

PATCH WORKING AT THE HOSPITAL

THETRIBE.CO.UK

Patch’s background is rather interesting, having been introduced via Pride as an old friend in a tribe called the Wrecking Crew. It seemed rather intriguing at the time that Pride would have known someone like Patch, because of his affinity to nature and spurning technology.

Unfortunately, the show never went into any real detail as to the two’s connection, and in fact, we barely got any interaction between them. Is there something that didn’t make it to the screen? And are you aware of what Patch’s backstory with Pride originally entailed?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

I think it’s probably more likely to be a hastily-concocted backstory that wasn’t very well fleshed out, rather than a mysterious lead with a hidden meaning.

Sorry 😉

THETRIBE.CO.UK

Do you share any similarities with your character?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

I’m quite intellectual and appreciate clarity of understanding and communication.

THETRIBE.CO.UK

We saw some great development for Patch, including his relationship with Dee, which led to one of the very few peaceful – and resolved – exits from the show.

But whose decision was it to leave? Was the character written out, or was it more of a personal decision? In either case, is there anything further that you would have loved to have done with the character?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

The character was written out of the show, I had nothing against continuing into another season if the writers had wanted.

I suppose I would have loved it if the character had had more time and opportunities to adventure with more of the other characters, and mature in confidence and social skills!

PATCH HAS A HEART TO HEART WITH DEE

THETRIBE.CO.UK

After parting from the show, you didn’t seem to continue pursuing a career in acting. What was the reasons behind this? Was it simply the right time to move on to another path?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

I did do some further acting work after The Tribe, but a variety of factors changed my focus in life. I realised that I was no longer watching television and in fact thought much of the media content I saw being produced was either quite shallow, not of good quality, or boring (or all three!).

As I got older I became more skeptical of the cultural forces driven by advertising revenue and consumer-capitalist exploitation. Acting started to seem like a fairly frivolous focus, despite the fact I always enjoyed performance, and it was good money for a teenager!

I became more interested in music production than acting, although that remained a hobby. I also discovered yoga, due to increasing pain from a spinal condition (scoliosis) that eventually led to major spinal surgery, and I had quite a long period of rehabilitation following this where I didn’t have much physical confidence.

Between increasing critique and disinterest in TV and acting, gaining a psychology degree, and increasing experience and interest in yoga and healing, it just didn’t make sense to pursue further acting work. And then I left New Zealand! My acting experience has helped me in other areas of my life though.

THETRIBE.CO.UK

You relocated to Barcelona where you have set up a company called NowHere teaching Yoga classes. What were the circumstances behind the move to another country? Did you find any difficulties in the transition? And are you fluent in Spanish?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

I originally came here with a Catalan partner I met while living in London. It’s a beautiful, vibrant city and I was very happy to stay. Growing up in New Zealand, I’d always had a sense I would come to live in Europe, at least for some time – here there is such an extraordinary collection of so many cultures, languages, histories, and innovations in everything from art to politics to science.

While I love Aotearoa and go back regularly, I love the international mix of people here in Barcelona too. Settling in to a new city takes time though, let alone to a whole other culture! It took me some time to develop connections, find work and create a life here. Learning a new language is a big process too, but very worthwhile brain training. I mainly teach in Spanish now, and it has been a pleasure to gain fluency in another language.

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD PRACTICING YOGA

THETRIBE.CO.UK

Where did your passion for Yoga come from? Is it something that you had always planned to do? And what is it like teaching classes?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

As I mentioned earlier I came to yoga as many do these days, seeking relief from discomfort and back pain – that in my case was being caused by a significant scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine). Yoga was one of the most important things that helped me manage some serious physical difficulty, pain, and rehabilitation after my eventual surgery.

I never in a million years thought I would teach! I could barely do the most basic poses at first. It simply became a regular and important part of my life, and as my body transformed and my strength and health improved, I became more and more interested in understanding the deeper philosophy and how it works. I eventually started studying and training more, and then after moving to Barcelona started focusing on teaching.

Teaching is a real joy. To be able to share something of real value, to guide people into a deeper connection with themselves, and to see their own transformation over time – it’s a wonderful privilege. It’s also an interesting challenge to really inquire into what is useful and important, and then figure out effective ways of communicating and transmitting that insight.

A good teacher can help accelerate your personal evolution so much, and it’s really worth seeking them out and paying attention, in my experience! And Yoga is really the most fundamental thing to learn – understanding more and more deeply who and what you are.

THETRIBE.CO.UK


Do you have a favourite inspirational quote? Or is there amotto that you live your life by?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

We do not see the world as it is; we see it as we are.

Also: Never save a costume!

THETRIBE.CO.UK


And finally, is there anything that you want to tell your fans?

MORGAN PALMER HUBBARD

  1. Don’t believe everything you think
  2. I think the words of one of my main teachers Simon Borg-Olivier are a good, simple way to live:
    – Enjoy your life
    – Take care of your body – it’s the only one you’ve got, and it allows you to:
    – Help other people enjoy their lives, too
  3. Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu – “May all beings everywhere be happy and free – and may my life and actions contribute to their happiness and freedom”
Thank you Morgan for taking the time to participate in this interview. We wish you all the best with your teaching and look forward to hearing from you again soon!
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