Actress, Musician, Artist, and Outdoor Lover Morissa Trunzo | Retrospec Community Series
RETROSPEC COMMUNITY SERIES: MORISSA TRUNZO
ACTRESS, MUSICIAN, CURRENT BROOKLYNITE, AND NATIVE MONTANAN.
We are hyped to introduce Morissa Trunzo. Brooklyn-based actress, musician, artist, and chalked full of great "New York" stories. She and her Harper zip around Prospect Park and onto the next meeting, coffee shop, or cool new food joint to check out. Her killer band Misty Mtn can be found wherever you listen to music.
R: Describe yourself, who you are, and what you do!
MT: I’m Morissa! Like “more”-issa than “less”-issa. I’m originally from Missoula, Montana but now live in NYC where I’m an actress/musician!
R: New York has a personality all its own. Is there a specific experience that comes to mind that feels especially “New York” when you reflect on it?
MT: Oh yeah.. So the other day I had an unbelievably important meeting and I decided that since it was so hot and I didn’t want to be sweaty for the meeting, I would treat myself to a Lyft. I left an hour and 45 minutes early just to be safe even though it would only take me 20 minutes to get there. Quickly into the ride I realized this was a mistake. Traffic was beyond horrible and once we got over the Manhattan Bridge we were at a standstill there for almost 20 minutes.
As we drove through Soho I was LITERALLY running out of time. My meeting was in about 12 minutes and we were 20 minutes away. When my map app said that we were both a 15 minute drive (but still stuck in standstill traffic) and a 15 minute walk away from my meeting which was in 10 minutes, I took a deep breath and said.. “I’m running.” I ran a 15 minute walk in 7 minutes, and got there with 3 minutes to spare, just enough time to catch my breath. If that isn’t a “New York moment”, I don’t know what is.
R: Where are your favorite places to bike to in your neighborhood? (i.e. favorite coffee shops, restaurants, museums, shops, etc?)
MT: I live near Prospect Park so I usually bike through the park to Prospect Heights to get to my favorite coffee shop, Seven Point Espresso (shout out to their cappuccino) or my favorite burrito place, Maya Taqueria.
R: We’d argue that the best memories are made while adventuring outside. Is there a certain outdoor experience that stands out as the greatest memory for you?
MT: Growing up in Montana I spent most of my time in the outdoors, which is why I was so drawn to [my Harper], seeing as Retrospec makes all of my favorite outdoor products. One of my greatest outdoor memories was skiing at Big Sky in Montana and taking the tram all the way up to the peak of the mountain. It was windy and visibility was little to none, I did the whole run so slowly, one turn at a time, but when I got to the bottom I looked up at where I had started and I thought, “Wow! I did it.”
R: If you could choose anywhere in the world to live, where would it be and why?
MT: That’s a tough one! I love my life in NYC, I’m also really intrigued by California (L.A. specifically) just because you can get sea, snow, and mountains all in one state. If I could live in Montana, but still work as a successful actress and musician part of the time somewhere else, THAT would be the dream. Montana [is] just the best, simple as that.
R: You’re clearly a very artistic person, where do you draw your inspiration from?
MT: I think I draw most of my inspiration from the way I was brought up. I was born in New York City to two former news anchors/journalists and soon thereafter moved to a mountaintop in Missoula, Montana. I grew up surrounded by thousands of records, listening to them daily; Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Sade, Joni Mitchell… the list goes on and on. And at the same time was constantly being surrounded by the outdoors; horseback riding, skiing, rafting, biking, swimming, and people who truly loved the simple life vs. the hustle and bustle of a city. That has really given me a balance in my life, but also in the way I create and like to storytell, whether that be in a tv show, a musical, or with my music.
R: Vacation or staycation?
MT: Vacation. There’s nothing better than exploring a new place, and seeing it from the eyes of the people in it.
R: How do you like your coffee?
MT: Cream ft. coffee
R: Best pizza in New York?
MT: Ooooooooh…. I change my mind everyday but I’m gonna say Speedy Romeo on Classon Ave in Brooklyn.
R: What are 5 things you couldn’t live without right now?
MT: Seltzer, this "sweatpants material" jumpsuit I bought at a store in Tacoma, Washington called Satori (cute but comfortable is my rule of thumb), my Critical Cycles bike - Harper in Sage Green (this is the absolute truth, I bike 8 miles everyday on it), Partly Tartly Brooklyn Bel Air Sour by Brooklyn Brewery, my band Misty Mtn (check out Misty Mtn on all social platforms!)
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