Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ Role Nearly Drove Him Out of Acting

Jeffrey Dean Morgan came perilously close to abandoning his acting career altogether following a traumatic stint on “Star Trek: Enterprise,” where he played a Xindi alien character named Damron. The experience, which involved extensive prosthetics work, sparked such intense claustrophobia that Morgan seriously considered leaving the entertainment industry behind entirely.

During an interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast with Josh Horowitz, Morgan described the depths of his frustration with the role. He explained that he frequently spent up to 14 hours daily encased in prosthetics and struggled with basic functions like eating while wearing the makeup. “I still wake up sweating about it,” he said, recounting the psychological toll the job extracted.

This difficult period coincided with a broader career crisis for Morgan, who was in his mid-30s and had spent years cycling through guest appearances, failed pilots, and minor film roles. To make ends meet, he supplemented his acting income with construction work and other manual labor, describing himself as “always, always side hustling.” His prospects looked dim when his longtime manager told him he had “aged out” and dropped him as a client.

Facing potential career termination and lacking alternative skills or formal education, Morgan contemplated abandoning Hollywood entirely. Yet around age 38, his circumstances shifted dramatically when he landed consecutive roles on “Supernatural,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Weeds,” finally achieving the breakthrough success that had eluded him for years.

Today, Morgan continues working steadily. He currently plays Negan opposite Lauren Cohan’s Maggie in AMC’s third season of “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” which premiered July 26, where he also serves as an executive producer.