Morpheus Richards on Crafting Culture Through Garvey’s Ghost
Where some artists move between mediums, Richard Walters lives between identities. As an award-winning actor and a recording artist known to many as Morpheus Richards, his creative life is shaped by a dual lens: the storyteller and the sonic architect, the performer and the cultural torch-bearer.
Garvey’s Ghost, the new series by Frances-Anne Solomon, is the first project that allowed those worlds to fully meet.
“Whether I’m Morpheus or Richard, my Jamaican culture is front and center,” he says. “I wear it on my chest, my heart, everywhere.”
That pride became the entry point into a role that asked him not just to perform, but to remember.
A Culture In His Bones
For Walters, the resonance with Garvey’s Ghost was immediate. The series’ deep dive into heritage, revolution, and Garveyism didn’t feel like research, it felt like home.
“I already live by the principles of self-reliance, self-love, self-esteem,” he explains. “Learning more about Garvey only amplified what was already in me.”
In preparing for the role of Denham Jolly, a pivotal figure in Canada’s Black broadcasting landscape, Walters found himself uncovering chapters of diaspora history he didn’t know existed, stories rooted both in Jamaica and in Toronto’s long, often buried Caribbean lineage.
“It hit very deeply,” he reflects. “I was learning about my people right here in the city I grew up in. It added more pride to the pride I already had.”
A New Kind of Performance
Though Walters has spent over 15 years across film, television, theatre, and live music, Garvey’s Ghost presented a rare opportunity: to bring his own Caribbean identity directly onto the screen.
“This is the first time I’ve really been able to dive into my culture through a character,” he says. “That’s a big deal. In film, that chance doesn’t come around often.”
As Morpheus, he has always had full control over how his Jamaican heritage enters his art. As Richard the actor, the industry rarely offers that same space. Garvey’s Ghost changed that.
“It spoke to my people, to my heritage, but also to me. And that’s not something I take lightly.”
Black Creative Space as Lifeline
Walters is no stranger to CaribbeanTales, having worked with the company as both actor and producer. Still, stepping into this series felt like entering an entirely new ecosystem.
“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to be in a space that is Black-driven, Black-celebrated, Black-empowering,” he says.
On set, cast and crew openly shared stories, knowledge, and questions about Caribbean culture, creating what he describes as a rare environment of mutual learning.
“I’ve never had that experience on any other set,” he notes. “Being surrounded by people who honour the culture, whether they’re from it or not, was incredibly unique. It reminded me how important our stories are, and how much they mean to other people.”
The Weight of Legacy
Playing Denham Jolly carried a significance that went beyond the role itself. Jolly, a key figure behind Canada’s first Black-owned radio station, carved out a space that Walters, as Morpheus Richards, directly benefits from today.
“Without Denham Jolly, there’s no Black-centered radio station in this city,” he says. “So when I, as an artist, submit my music, I now understand the fight behind the opportunity. It’s not just an upload, it’s a legacy.”
That knowledge sits with him, grounding him. Inspiring him. And shaping the message he hopes young Caribbean creatives will take from his work.
A Call to Know Yourself
Walters’s philosophy is simple: know your roots, not as nostalgia, but as navigation.
“When you understand what your ancestors endured for you to live the life you’re living now, you move differently,” he says. “More confidence. More pride. More grounding.”
Through Garvey’s Ghost, that message becomes a map.
The series doesn’t just entertain; it educates, provokes, and reconnects. And Walters sees his role, both as Richard and as Morpheus, as part of a larger lineage of cultural storytelling.
“I have no complaints. Only aspirations,” he says. “Knowing where you come from… it’s a domino effect. It shapes everything.”
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