Made up! Ballinagore man’s Emmy nomination
A prosthetic make-up artist from Westmeath has been nominated for an Emmy.
Ballinagore's Johnny Murphy has been shortlisted for what is the most prestigious award in the television industry for his work on the critically acclaimed HBO series, The Last of Us.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Johnny, the son of Tim and Noeleen Murphy, said that he is “shocked” and “thrilled” to have been nominated with his colleagues.
He says that being hired to work on The Last of Us, which was adapted from a PlayStation game, was a dream come true in many ways.
“It's incredible. I played the video game when it first came out and I always knew it would make an incredible show. When I got the chance to go and work on it, it was amazing. Then for it to actually do really well is brilliant.”
After finishing secondary school in Kilbeggan, Johnny (34) did a portfolio course in Moate Business College for a year, before studying model making in Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology.
Over the past decade he has worked on a number of well-known TV shows including Vikings and Penny Dreadful, while last year, he worked on the film The Pope's Exorcist, which starred Russell Crowe.
“I have been very lucky getting a lot of very cool jobs and working with influential people. I work hard at it. It took a long time to build up connections, even in my spare time doing projects and courses, and slowly I got there.
“I have worked hard but sometimes luck is a part of the game, too,” he says.
On The Last of Us, which was shot in Canada, he got to work with some of the best prosthetic make-up artists in the world and people he has admired for years.
While the film and TV industry is currently at a standstill in North America due to the ongoing strike by Hollywood actors and writers, being nominated for an Emmy is undoubtedly a boost to his CV, says Johnny.
Johnny became interested in working in television and film after he saw Terminator 2 as a youngster. He says that his creativity was nurtured by his parents, Tim and Noeleen, who, he says, are “over the moon” about his Emmy nomination.
“My dad was an inspiration for me as a kid. He is an artist himself; wood carving and sculpture. He taught me how to draw and how to paint when I was a kid.”
He also paid tribute to his wife, Melissa Groome.
"She is the one who sat through hours and hours of prosthetics for me to learn my craft without ever complaining while I made her into old women and orcs to name a few. She has always supported me."
The Emmy awards show, one of the biggest nights in the Hollywood calendar, takes place in September. Johnny says that he is looking forward to visiting Los Angeles for the first time and hopefully joining what is still a relatively small group of Irish Emmy winners.