Charlie Murphy is attracting rave reviews for what Peter Crawley described as her "knock-out, layered performance" as Eliza Doolittle in Annabelle Comyn's current production of 'Pygmalion' at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The 24-year-old actor from Wexford has landed a variety of roles on stage, in film and on TV since leaving the Gaiety School of Acting. DEIRDRE MCQUILLANasks the actor, whose costumes for this production were designed by Peter O'Brien, about her personal style
What are you wearing today?
Nothing special! I got the shirt in Topshop a few years ago, the trousers are from Zara and the shoes are Penneys. I think the belt came off a dress. The necklace, a little rhinestone-studded heart, was a Christmas present from my sister and the watch is from Urban Outfitters. I don’t wear much jewellery – one of my sisters is great at making jewellery like beaded hairpieces for me.
You’re a high-street shopper?
Yeah, depending on whether I am working and have money to spend. I have a lot of friends who are actors and we are all the same build so we swop clothes – it’s very handy. I also like vintage shops like Wild Child and Om Diva in the George’s Street Arcade.
Describe your style.
It’s hard to say. It has changed over the last while. I am not a glitzy person, more low-key. I just wear different things all the time, but mostly live in skinny jeans. I have four sisters, so it’s often a question of borrowing what fits from them. The main thing I go for is comfort. I don’t wear heels and if I was going somewhere special I would have to strap on the stilettos.
What is your most treasured possession?
My mother Brenda bought me a dress in a retro shop in George’s Street Arcade with a big 1950s stick-out skirt – it’s so costumey you would have to wear it to a ball.
What about your costumes for ‘Pygmalion’, which were designed by Peter O’Brien?
The attention to detail is fantastic – there are lots of layered skirts and the clothes are starched, uncomfortable and rather itchy to wear, so they are a real link with that era.
Is there anything you wouldn’t wear (apart from stilettos)?
I don’t like halternecks, and asymmetrical hems – some can get away with that, but it is not me. But for a part, I would be totally up to wearing anything.
What is your most expensive buy?
Probably a dress for my sister’s summer wedding, from Coast – it was a little cream tea dress with a green square print and I still wear it a lot in the summer. I like tea dresses.
Any particular passion, such as shoes?
No, but one of my four sisters is a shoe junkie – she spends a lot of money on shoes. If I have to wear heels, I’ll always have a pair of flats in my bag. I’m tidy – when you’re busy, it’s good to know where everything is.
What about grooming?
My parents Pat and Brenda Murphy are hairdressers in Wexford – their business Scissors Empire is nearly 40 years old this year, so my hair has always been professionally cut. I tend to wear it loose and every second day put it up in a bun. I also use fake plaits around my head. I use Kérastase and Tresemmé hair products. For make-up, I’ve just starting wearing Bare Minerals foundation and blusher, and Benefit. I don’t wear lipstick.
Do you have any style icons?
I love Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe – the golden oldies and that whole period. I love their movies.
You seem to be easygoing.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been bullied by so many older sisters. I don’t get stage fright or nervous before a show. I think if you make a mistake, the audience is with you, wanting you to get it right.
Pygmalionruns at the Abbey Theatre until June 11th
