Arts & Entertainment

Cranston Man Featured in Indie Horror Film

"The set was very busy," said Murphy, adding that he spent a good time watching the other performers on the set around him letting their respective freak flags fly.

Michael D. Murphy Sr. never dreamt that his involvement as an extra in an independent movie would allow him to be interviewed on “The Rebecca Flores Show," one of his home town’s popular cable TV shows.

“It was fun,” said the life-long Cranston native. “It was my first interview as an actor.”

Murphy had always been interested in the entertainment industry but family obligations compelled him to work in the display industry for almost 25 years. He held a variety of positions during that time including assistant plant manager, engineer, and specifications writer.

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In time, Murphy and his wife divorced, their three children move on with their respective lives, and his health forced him to stop working in the display industry. Murphy decided to pursue his lifelong passion to act but took a quick sabbatical in order to have bi-lateral knee replacements.

“I was in tremendous pain for many years,” confided Murphy. “Since the operation and the physical therapy, I’ve been almost pain free for the first time in my adult life.”

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Murphy trained at the John Casablancas Model & Talent Career Center in Newton (MA) where he had learned improvisational skills for commercials, TV, and films. He has since been active as a background actor (an “extra”) and a supporting actor for the last fifteen months.

A Facebook ad seeking extras for a fetish nightclub scene in the low-budget independent movie GILGAMESH caught Murphy’s eye. He plunged into the job due to his curiosity about it.

“It seemed like a different type of scene than anything I had done before,” observed Murphy.

When he arrived at Simon’s 677, a nightclub located in Providence, he was greeted with the sight of dozens of performing artists dressed in a variety of fetish outfits ranging from latex to leather and everything in between. Writer-Director-Producer Richard Chandler was on the set playing the deranged ex-CIA operative Lars but Murphy had little time to interact with him.

“The most notable aspect of the production was the professionalism of all involved,” recalled Murphy. Multiple scenes were shot with over 50 people instructed to do a variety of activities.

Line Producer Angel Connell worked to keep the production on schedule and remembered the first time he met Murphy on the set of GILGAMESH. “He wore a hat and was dressed in leather,” recalled Connell. “He introduced himself to me by giving me his business card.”

The movie stars well-known actors as Joe Gannascoli (“Vito” from THE SOPRANOS) and international cult horror sensation Melantha Blackthorne (the title character in the TV show COUNTESS BATHORIA’S GRAVEYARD PICTURE SHOW). Blackthorne was on the set of the fetish club scene but Murphy had little time to interact with her.

“The set was very busy,” said Murphy, adding that he spent a good time watching the other performers on the set around him letting their respective freak flags fly.

“It was a memorable experience and through that experience I got to be interviewed as an actor,” beamed Murphy. “I’m looking forward to doing more interviews for even bigger movies.”

GILGAMESH was shot in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The movie is under post-production and is expected to have its world premiere either at the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015.

People interested in becoming a fan of the movie can either “like” its IMDb page after clicking the following link - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2323804/combined - or “like” its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boston-Film-Family-LLC/195491153798914 - or even “like” both pages at the same time.


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