If you are fortunate enough to know Pat and Connie Murphey, Statesboro residents of more than 30 years, then you know the magic that they bring to the community—Connie’s volunteer work and sewing skills, which she uses to gift gowns to infant angels and children in need, and Pat’s dedication as an educator and an animal rescuer—shine brightly.
But you may not know that the Murpheys' magic has made it to the big screen.
After he retired from teaching English at Ogeechee Technical College in 2018, Pat picked up a rather surprising hobby: acting.
Laughing, Connie says their whole family, who are primarily in the Macon, Georgia area, was shocked when she told them he was going to an audition. “Pat is doing what?” their friends and relatives would respond in disbelief. As a retired professor known for his calm demeanor, compassion, and humility, it was as shocking as it was exciting.
“I filled out one of those online acting profile forms,” Murphey explained, saying he didn’t give it much thought, it was just something he’d always been curious about, and as an English professor, he’d always had a love of stories.
His son, Clif Murphey, an attorney in Los Angeles with a degree in cinematography, is the real movie talent in the family, Murphey said. Clif has written a screenplay and has experience directing. Growing up, Murphey says they, along with his younger son Patrick, enjoyed watching movies together and perhaps some of that interest, mixed with curiosity, inspired him to submit his acting profile late one evening.
Pat and Connie’s younger son Patrick and his wife Joycelyn recently completed survival training in the Amazon Rainforest as part of their missionary work, so it’s safe to say adventure runs in the family.
Whatever the inspiration, Murphey was quickly selected to perform in The Girl from Plainville, featuring Elle Fanning, for his first movie role. Beginning as a background actor was not easy, but he soon learned the ropes. “Call time was usually in Savannah at 6am, and we [he and the other supporting talent] would wait hours to do our scenes.” Murphey shared one instance where they were all sent home after all that waiting, and in another instance, call time in Savannah was at 2am.
“Elle Fanning was very nice,” Murphey shared. He also did a scene with Jamie Lee Curtis in her return to Halloween and later with Clint Eastwood in Juror #2.
But his experience working with celebrities extends much further back than his acting career: For 17 years, Murphey was a reservations agent for Delta and booked flights for Ted Williams, the Hall of Fame baseball player, the lead singer from Alabama, and several celebrities. “It was the best job I ever had,” he shared.
Over the last few years, Murphey has appeared in several movies and streaming shows including Manhunt, The Girl from Plainville, Halloween Ends, and Origin. His former students, which include Mike Davis, Dale Earnhardt’s business partner, and Cherard Freeman, Bryan County’s Football Coach, have noticed and reached out.
“One of my former students emailed me screenshots from every appearance I made with circles and notes,” shared Murphey. The opportunity to reconnect with his students added to the fun of the acting experience.
Murphey was most impressed by the crew on each of the sets he filmed at, “They do the yeoman’s work—herding people together, getting everyone on the same page—and they are working 12-14 hour days.”
Some of his most memorable moments were –
“I was on set and getting ready for a Halloween party scene in Halloween Ends when someone asked if I’d want to be a barback. I didn’t know what that was, but I said yes, and that costume change kept me from having to dance for 12 hours straight. Instead, I just stood behind the bar and cleaned glasses!”
Another time, he and another actor were supposed to unroll a map and point at it. But to their surprise during filming, the prop map was not a map, it was a rather risqué poster. Murphey and his colleague had to stay in character through their surprise as they unrolled the "map" and pointed to different landmarks on camera.
In another instance, he was filming Juror #2 with Clint Eastwood at Bonaventure Cemetery. He was cast as the graveyard groundskeeper. He got to see firsthand Eastwood’s style of shooting scenes in one take, "It was impressive," Murphey shared.
One of his most interesting roles was in Manhunt, which tells the story of the search for John Wilkes Booth. Murphey had to leave Statesboro at 2am in order to arrive at the call time, and then work a 14-hour day on set. In Manhunt, they actually made an avatar of Murphey in case they needed to use it to fill in crowd shots, he explained.
In another memorable moment, his “base” call time was changed at the last minute, so he arrived at the set 3 hours early, unbeknownst to him, and found himself locked inside a courtyard. “I got there before everyone, including the people who set up, so I walked in and no one was there, and then I couldn’t get out,” he recalled.
Memories like these and dozens more made his foray a mostly fun and extremely memorable experience—for himself and his family, friends, and students who have all enjoyed hearing his stories from the set.
“It was so tiring, but if the opportunity came up, I’d probably do it again—although I may hold out for a speaking role,” he laughed.
You can learn more about the area’s booming film industry at filmsavannah.org and of course keep an eye on local acting opportunities at The Averitt Center on their auditions page.
