14
ThePraise Peteystar spent her teen years building an eclectic acting resume.
Annie Murphy has always had range.
Murphy, now 36, has continued to work across genres.
Its all much more than the 14-year-old Murphy could have imagined.
Eventually, she found her place among her theater nerd buddies.
I’m an only kid, so I’ve dragged a whole bunch of people into my family.
Take me back to 2000-01 when you were 14.
How are you feeling about your life then?
I was waiting to get boobs and my period.
That was a constant anxiety.
And I certainly was one of the last girls in school to become a woman, as they say.
What were your big hopes at the time?
I wanted a kiss.
I had never been kissed before, and that was my big desire.
I also wanted to act.
The school I went to had an amazing theater program.
It sounds like you were already imagining your future, in terms of a career.
I don’t know if I thought about it as a career at that point.
I always thought a career was like being a lawyer.
I didn’t really see myself as a professional actor.
I just knew that I loved doing it.
How did you feel when you were on stage?
What were you watching at 14?
I was watching a lot ofFawlty Towers.
I loved John Cleese so much.
My dad is a film guy, and so I was watching lots of old movies.
ButThe OCwas my little guilty binge.
It was like my soap opera.
Did you have a crush on any ofThe OCcharacters?
Who were your other celebrity crushes?
Then, Josh Hartnett,heavens.
Thats pretty awesome since Hartnetts inthe same season ofBlack Mirroras you.
I still haven’t met him though.
I don’t know what Id do.
I remember seeing him inPearl Harbor
Yes, in the tank top,Jesus.
What do you think your 14-year-old self would think of you now?
I think my 14-year-old self would be pretty proud of me.
That’s something that I’ve always wanted.
Is there any advice you would give 14-year-old Annie?
You will grow into your eyebrows.
And they will get you your first big job.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
The interview took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
