Nicola Murphy

Nicola Murphy graduated from drama school Toi Whakaari in 1989. Six years later, after multiple roles on-stage, she made her movie debut in offbeat fantasy Jack Brown Genius.  Directed and co-written by Tony Hiles, the film follows an inventor (Tim Balme) who attempts to fly, after discovering the spirit of a thousand-year-old monk dwelling in his head.

Murphy played Eileen, who although romantically-involved with the hero's best friend, gets caught up in the inventor's life and adventure. Jack Brown was one of the first movies to feature special effects from Wellington company Wētā, later to win fame for their work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Murphy followed Jack Brown Genius with a number of short films. In bad taste romp D.S.B, she plays a satanic fantasy figure with a deep voice and a disconcerting habit of morphing into Ian Mune. She also makes a brief appearance as Kiwi chick Chantelle, who is disappointed to learn that drinking possibilities have been abruptly curtailed.

In The Hole Murphy co-starred opposite Scott Wills as one half of a couple who start to hear strange voices from a hole they have recently drilled. The Hole made it into competition at the highly-regarded Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival in France.

Murphy's second feature was the little-seen love story Wild Blue. Set in central Otago, the film stars Murphy as a solo mother of a teenage son, who falls for a visiting American topdressing pilot (Beverly Hills Cop actor Judge Reinhold). The movie was made by filmmaking brothers Dale and Grant Bradley.

Murphy followed Wild Blue with arguably her most memorable screen role. In quirky ensemble drama Magik and Rose (1999) she played Rose, a woman in a small-town Hokitika who discovers she is infertile, and "just can't accept it. She becomes chewed up and embittered and blind to everything but her desires."

Magik and Rose was the first feature from writer/director Vanessa Alexander. According to Alexander, the character played by Murphy hits some heavy emotional low points. But Murphy "managed to take Rose on a journey through comedy and tragedy without ever seeming disjointed".

NZ Herald veteran Peter Calder praised the "unaffected and generous" performances of both Murphy and her on-screen buddy Alison Bruce. Calder argued that although Murpjhy played the story's "more thankless" role, she "is everyone's idea of a stitched-up small-town girl who blossoms into the story's big adventure".

In American showbusiness mag Variety, David Stratton found Magik and Rose colourful and lively, "a delightful female buddy pic with a small-town setting and deeply felt emotions".

The same year Murphy joined the cast of Shortland Street, as Jean Burroughs. Her TV appearances also include guesting on Being Eve, acclaimed journalism drama Cover Story, and and appearances on two longrunning shows in England: Eastenders spin-off Ricky and Bianca, and a 2002 episode of hospital drama Holby City.

Profile updated on 12 October 2025

Sources include
Peter Calder, 'Magik and Rose' (Review) - The NZ Herald, 1 August 2000
David Stratton, 'Magik and Rose' (Review) - Variety, 4 June 2000  
Magik and Rose press kit