Morgana O'Reilly
| Morgana O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 August 1985 [1] New Zealand |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Salmon |
| Children | 1 |
Morgana O'Reilly (born 19 August 1985) is a New Zealand film, television and theatre actress. She has appeared in several theatre productions and created the one-woman play The Height of the Eiffel Tower. O'Reilly played Lynn Matthews in the biographical television film Billy and guested in Nothing Trivial. She has also appeared in the comedy series' Sunny Skies and This is Littleton. O'Reilly joined the cast of Neighbours as Naomi Canning in December 2013, and starred as Kylie Bucknell in the horror-comedy Housebound.
Early life
O'Reilly was born in New Zealand, to Mary-Jane, a dancer and choreographer, and Phil O'Reilly, a graphic designer.[2] She grew up in the Ponsonby/Grey Lynn area.[3] O'Reilly said she got her love of performing from her mother and that she wanted to be an actor since she was 15.[2] O'Reilly attended Unitec Institute of Technology and graduated in 2006.[4]
Career
After graduating from Unitec, O'Reilly appeared in several theatre productions, including Three Sisters, Marat/Sade and Coram Boy.[2][5] She also undertook some bar work at The Basement Theatre in Auckland.[2] After a stint in the comedy show A Thousand Apologies, O'Reilly was cast in a new production of Toa Fraser's play Bare.[2] The director, Oliver Driver, said O'Reilly was cast because of her ability to play several different characters.[2]
In 2009, O'Reilly created a one-woman play called The Height of the Eiffel Tower. The play focuses on Terri Hulme, a mother of four, who takes a closer look at her life when she goes on a coffee date with an old university friend.[6] O'Reilly approached her friend Abigail Greenwood to direct and act as dramaturge. Her mother Mary-Jane O'Reilly danced a solo piece on stage for the first time in years, before O'Reilly premiered The Height of the Eiffel Tower.[6] The play was well-received and O'Reilly went on to perform it at the New York Fringe Festival.[6]
After O'Reilly was cast as Amber in Thomas Sainsbury's black comedy Dance Troupe Supreme, she turned to her mother for help researching the role due to her background in dance.[7] In 2011, O'Reilly appeared in the biographical television film Billy, where she played Lynn Matthews, the wife of comedian, musician and actor Billy T. James.[8] She also starred as Desdemona in Jesse Peach's production of Othello and made a guest appearance in the comedy-drama series Nothing Trivial, as lead character Mac's love interest, Alison.[4][9]
O'Reilly went on to star in the television film Safe House, which aired during TV One's Sunday Night Theatre.[10] She was also cast in TV3's comedy series Sunny Skies as Nicky, an "independent, organised campground owner".[11] On 30 December 2013, it was announced O'Reilly had joined the cast of Neighbours as Naomi Canning.[12] O'Reilly attended two rounds of auditions before she won the role. O'Reilly and her husband filmed her first audition in their garden in Sydney, before O'Reilly flew to Melbourne to audition in the studio, with cast members Colette Mann and Stefan Dennis.[13] She made her first appearance as Naomi on 25 March 2014.[14]
O'Reilly appeared in This is Littleton in February 2014. She also wrote for the series.[15] O'Reilly stars as Kylie Bucknell in Gerard Johnstone's horror-comedy Housebound, which had its world premiere at SXSW.[16] O'Reilly performed The Height of the Eiffel Tower at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2014.[17] O'Reilly departed Neighbours in mid-2015 to pursue new acting roles.[18]
Personal life
O'Reilly is married to filmmaker Peter Salmon.[17] O'Reilly announced her pregnancy on 6 June 2015,[19] and she gave birth to a daughter on 25 August, [20] who she named Luna Le Fey [21]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Jaquie Brown Diaries | Alt girl | |
| 2008 | A Thousand Apologies | Various | |
| 2009 | Piece of My Heart | June Watt | TV film |
| 2011 | Billy T James | Lynn Matthews | TV film |
| 2011 | Rebecca 2 | Vixen Misfit | |
| 2011 | Nothing Trivial | Alison | |
| 2012 | Safe House | Carol Taylor | TV film |
| 2012 | We Feel Fine | Kelly | |
| 2013 | Sunny Skies | Nicky | |
| 2014 | Housebound | Kylie Bucknell | |
| 2014 | This is Littleton | Various characters | Also writer |
| 2014–15 | Neighbours | Naomi Canning | Regular role |
References
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- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/8DlpiGhGmd/?taken-by=morganaoreilly
