“Lights, camera, action.” That might be the favorite phrase of a St. Giles student who is making a name for himself in the world of acting, both on the Chicago stage and on TV.
Thomas Murphy Molony, a 6th grader at St. Giles School in Oak Park, is sharing the stage as only one of three cast members in the Goodman Theatre’s production of “Highway Patrol,” which tells a story stemming from Emmy winner Dana Delany’s own personal social media archives.
The 11-year-old is starring alongside Delany, who received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in both 1989 and 1992, as well as three-time Emmy Award nominee Dot-Marie Jones, who is known for her roles in “Glee” and “American Horror Story.”
“Everybody is just so nice,” said Molony about his two co-stars, whom he said have created a fun and nurturing environment for the young actor.
Molony began acting in school plays just to have fun with his friends, but at the recommendation of local business owner and family friend Amanda Daly of The Daly Bagel in Oak Park, Molony was introduced to an acting coach who thought he should audition for an upcoming play at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
“I was a little confused when I first heard of it,” Molony said. “I was like ‘professional acting? What do you mean?’”
He ended up booking the role of John Bechdel in the theater’s production of “Fun Home,” making his professional acting debut in 2022.
Molony then went on to play the role of Randy in the Marriott Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Story.”
With two theater productions under his belt, he landed an agent at DDO Artists Agency, Chicago, who began submitting him for television works.
Molony ended up booking an episode of “American Rust,” the Showtime adaptation of Phillip Meyer’s novel by the same name set in a rust belt town in Pennsylvania.
Accompanied by his mother, Clair Murphy, the two traveled down to Pittsburgh and got to enjoy being on set, which Molony loved.
“It was so cool seeing everything,” Molony said of the opportunity, adding it was a rush to know he was going to get to be on TV.
Murphy said the whole opportunity was a positive experience.
“It was a surreal experience,” Murphy said. “The biggest takeaway I had from all of this, is that everybody in these groups- musicals, plays, even the commercials that he did- everybody was so loving and warm and welcoming that I think that is part of the reason Thomas embraces it so much.”
While Molony has gained experiences both on stage and on TV, he said he knows auditioning can be a lot of work for sometimes no reward, which has prepared him for future auditions, including “Highway Patrol.”
“It’s a lot of work to do auditions, you can audition for 100 things and not get anything,” he said. “But when I heard that I actually got the role, I was literally screaming I was so happy.”
Still Molony has continued to grow in his confidence as an actor with every audition.
“When you get something and you do the next audition, it makes me feel like I have more of a chance of getting this rather than one in a million,” Molony said.
While acting is something Molony hopes to continue to pursue, for now he is focused on “Highway Patrol,” which had its opening night on Jan. 30th.
Balancing being a professional actor can be challenging, but both Molony and his mother said they have been able to juggle everything with the help of both the theater and St. Giles, who have worked around the young actor’s schedule with the help of tutors.
“It is definitely an actual job,” Molony said. “I feel like this is something that I want to do constantly because it is such a great experience working with everyone.”
But if acting does not work out, Molony already has his eyes on a backup career, working at a slime factory.
“I love slime, like so much and I think that would be super cool,” he said enthusiastically.
“Highway Patrol” will run on the Goodman Theatre stage through Feb. 18.
