2008 Woodie Awards
McCarthy gives Conservatory a makeover
By: Amanda King
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Lifestyle
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"And then you can just wash it off," said McCarthy, nonchalantly scrubbing the wax and fake blood off her wrist and down the sink.
McCarthy, a Webster University alumna, is the new head of wig and makeup for the Conservatory. She brings with her years of experience in film, theater and
commercial productions.
McCarthy's strong family ties to the university - her mother, Peg McCarthy, worked here as a director of student activities, and four of her siblings are also alumni - made her return seem predestined. But the path she took to get here certainly was not. McCarthy took many side-trips and diversions before she landed at this summer's production of "The Lion King" at the Fox Theatre (527 N. Grand Blvd.), where she heard about the Conservatory's job opening while working as a makeup artist.
Although McCarthy's bachelor's degree is in art, she said transitioning to theatrical pursuits
made sense.
"It's a natural progression, moving from making paintings to painting people's faces and bodies," McCarthy said.
After graduation, McCarthy attended a cosmetology school and eventually found herself working in the small, professional regional theaters of Chicago, where her brother, an alumnus of WU's Conservatory, was performing.
"I moved to Chicago and started working in theater, and then theater led to television work, and then television led to film," McCarthy said.
Her film repertoire includes features such as "Stir of Echoes," with Kevin Bacon, and "The Road to Perdition," starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. But McCarthy said working in the film industry isn't as dramatic as it may sound.
"I think people have this misperception about film being really glamorous and exciting," McCarthy said. "While it does pay very well, it's unpredictable. You don't know when you're working, and you can work with some actors who are
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