Gold Coast’s Matt Hollywood the world’s best trickster as he and ‘trusty assistant’ win Merlin Awards

THE master illusionist dubbed “Mr Hollywood on the Gold Coast” and his trusty assistant, Kristy Probst, have won the magic world’s equivalent of an Oscar.

Kristy Probst and magician Matt Hollywood. Picture: Regi Varghese.

FORGET walking on water. The master illusionist dubbed “Mr Hollywood on the Gold Coast” is walking on air after he and his trusty assistant, Kristy Probst, received the magic world’s equivalent of an Oscar, the Merlin Award.

“This is the pinnacle – it’s the biggest achievement we can get in our game,” Hollywood said yesterday.

Hollywood, a former Australian Entertainer of the Year, joins a prestigious rollcall of Merlin Award winners that includes Siegfried & Roy, Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, Criss Angel and Lu Chen.

Renowned for his incredible feats of levitation, sawing audience members in half and nailbiting escapes, Hollywood, Australian Entertainer of the Year has earned a large and loyal following for his long-running Las Vegas-style show in the Village Theatre, at Sanctuary Cove.

Hollywood, 40, and Probst, 36, have been dazzling crowds together at the Village Theatre for the past three years.

Proving what a well-oiled double act they’ve become, Hollywood won the Merlin Award for International Illusionist of the Year while Probst was named International Assistant of the Year.

The Merlin Awards are bestowed by the world’s largest magic organisation, the 37,000-member International Society of Magicians, founded in 1968.

“The awards are decided by a panel of 26 of the world’s best magical minds who make up the board of directors,” Hollywood said.

“It’s the crème de la crème. It’s the Holy Grail. It’s absolutely mind-blowing to win.”

The society’s president and founder, Tony Hassini, travelled to the Gold Coast from Italy to present Hollywood and Probst with their awards onstage at the Village Theatre after Saturday night’s performance.

“We normally invite them to Las Vegas but Matt had a booking that day, corporation style, and couldn’t make it and he asked us if it would be possible for him to receive the award in his home town,” Mr Hassini said.

“We got to see his show live – we had seen it on video – and it’s an incredible show.

“We were impressed by the video but it’s nothing like watching it live.”

Mr Hassini said Hollywood’s long-running success performing his show year-round was a feat in itself.

“It’s every magician’s dream to have their own theatre and be able to do that,” he said.

“You have to be creative and also be a business person to pull it off.”

Father of two Hollywood said he still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

“This will push me to come up with even better magic feats and illusions,” he said.