They say change is as good as a rest – and for first-time leading lady Joyce Irving, her sudden catapult into the acting world means there’s no way this 91-year-old is slowing down any time soon.
Hours after returning from the Montreal World Film Festival where she watched her short film Dotty for the first time, Aucklander Joyce is still overcome with emotion after hundreds of anonymous donors gave her the $4500 needed to get her and her daughter to the festival.
Joyce plays a woman who can’t text her daughter. Off screen, Joyce says she still doesn’t know how!
“I’ve had the most amazing experience, and I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped me. It’s just fantastic and humbling,” she says.
A former New Zealand Woman’s Weekly writer and keen gardener, Joyce was selected for the lead in Dotty, playing a lady who can’t figure out how to send a text message to her daughter. A desperate Joyce was selling jam, CDs of herself reading the Bible and even her own jewellery to fund the trip to Canada, until the “Get Joyce to Montreal” campaign was launched on donations website Give a Little.
After being featured in local media and on TV3 current affairs show Campbell Live, Joyce quickly found herself with enough money to make the trip. “The festival was just wonderful, the people were friendly, the place fascinating. I had a beautiful skirt and top and a stunning cropped blue jacket made for me by Anne Mardell, she’s wonderful. “I never used to be brave enough to approach people like Anne, but I’ve got more cheek now!”
The budding star enjoys her time in wardrobe
Joyce had no problems with the almost 30,000km round trip – in fact, she enjoyed it. Now involved with the Auckland Theatre Company, as well as having 19 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, Joyce is kept on her toes. Twice widowed, she jokes that her third husband hasn’t found her yet. “If he doesn’t hurry up he’s going to miss out!” she grins.
Even though her character came to grips with modern technology, Joyce says she got the cast together after filming to make an admission. “I still can’t text!” she laughs merrily.
Britany Dyke
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