NewZealandWoman’sWeekly 29
W
hile other pensioners
may be contemplating
life in a retirement
home, veteran Kiwi actress
Julie Collis has found it’s the
right time to pack up and try
her luck in Hollywood.
In a surprising turn of events,
the 66-year-old and her
ceramicist husband Peter (67)
are saying goodbye to their
two adult children, closing
their arts studio and taking
advantage of a shortage of
older actors in Tinseltown.
“How many people my age
get to chase their dream?”
smiles Julie. “They’ve either
retired or given up. But in LA,
they actually want actors with
wrinkles and grey hair now!”
When the Weekly arrives
for a chat, the couple are in
the midst of wrapping pottery
pieces from their gallery
underneath the Birkenhead
home they’ve lived in, over-
looking Auckland’s Waitemata
Harbour. The excitement of the
move outweighs any stress (“the
visa hasn’t arrived yet but the
plane tickets are booked for
Tuesday!”) and Julie reckons
the whole thing has been
nothing short of serendipitous.
It was a year ago, when
Julie was invited to perform a
one-woman stage monologue
called Slow Dating at the
Short and Sweet Festival in
Hollywood,thatshecaughtthe
eyeofa USactingmanager.
J li l d h
for love, and took out the
festival award for Best Actress
(English-speaking).
“It was a huge honour for a
very personal and special piece
of theatre to be seen on an
international stage,” explains
Julie, who has appeared on
Shortland Street and Mercy
Peak. “And I thought this would
be my only chance to perform
in Hollywood.
“In fact, when telling friends I
was going to LA to do this play,
they joked, ‘Oh, you’ll get
signed by a Hollywood agent
and may never come back.’”
After performing the piece for
a week at the Marilyn Monroe
Theatre, Julie and Peter were
enjoying a celebratory drink
when American acting agent
Michele Large approached her
at the bar and asked if she had
representation there.
“My first thought was, ‘As if!’
But I sort of chortled and
explained we were only
visiting,” recalls Julie.
“Michele said she’d like to
represent me and to have a
think about it. She told us, ‘I
don’t have anybody in your age
group, but I have work on my
books sitting there that I can’t
slotanyoneinto.’”
Thepairreturnedhome
andaskedJulie’sKiwiagent
GrahamDunsterif hethought
it wasforreal.
“HewasgoingtoLAthenext
week,sohemetwithMicheleAfter employing an LA
attorney and a business advisor
to help the couple complete
visa requirements, Julie began
working on her US accent
with a dialect coach. And she
admits it’s been a lot harder
than she thought.
“When you’re acting, one
part of your brain is going, ‘Are
you hitting the mark? Whatare
you feeling?’ So if I’m making
sure my ‘r’s are in the right place
as well, it’s working the 66-year-
old brain quite hard,” laughs
Julie, who originally trained in
jewellery design.
Her US manager has already
sent her a spreadsheet of over
100 film and TV roles – guest
spots on NCIS and Grey’s
Anatomy – that were being
cast for her age group in the
previous month, which Julie
says in New Zealand there
would be just one a year.
“I get very little work here
really. When I audition for
something, I’m usually in the
same room with the same six
women every time, up against
the likes of Theresa Healey or
Elizabeth Hawthorne. ”
Adds Peter, “America
is also a bit ahead of us in
termsofdiversity.Thewomen’s
movementoverthereis really
strongandnowallages,sizes
andethnicitiesaregettingroles,
ratherthanit justbeingskinny
blondesunder25.”
SoJuliedoesn’tneedto
outchangingherlook?
uitethereverse,”she
mylifeI’vebeena
beforebleaching
myhair.Butmy
toldmeI needtobe
uralandletthegreys
ough!AndwhenI went
hots,shecommented,
e thephotographer
dityour wrinkles out.’”
mid-40s when acting
d up, Julie found
herselfcollaborating with Peter
onpotteryprojects and, in mock
defeat, he reveals she’s ended
up winning more art awards
than him.
However, he got his turn to
have a taste of the acting world
when casting agents had clients
wanting a real-life husband andwifetostarin TVcommercials,
andtheyscoredthegigs.
Withthecouple,whohave
justcelebratedtheir45th
weddinganniversary,soon
shiftingintotheirsmallfurnished
apartmentin WestHollywood,
Peterjokeshe’sgoingto
becomea ‘gymbunny’or
perhapsgethiseyelidsdone.
“Well,I’mlistedonJulie’svisa
as a spouse, so I’m not allowed
to work there myself. The other
thing that’s going to be weird is
to leave behind our children,
Sophie (35) and Elliot (30).
“However, as I said to Julie, I
think we’re allowed to be selfish
now. We’ll probably end up
being mum and dad to other
young actors there who might
need a couch to sleep on.” #
Fleur GuthrieesHer career has spanned decades,
but it was Julie’s award-winning
role of Ester (above right) that
caught Hollywood’s attention.JulieplayedtheroleofEster,
anelderlywomanovercoming
guilt and loneliness in a search
andsaidtome,‘I loveher– it’s
afantasticidea.Whydon’t you
gofor it?’ So we did.”worryabo
“No,qu
says.“All
redhead,b
throughm
managert
morenatu
comethro
forheadsh
‘Makesure
doesn’ted
Inherm
workdriedStar-struck!Julie
andPeterare
excited about their
next bigstep.PHOTOS: ROBERT TRATHEN • HAIR & MAKE-UP: CLAUDIA RODRIGUES