My Life with Anne McCrudden: I became a film star in my 70th year

Anne McCrudden, who stars in the film Sunphlowers, spoke about becoming a film star at almost 70.

Acting has been a huge part of my life since childhood but it wasn’t until almost seventy years old that I landed my first lead role on screen.

Both my daughter Laura and son-in-law Ryan hugged me after we sat and watched it together in the Lighthouse Cinema.

“Oh mum,” Laura choked. “I have no words.” We just sat there and cried.

Sunphlowers, the story of a woman who uncovers the truth about her deceased husband’s secrets, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and RTÉ Player.

However, watching it in the cinema was a pivotal moment for me, because I had never been allowed to go there growing up. My father used to tell me that cinemas were dens of iniquity.

Now, as an adult, I can see this was an overreaction. My father grew up in an orphanage and for some reason, he had an aversion to these places. I can only assume that he had a bad experience in a cinema as a child. Even at Christmas time, when Santa visited our local cinema, we were forbidden from going there.

Our begging did little to sway him. To this day, we have no idea what he had been trying to protect us from. In every other way, my father was a forward-thinking man who would have taken his right arm off for his family.

All of his siblings were the same, which is unusual, given that they were denied this kind of love themselves as children. While my dad utterly detested the cinema, he adored live shows and would come to see us on stage at every opportunity. He didn’t mind me acting in amateur theatre shows. If anything, he encouraged it.

My first taste of real acting came courtesy of my gorgeous aunt Vera who was my mother’s sister. She was a beautiful actress who was a fixture on the local theatre circuit.

Sometimes, after school, my mother would tell me to run over to her house as she needed someone to run lines with. She wasn’t the only one in our family with a passion for theatre. My mother used to write Maureen Potter-style sketches for my sister and I to star in. They featured in all the local concerts.

My family and I loved the local amateur drama scene, but the best thing about the plays was the rehearsals.

People took turns hosting them at their homes. We were always so excited when it came to our turn because the place would be brimming with apple tarts and cups of tea. Alcohol never featured. It was always tea.

I’ll never forget some of the antics at those rehearsals. One of the men there, Brendan Dunne, had us doubled over with laughter one time when we opened the sitting room door, only to find him there standing on his head to greet us. This was just one of his signature party pieces. They were always writing comedy, so the place was constantly heaving with laughter.

As an adult, I dipped in and out of theatre and was lucky enough to have some beautiful roles in plays like Big Maggie and Playboy of the Western World at the Millbank Theatre. I did this all while running my own recruitment
company.

It was much later in life that I had the opportunity to pursue screen work through the film Somebody which was directed by Dave Byrne. After meeting him at the Galway Film Festival, he asked me if I would like to be in  Sunphlowers. Once I heard the main character Catherine’s story, I was enthralled. This is a woman whose life is turned on its head after her husband drops dead, leaving a trail of debt behind him. She discovers lots of dark secrets she had no idea were even possible. It’s all about her struggle to find herself again as she perseveres to overcome unimaginable shock and hardship.

Catherine’s story is a far cry from my own. I am lucky to have a wonderfully loving husband. Almost all our time is spent together, so there is no room for secrets! Since the film began streaming, he hasn’t been able to keep the smile off his face and has everyone told that I am on television. The overall experience has been really positive. I only saw myself on screen as Catherine when the film was released.

A lot of the crew and actors looked at the rushes [uncut footage from the production], but I refused. I didn’t want to see myself on camera. My worry was that if I spotted a mistake, I would try to correct it. I wanted to place all my trust in the director and I am so glad that I did.

At my age, I never thought I’d get a second chance to make it as an actor, never mind a third. I know that despite my late father’s aversion to the cinema, he would have been so proud to see me on the big screen. Knowing that, and the happiness this has brought my family, has to be the most rewarding part of all.

These days I’m not only acting but writing poetry and painting too. It’s like looking at a menu of all my childhood dreams and being able to order any one of them I like. That for me is what the third act is all about.