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I remember the day I made the transition from my stable, often stressful, always intrinsically fulfilling career as a Neonatal Nurse to Entrepreneur, and all of the freedom and apprehension that comes along with such a venture. Motivated by a desire to be present with my 2 kids under the age of 2, I took what most might consider a hobby and grew it into the small business it is today. As I was watching the story of Joy Mangano portrayed onscreen last week, I found parallels between her journey and mine.
Joy is the poignant, biographical story of entrepreneur, inventor, and self-made millionaire Joy Mangano, who’s best known for her success inventing the Miracle Mop. Told across four generations, Joy’s story begins with the divorce of her parents and the division and failed dreams that ensue. Forced into the role of matriarch, we find Joy overwhelmed with being a single parent to her 2 children, caregiver to her mom’s who’s resorted to living her life through soap operas, and intermediary to her father and ex-husband, both of whom are living in her basement. Her grandmother is her sole source of emotional support…the only person who sees Joy’s potential and fuels her enduring perseverance. During an ordinary moment of cleaning up broken glass and wine, Joy dreams up the idea for an ultra-absorbent, self-wringing mop. With an idea fashioned to ingenuity, Joy quickly learns that the road to success is not without deception, betrayal, and heartache. Through her unwavering tenacity, Joy’s journey leads her to QVC and her ultimate success.
The film, which is loosely based on and inspired by Joy Mangano’s life, weaves in soap opera segments to tell Joy’s story. Starring long-standing soap stars Susan Lucci, Donna Mills, Laura Wright, Maurice Benard, and David O. Russell, they authenticate the story and invest audiences in the character of Joy.
During a recent interview, Donna Mills and Laura Wright talked about securing their roles in the film, why the soap opera segments are integral components of Joy’s story and what it was like to work with the infamous David O. Russell. With Joy now in theaters nationwide, here are 10 Things We Learned About Joy From Donna Mills and Laura Wright.
- Donna Mills, who you may know from the longstanding soap operas Knot’s Landing and General Hospital, originally auditioned for the part of Joy’s mother. She plays Priscilla in the fictitious soap The Joyful Storm.
- When actress Laura Wright (from Guiding Light and General Hospital) went in to audition for a role in Joy, she did not know who she would be reading for. She plays the role of Clarinda in The Joyful Storm.
- Improvisation was a frequent and integral acting technique employed by director David O. Russell, which is in stark contrast to the heavily scripted roles Wright and Mills are accustomed to.
- The enduring appeal of the daytime soap opera is in its relatability with strong female characters and the escape it brings.
- Director David O. Russell’s style is “off the cuff,” often unscripted. “I don’t think that every actor could work with him. I’m sure there are actors that would be insulted by his kind of pushing you all the time” (Mills).
- Surprisingly, much like Joy’s mother, there are many people who live along with the [soap] characters. Joy was influenced and in part, drew strength, from the strong female characters portrayed on soap operas.
- Guiding Light is the longest running drama in television.
- Director David O. Russell recognized the powerful history of daytime soap operas and viewed the soap characters as equally integral to the film.
- Susan Lucci and Donna Mills engage in an impromptu cat fight which Mills hopes will end up on the Blu-ray/DVD outtakes.
- Both Mills and Wright agreed that their favorite period scene involved the 80’s and all of the big hair and shoulder pads that went along with filming those scenes.
See Joy in theaters this New Year’s. You can also connect with the film on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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