Joyner, who returned to acting after taking 10 years off to raise twin sons, appears in the next episode of "Bones."
Westfield native and actress Michelle JoynerWESTFIELD – Connie Joyner estimates she has watched her actress daughter die more than a half-dozen times – most memorably plummeting 4,000 feet to the Earth in the first five minutes of “Cliffhanger,” a 1993 thriller starring Sylvester Stallone.
Luckily, Michelle Joyner is alive and well and living in Brentwood, Calif., with her 11-year-old twin boys and her director husband.
The Westfield native has consistently scored film and television roles since the early 1990s, after striking out to become a model in New York City following her graduation from high school in 1979.
Since her breakout role as the ill-fated “Sarah” in the Stallone movie, Michelle Joyner has starred in films with Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline and other Hollywood A-listers in addition to dozens of guest spots on popular TV series from “Knots Landing” to “The X-Files” and Thursday evening will appear in the popular Fox series, “Bones.”
The comedy-drama stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz as a forensic archaeologist and FBI agent, respectively, charged with unraveling mysteries behind human remains. Thursday’s episode, “The Sin in the Sisterhood,” opens with the discovery of a corpse disguised as a scarecrow in an isolated cornfield, according to a Fox synopsis. The body is that of a polygamist and Joyner plays the eldest of his three wives, who also are sisters.
“I don’t know much about it, except that the bigamist guy dies. They’re not allowed to tell us what happens,” said Connie Joyner, a retired Realtor, who lives with her husband, Jerry Joyner, in Westfield. “I do know she lives in this one, though. She was killed in a lot of the other roles she’s played.”
During an interview on Wednesday, Michelle Joyner said she took 10 years off from acting after her sons were born, making a living adapting novels into screenplays.
“I’ve made a good living but none of them got made, which is sort of frustrating. It’s not like being in a movie or a commercial and you can see the end result ... It’s kind of like being pregnant and never having a baby,” Michelle Joyner said.
She added that the acting world has changed in that technology has infringed on the personal relationships that once were key to scoring roles – “reels” are submitted digitally and technological advances have even altered make-up and wardrobe standards for actors.
Joyner said returning to the acting world was daunting for a woman in her mid-40s, when auditions typically start to dry up in the youth-obsessed industry. But, the offers have steadily trickled in since re-entering the business.
The actress said she first caught the “acting bug” when she auditioned for and won a leading role in her high school senior play, though she didn’t go through with it. She ultimately met a talent agent while she was working as an usher at the Springfield Civic Center and preparing to go off to college. She signed with Elite modeling agency in New York instead.
Connie Joyner said she and her husband were skeptical when their daughter told them of the potential Svengali she met and her plans to go to New York City in search of fame.
“Both Jerry and I said, oh yeah, we’ll believe that when we see it .¤.¤. but sure enough, he was true to his word. She was in fashion magazines for about five years before she went into acting,” according to her mother.
Connie Joyner and her husband travel to California to visit their daughter and grandsons each holiday season. She says she’s terrified of the freeways but has mingled with big screen stars with her daughter at Christmas gatherings on occasion.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but we spent two Christmas luncheons with that big star .¤.¤. oh, I’m blanking on his name. He’s about 50. All the women love him,” she said, searching for the famous name.
Ummmm ... George Clooney?
“Yes, that’s him!” she exclaimed.
Michelle Joyner said her dream is to get cast in an ensemble show so she could work steadily a few days a week and still have time to devote to her family.
“I guess I’m just not that ambitious anymore. I want to work a few days a week and make a good living .¤.¤. but I see the toll major roles take on your family and personal life,” she said.
“Bones” will air at 9 p.m. after “American Idol.”