Cold mountains to warm welcomes
Cristina Ionda reveals to James Croot how she’s brought
pathology and if I don’t say it right, or handle it correctly, they’ll be on to me.’’
Ionda says she’s also found a barometer for the comedic parts of her performance.
‘‘If I see all the cast and crew laughing, then I know I’m doing a good job. If they’re not, then I’ll ask for another take – just in case.’’
And, she admits, the funniest thing she’s heard on set are people trying to copy her own accent. ‘‘I can tell you, they don’t get it right.’’ An actor since before she made the shift to New Zealand, Ionda says part of the profession’s beauty is doing things that in real life you wouldn’t be able to do.
One of her earliest roles was a small part on the 2003 Hollywood big budget film Cold Mountain.
‘‘That was a fantastic experience – to be a part of such a big production. Being measured for the costume and just stepping out into the village in Transylvania they had made to look like South Carolina in the 19th Century. I learned a lot and grew as an actor during those six months. You learn so much just by watching – you see how they adjust the lighting and how they solve problems. Of course, they had lots of money.’’ It was shortly after that that she and her husband decided to make the move to New Zealand.
‘‘We were watching a documentary on New Zealand on the Discovery Channel and we loved everything we saw. My husband said, ‘we should try to move there’, and I personally thought it would never happen. But, he took it very seriously and we made sure we qualified through the points system.’’
There was an additional hurdle to overcome though, Iona admits – her parents. ‘‘I already had a brother who had moved to Belgium, so it wasn’t very easy persuading my parents that we wanted to travel to the other side of the world. But they’ve been here since and they loved it and understood exactly why we made the step.’’
And she says she doesn’t mind New Zealanders’ interest and jokes about her homeland, but is keen to correct a historical inaccuracy. ‘‘My parents actually live 30km from Dracula’s castle. The truth is he only spent one night there. He was a prince of another region, but after Bram Stoker wrote the story, Transylvania suddenly became very famous.’’
The Brokenwood Mysteries 8.30pm, Sunday, Prime.