When she was a little girl, JoAnn F. Heavner Peterson used to entertain herself by role playing.

 

As her older siblings were all in school and kids in her rural Mineral County hometown were few and far between, she played all the roles.

 

“I remember standing in the doorway and pretending to be one person, then getting on the other side of the doorway and pretending to be another person,” she said. “I would carry on quite a conversation. It was a little bit unusual.”

 

Little did she know she was laying the foundation for a life on the stage.

 

Now a Preston County resident, she portrays various women of history – Jenny Lind, Mary Lincoln, the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, Shirley Temple Black and Nellie Bly, included – with the West Virginia Humanities Council History Alive! program. She has also stepped into the role of Ambassador Shirley Temple Black at the American Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic and as owner of Mountaineer Country Tours LLC has entertained her tour groups with her portrayals and singing.

 

She’s also a veteran of West Virginia Public Theater, roles including Mother Abbess in “The Sound of Music” and Mrs. Darling in “Peter Pan.”

 

With so much theater experience to her credit, Peterson made her screen debut in “Kecksburg.” It was a small role, portraying Emma Byrd, wife of Senator Robert Byrd. The actor who played Senator Jennings Randolph was Gary Lee Vincent. 

 

 

“At the time, I didn’t think I ever wanted to do it again,” she said.

 

Yet, she did.

 

In September, Peterson dove into the lead role in JC Films’ production of “A Promise to Astrid." Based on the book of the same name written by Michael Tourville, the movie - co-starring Dean Cain - was filmed in Bridgeport and surrounding areas.

 

Her connection had been Vincent, co-director of the "Astrid" project, who recommended her for the title character. She was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, portraying Shirley Temple Black at the National Czech and Slovak Museum when Jason Campbell of JC Films contacted her about her potential interest in the role. 

 

Equipped with a passion for portraying interesting women, ability to speak in various accents and a collection of ideal “Astrid” wardrobe pieces – feathered pillbox hats and modest A-line cotton shifts of the 1950s and '60s – she filmed an audition reel in her own backyard.

 

“The clothes I wore actually belonged to my former husband’s grandmother – Grandma Smith. She had given them to me before she died and said I might want them someday for a play,” Peterson said. “And most of the hats belonged to my neighbor, who passed away a couple years ago at the age of 101.”  

 

Upon receiving the video audition, Campbell called and offered her the part.

 

“I just really felt God wanted me to do this role,” she said.

 

It is Peterson’s unwritten rule that she doesn’t do a first-person portrayal of a character she doesn’t like; specifically, someone she wouldn’t “invite over for tea."

 

It takes much time and research to do that well and she’s not willing to make that kind of commitment for a character she doesn’t believe in.

 

She believed in Astrid, the woman who lived in small town Massachusetts and helped – in various ways – those with whom she met along life’s journey.

 

“To have that selfless type of giving is just remarkable,” she said. “She truly wanted to pay it forward. We all hear that term, but she lived it. She was used by God to help others and was so humble about it.”

 

Makeup artist Kristen Keeton worked the magic to make Peterson look the part, but the actress worked with Campbell to develop Astrid's character. She talked with Michael Tourville and others who knew Astrid and learned first-hand of her warmth and selflessness. 

 

“We made her more interesting for viewers - a little quirkier than the actual Astrid,” Peterson said. “In fact, Michael Tourville said if she knew about the book and the movie, she might be angry with him because she didn’t like to draw attention to herself.”

 

Like the real Astrid, however, her character does love gardening, has a passion for angels and an even bigger passion for her friends and neighbors.

 

“I was very honored to portray Astrid. It was such an incredible experience for me,” she said.

 

Like the early grooming of her acting career, perhaps this particular role was written in the stars.

 

Under Peterson's picture in her high school yearbook is a quote she chose by poet, Etienne De Grellet.

 

“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

 

Dean Cain’s character in the movie, Pastor Scott Seabury, speaks those words at Astrid’s funeral scene, which ends with the choir of Bridgeport United Methodist Church choir singing “Angels Watching Over Me," also at Peterson's suggestion.

 

In “A Promise to Astrid,” Peterson's real-life husband Tom plays the role of Astrid’s husband Dominic. They have worked together before, recently combining vocal talents to perform Broadway musicals at the Preston Community Arts Center and in a show Peterson wrote, "A Mother's Heart Divided: A West Virginia Civil War Story."

 

Peterson holds a B.S. degree in plant sciences/horticulture from West Virginia University. She had studied biology at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass. before tranferring to WVU.

 

Peterson also earned an MBA with a concentration in management from Frostburg State University.