The filmmakers of the British drama,Joy, were tasked to find a cast of talented actors to help in recreating the events of one of the biggest medical breakthroughs in history. Directed by Ben Taylor,Joyfollows a surgeon, Patrick Steptoe, and a scientist, Robert Edwards, who team together with embryologist nurse Jean Purdy to work on solving the medical puzzle of infertility. The trio pioneers the breakthrough of in vitro fertilization, which ultimately leads to the birth of the world’s first IVF baby, born in 1978.
Joyportraysthe determination and dedication that the three have in terms of their research, and helping women who are struggling with fertility. Butas shown in theJoymovie trailer, it also masterfully displays the media scrutiny, religious outrage and public scorn they were forced to endure in the process. Critics onRotten Tomatoeshave described the movie as a triumphant representation of one of the most successful scientific discoveries in existence and its talented cast reflects on this.
Bill Nighy as Patrick Steptoe
Date of Birth: August 11, 2025
Actor:Nighy is a British stage and screen actor. Starting his career on stage in the 1960s, he received national acclaim for his performances in plays, includingPravdaandBlue/Orange,for which he won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. Nighy transitioned to screen acting in the 1980s, receiving worldwide recognition for his roles as Billy Mack inLove Actually(2003),Davy Jones in thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise, and James Lake inAbout Time. Nighy has also lent his voice to animated films, appearing as Whitey inFlushed Awayand Mewtwo inDetective Pikachu. For his role as Rodney Williams inLiving,Nighy received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 2022.
2003
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2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2019
2024
The First Omen
Lawrence
Character: Bill Nighy plays the role of Patrick Steptoe, an English surgeon and obstetrician inJoy.The movie shows how Steptoe was approached by a scientist, Robert Edwards, to assist in developing in vitro fertilization. As depicted in the movie, Steptoe is shown as skeptical towards the idea proposed by Edwards, as he is aware that the experiment has the potential to cause media scrutiny. Regardless of the scrutiny, Steptoe remained committed to the experiment and, he, Edwards and Jean Purdy, worked together to establish IVF, which helped millions of women. For his work, Steptoe was later awarded the Golden Plate Award in 1979, and was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1988.
James Norton as Robert Edwards
Date of Birth: August 10, 2025
Actor:James Norton started his movie career with a small role in the 2009 movieAn Education. He rose to prominence for his work in many BBC television series, includingHappy Valley, where he played a convicted criminal, Tommy Lee Royce, andThe Trial of Christine Keeler,where he played an artist, Stephen Ward. For his performance inHappy Valley,Norton received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2015. He appeared as part ofthe cast of Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed adaptation ofLittle Women,and portrayed record producer, Christopher Blackwell in the 2023 biopicBob Marley: One Love.
2014
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Bob Marley: One Love
Christopher Blackwell
Character: James Norton portrays physiologist Robert Edwards inJoy.As depicted in the movie, Edwards was an ambitious Cambridge scientist and biologist, who was determined to make his scientific ideas into reality. He describes his ideas as “making the impossible possible” and remains committed to proving his work, despite the scrutiny he and his colleagues faced from the media and the public. As depicted, Edwards' work proved successful in assisting many women who struggled to conceive. Edwards was one of the founders of the Bourn Hall Clinic, where specialists were trained, and was knighted in 2011 for his contributions to science.
Thomasin McKenzie as Jean Purdy
Date of Birth: June 29, 2025
Actor:Thomasin McKenzie is a New Zealand actress who began her career with a role inThe Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.She is well known for her roles as Tom inLeave No Trace, Elsa Korr inJojo Rabbitand 16-year-old Maddox Cappa inOld. She voiced the character of MIST in season 2 ofPantheon.Among other accolades, McKenzie won the Best Breakthrough Performance from the National Board of Review for her performance inLeave No Trace, which is consideredone of Thomasin McKenzie’s best movies. She recently starred in the title role of the 2023 movieEileen.
2021
Maddox Cappa (aged 16)
2023
Eileen
Eileen Dunlop
Character: Thomasin McKenzie plays the role of Jean Purdy inJoy.As depicted in the movie, Purdy works as a nurse and introduces herself to Robert Edwards, wanting to work with him in his studies of infertility and IVF. Edwards accepts Purdy as part of his work and the two work together to recruit Steptoe for the experiment. Purdy carries out her work while also caring for her ill mother, who, in the movie, is shown not to be supportive towards the idea of IVF. Purdy became the first person to describe the dividing of cells that made the first IVF baby and later co-founded the Bourn Hall Clinic with Steptoe and Edwards.
Joy Supporting Cast & Characters
Joanna Scanlon as Gladys May -Jean Purdy’s mother, who expresses her disapproval towards her daughter’s work in working to develop IVF, which causes a strain in their relationship. Scanlon has appeared in movies includingGirl With a Pearl Earring, The Invisible Woman,andBridget Jones' Baby.Her TV credits includeThe Thick of ItandGetting On.Scanlon starred in the 2020 movieAfter Lovefor which she won the BAFTA for Best Actress.
Charlie Murphy as Trisha- a member of a group of women who participate in the IVF program. Murphy’s acting credits include the RTE drama seriesLove/Hateand the BBC dramaHappy Valley. She has made appearances in movies, includingPhilomenaandTo Walk Invisible. Between 2017 and 2019, she starred inPeaky Blindersas Jesse Eden and appeared in the Netflix miniseriesObsession.
Tanya Moodie as Muriel -a matron who works in the operating theater with Patrick Steptoe in Oldham. Moodie started her acting career in 1994 in the British sitcomSo Haunt Me,and has since made numerous guest appearances in TV shows, includingSherlock, Absentia,andMotherhood,for which she received the Breakthrough Award from the Royal Television Society Programme Awards. Moodie made her film debut in the 2019 sci-fi movie,Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeras General Bellava Parnadee.
Ella Bruccoleri as Lesley Brown- a patient who undergoes IVF treatment and gives birth to the first IVF baby, Louise Brown. Between 2018 and 2022, Bruccoleri played the role of Sister Frances in the BBC drama,Call the Midwife. She has made appearances in several TV series, includingBridgertonandLudwig.
Rish Shah as Arun -a colleague of Jean Purdy, with whom she enjoys a romance inJoy. Starting his career in theater, Shah made guest appearances in British soap operas such asCasualtyandEmmerdale, before making his movie debut inTo All The Boys: Always and Forever.He joinedthe Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kamran inMs. Marveland has also appeared as Russ in the Netflix movieDo Revenge.
Source:Rotten Tomatoes
Joy
Joy (2024) is a film directed by Ben Taylor, focusing on the challenges faced by a nurse, a scientist, and a surgeon as they confront societal and institutional resistance in their pioneering effort to achieve the world’s first test tube baby, Louise Joy Brown.
