Claudia is the oldest client on the books for leading talent acting agency X Division, which specialises in young up-and-coming stars.

She is one of the main stars in the Aussie comedy/drama Bump, streaming service Stan's highest rating series co-starring and created by Claudia Karvan. She starred in the first series and is shooting the second series to air in February.

Claudia Di Guisti migrated to Australia 40 years ago from Argentina with her husband Ruben. When Ruben died last year, their son John said: "What do you want to do now with your life, Mum?" Claudia responded: "I want to act again."

She had acted in Argentina in her 20s, but never acted again after landing in Australia. John got in touch with casting agencies, wanting to help his mum's acting dream come true. Then in June last year, he saw the call-out for Bump on the last day of casting, and his mum eagerly auditioned.

She scored the part.

Claudia plays Bernardita, the Chilean grandmother of teen dad Santi (Carlos Sanson Jnr).

"How the role in Bump came about was a very interesting one," she said. "In October of 2019, my husband Ruben was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer. The doctors gave him a prognosis of five months to live. This is the same man that I met when I was 17 years old and married at 23. So we had effectively known each other for over 60 years.

"I was the outspoken, truth-teller and he was the cool, subdued man. He was a concert pianist and I was an amateur actress who had just begun a teaching diploma.

"We had a very stormy marriage but were inseparable in the last years of our lives together.

"When Ruben was in the hospital, my son John reminded me that 'although this may be the end of your life with dad, this is not the end of your life and I can guarantee that after the pain subsides, you will shine brighter than ever. You will shine because finally you can begin to follow your dreams and goals that you may have forgotten when you were married'.

"John asked me what I would like to accomplish after all this pain is over and I replied 'I would like to get back into acting, or maybe do some commercials. Something in the theatre perhaps'.

"I had acted in both Argentina and here in Australia in amateur Latin theatre productions in my 20s. John promised me that he would help me achieve this."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ruben died in early April 2020.

"I was by his side during the whole ordeal," Claudia said. "After his death, I was physically and emotionally spent but I moved forward very quickly after that.

"I reasoned that I grieved his loss during the moment he was diagnosed to the day he died. So following his death, we began giving away his clothes to people in the Latin community who needed them.

"Due to COVID we were unable to have a funeral or get a group of people together to honour his life. After that it was up to me and John to plan my future.

"On June 2, the last day of auditions for the Bump role, John received a Facebook post from McGregor casting for the role of a grandmother who is the matriarch of a Latino family. He called me from Wollongong, where he was working, telling me he would be coming over to my house to do a video audition for this role."

Claudia said she did not need to be coerced into auditioning.

"I was ready for this," she said. "My son told me he would help me with the video and the script. We rehearsed the script for 30 minutes. I didn't understand all the English words, so my son helped me with the translating."

Claudia and Ruben migrated to Australia in June 1976. She was born in San Nicolas, Argentina, a riverside town three hours west of Buenos Aires.

Home for the last 40 years has been Cabramatta, in Sydney's south-west. The family moved there because it was a thriving Latin and migrant community.

"Things were getting very strange in Argentina with the military police targeting students and artists. We arrived at Villawood hostel and I cried every day for one year. All I had was two suitcases, two children and $140 cash."

Claudia has a message for people who may think 79 is too old to give things a go.

"Never think like this. You are never too old. Life is an adventure until the end. I was very sad when my husband died, but you cannot let it stay in your head for too long. I stay active.

"Many of my friends say they are living their lives through me and I tell them to use me as an example and do things for yourself. But now I realise that I am actually not like everybody else and they couldn't live my life no matter how hard they tried. I am special and I am not afraid."