Gloria Gaynor 'Very Excited' to Make Her Film Acting Debut in New Movie 'The Thursday Night Club'

Disco queen Gloria Gaynor is not only surviving, but she's thriving — in her new role as actress!

The "I Will Survive" singer, 79, will make her feature film debut in the upcoming movie The Thursday Night Club, which will hit the faith-based streaming platform Pure Flix next month.

"It's all about giving back, which I'm all about," Gaynor tells PEOPLE of the film. "When I heard about it, I was very excited. Then when I really saw what it was all about, I was very much pleased that I was able to be a part of it."

Gaynor will play a doctor tending to a bone marrow recipient in the film, which is based on a 2019 novella by author Steven Manchester that was also turned into a musical podcast.

The inspirational movie tells the story of a group of best friends from college who embark on a series of charitable Christmas projects meant to help others in the wake of tragedy. The film's producers have partnered with national bone marrow registry Be the Match to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow and stem cell donation.

Pure Flix Gloria Gaynor

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"This is a film about caring for each other and improving the world one relationship at a time," co-executive producer Lou Aronica, who also wrote the screenplay with Manchester, says in a statement. "Frankly, we're hoping that the message of this movie is contagious."

For Gaynor, signing on was a no-brainer, as it ticks her boxes: Christmas is her favorite holiday, and acting is a lifelong dream that she's long put on the back burner due to her frequent touring and travel schedule.

"I would have had to stop [traveling] and get lessons and, you know — yuck!" she jokes. "I guess I didn't want it that much."

Still, Gaynor appeared in guest spots on TV shows like Ally McBeal and That '70s Show over the years, and always enjoyed the experience. The two-time Grammy Award winner says the timing was finally right to tackle a more demanding role.

"The hardest part is remembering the script. My memory isn't getting any better with age," she quips. "And not only that, it was something not in my comfort zone, you know? I mean, if I had to sing to the patient, I wouldn't have a problem at all!"

Pure Flix

For Gaynor, portraying a doctor was a relatively easy adjustment, as she's spent years watching shows set in hospitals (favorites include Grey's Anatomy, General Hospital and the supernatural drama Saving Hope). She did, however, have to flex a different creative muscle as she acted out her scenes, which were filmed at a real hospital in Connecticut that was closed for renovations.

"When I'm recording a song, I want to act out the song. I'm all about lyrics, and I want to make people understand and feel the lyrics, and feel that I'm feeling the lyrics," she explains. "But when you're acting, you're trying to be another person. See with singing, I'm being me within those lyrics. But with acting, I'm being a whole other person, so you really need to kind of know who the character is and what they're really all about, what kind of person they are, and you have to become a whole different person."

Despite her ability to channel her inner doctor, the experience certainly hasn't inspired Gaynor to pursue any new career paths.

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"No. No, no, no, no," she says with a laugh. "I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and that's as close as I want to come to being a doctor."

As for what's next, Gaynor — who says she's "feeling great" nearly five years after she underwent a high-risk, two-part back surgery in 2018 — is still basking in the glow of her second career Grammy win in 2020, and is eagerly awaiting the release of the upcoming documentary Gloria: I Will Survive, which is in post-production. She also recently appeared on season 8 of The Masked Singer.

So it's safe to say Gaynor is not slowing down?

"No," she says. "Why would I do that?"

The Thursday Night Club will stream exclusively on Pure Flix starting Nov. 1.