Toni Collette
The Australian actress plays a tough detective in her new role
TRUE STORY The Netflix miniseries Unbelievable is inspired by the story of Marie Adler (played by Kaitlyn Dever), a teenager from Colorado in the US who was charged with lying about having been raped in her home. Three years later two detectives (Toni and Nurse Jackie’s Merritt Wever) investigate a series of similar rapes, and the grim truth starts to emerge.
The Australian actress was immediately drawn to her character. “I’m 46 and I get to play this ballsy, forthright woman who says what she thinks and doesn’t take any shit and has a swagger and a muscle car. It was a complete thrill and an amazing opportunity,” Toni says.
The most important part of the series for her was that it was told as “truthfully as possible, and that none of it was gratuitous, none of it was sensationalised, and no one would be demonised – even the guys who got it wrong at the beginning”. HOME & FAMILY Toni has been married to Australian musician Dave Galafassi (41) for 16 years and the couple have two kids, daughter Sage (11) and son Arlo (8).
She says juggling a busy career and parenthood can be hectic but she wouldn’t have it any other way. And while she’s employed nannies at times, Toni says they had kids “because we wanted children and we want to be with them”.
Having been based in the US for the past few years, the Hereditary star is keen to go back to Oz. “I have friends all around the world – I’m lucky that way. But my family is in Australia. Most of my tribe is there and I want to return.” UP NEXT The actress has many projects coming out next year. Among them are Stowaway, a sci-fi thriller with Anna Kendrick; drama I’m Thinking of Ending Things; and Dream Horse, a British drama co-starring Homeland’s Damian Lewis.
She’s also just started work on Nightmare Alley, a remake of the 1947 film, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) about a con man (played by Bradley Cooper) who teams up with a psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) to trick people into giving them money.