Collette plays down talk of Oscar
From film set to studio … Toni Collette, star of Japanese Story – released in Sydney last night – intends to record some songs she has penned at the end of the year. Photo: Quentin Jones
Toni Collette is not getting too excited about rumblings of another Oscar nomination for her latest film.
“I guess the good thing is that people are actually appreciating the hard work I put in,” she said before the Sydney premiere of Japanese Story last night.
“But it’s jumping the gun. The film hasn’t even been released. Who knows how people are responding to it, although what’s happened so far has been positive.”
After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, the drama – about a geologist who takes a Japanese businessman on a tour of Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region – was snapped up for release in North America, with its distributor raving about her Oscar prospects.
One of the country’s finest actresses since starring in Muriel’s Wedding, Collette was nominated for The Sixth Sense in 2000. She recognised that awards had benefits for an actor.
“What I want is to be able to work on good projects. The more recognition you gain and the more in-your-face you are for a lot of people, the more choice you have.”
Then she added with a laugh: “And the more money you earn. That ain’t bad.”
After making the comedies The Last Shot and Connie and Carla in the US and Canada this year, Collette plans to take a few months off with her husband, Dave Galafassi, the drummer with the band Gelbison.
“We just got married in January and I’ve been working like a Trojan. He’s been working really hard as well and we just want to spend some time together.”
The plan is “barbies with the family”.
But Collette also wants to fulfil a long-term plan to record some of the songs she has written.
“I’d say the end of this year will be a time to focus on the music. And it will be a good balance to what I’ve been doing earlier in the year because when you’re working as an actor, you’re only part of the whole . . . With music, I’ve written it and it’s very personal and there’s more control.”
Collette is reluctant to label her style of music. “I have ideas about what I want it to sound like but I don’t want to stamp it and say ‘this is what it is’. Part of the time in the studio is being able to let it evolve naturally and go with certain ideas that come up.”
There are clearly other plans in the pipeline. Collette intends sticking with films rather than plays or musicals, which are “such hard work”. She said: “Eventually, we’re going to want to start a family and I think I’d rather stick to movies so that I can prepare to take some time off.”