Toni Collette

2022 - 3 - 7

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Collider.com"

Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote on 'Pieces of Her' and Their ... (Collider.com)

Toni Collette & Belle Heathcote talk Pieces of Her, their mother-daughter dynamic, not expressing every emotion, and the violence of the story.

I find it really interesting that my character’s purpose in all of this is trying to create a safe existence for her daughter and to break the cycle of trauma that she experienced with her dad, who was very domineering, demanding, controlling and manipulative. That doesn’t mean that you accept unacceptable behavior, but I just really feel like it’s a meeting of two equals for the first time, perhaps in the whole series. HEATHCOTE: One of the fundamental purposes in the series is for this woman to protect her daughter and for the daughter to uncover the truth, and those things are completely in opposition, a lot of the time. It was this constant guard up around everyone, and particularly having a guard up around someone, where I never used to need that guard. I feel like it’s a real sign of maturity when you can accept the people that you love, unconditionally. Bella, what was it like for you to be on the opposite end of that, where your character is much more emotional because of everything she’s learning. Part of my character’s storyline is that she had had breast cancer, and there was a woman who was having treatment at the same time as her, who used to drive her bananas. Something like that is just so upsetting, but sadly, it does occur in America, and in other places around the world, from time to time. I think she was excited to bring this to me, and I was just as excited to receive it. Also, it is the catalyst for basically the rest of the story to take off. I read the book before I read the other scripts because I just wanted to know what happened. I remember being asked to test for something and turning it down, even though it was still early in the audition stage for Pieces of Her. I remember saying to my agents, “I’d rather give up a job that I know is certain, just for a shot at this one,” because it was so good.

Toni Collette's Starring Role In the Netflix Movie 'Pieces of Me' Has ... (SurvivorNet)

Aussie actress Toni Collette, 49, plays a mom with cancer in the new Netflix film Pieces of Her.

Breast cancer that is advanced and has spread is called “metastatic” breast cancer; this refers to the fact that it has metastasized – or “spread” – to other areas of the body. Some people may opt for a preventative mastectomy, if there is a history of breast cancer in the family and thus a higher probability of contracting the disease. For instance, there is a type called “triple-negative breast cancer” (TNBC), which is a more aggressive form of the disease. The stage of breast cancer indicates how advanced the cancer is, and whether or not it has spread to other areas of the body. In the film, Andrea “Andy” Oliver (Bella Heathcote) moved back to Belle Isle, a small community where her mom lives, from New York to care for her mom Laura (Collette) when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Collette says in a recent interview that she was drawn to the story about a mom who battled cancer in Pieces of Her, and she gravitated towards the mother-daughter relationship.

Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote on their momentous confrontations in ... (The A.V. Club)

(Note: This piece contains specific plot details about the new Netflix series Pieces Of Her.) Advertisement. Toni Collette rules at playing a mother with ...

As it turns out, Laura is actually Jane Queller, an ace piano player and daughter of a wealthy businessman, Martin (Terry O’Quinn). But Martin subjected his child to immense pressure from a young age. At its core, the show is still a family drama with an undercurrent of middling, predictable suspense. It is in us, it seeps from us, we inherit it but don’t realize it until we’re overwhelmed. Laura and Andy spend much of the show’s run on two different paths: Andy investigates her family legacy and Laura’s upbringing, while her mother confronts a trauma she buried over three decades ago. Heathcote tells The A.V. Club that their attachment is so secure, only people with love between them can go at each other like that. A tense verbal battle between them in the first episode is interrupted when a gunman opens fire during Andy’s birthday lunch.

Toni Collette is superb in mother-daughter thriller Pieces of Her (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Shot in Sydney, the eight-part Netflix series will keep you watching, but Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote are what make it really worthwhile.

It’s in the scenes between Collette and Heathcote that Pieces of Her comes alive and rises above the merely generic. Andy, in turn, is adrift, still struggling at the age of 30 to work out who she is. Plot-wise it’s hard to say much about Pieces of Her because it unfolds as a series of twists and reveals. The AIDS epidemic, meanwhile, he appeared to view as divine punishment for sins of the flesh. She’s decent, in a sullen way, but doesn’t much look like Collette and stands a good six inches shorter than her. Bella Heathcote is equally involved, and though her character has much less complex material to work with, she’s terrific too.

REVIEW: Toni Collette leads a scattered thriller in Netflix's 'Pieces of ... (UNCW Seahawk)

Netflix's specialty generally lies in creating a marketable series that pulls viewers in with compelling leads and a great premise, though there is the ...

For all the show’s misgivings, Collette is the only reason to give “Pieces of Her” a watch. “Pieces of Her” is certainly not one of Netflix’s best releases, but it makes for a decent time killer. There is no nuance to any of the characters or their internal conflicts. The series initially gives the impression that it will be along the lines of the Jason Bourne or John Wick franchises, but it is mostly driven by dialogue and stilted plot twists. The episode is mostly a buildup to the show’s premise as we see Laura interact with her ex-husband Gordon Oliver (Omari Hardwick) and Andy. Aside from exposition, there is a fair share of action, like the opening shooting and a fight scene at the climax. After Laura takes down a gunman with ease, a hidden past comes to light that traces back to espionage and a pool of lies.

Pieces of Her: Netflix users break down 'crazy' moment in Toni Collette thriller (The Independent)

The thriller series stars Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote in an eight-episode adaptation of the 2018 bestselling novel by Karin Slaughter. Since its release on Friday (4 March), the show has made it to No 1 on the streamer's Top 10 ranking.

Another added: “Y’all the first 10 minutes of Pieces of Her… WILD.” was the most stressful 10 minutes of my life,” wrote one viewer. Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

How Does Breast Cancer Help Toni Collette Play Laura Oliver in ... (Netflix Junkie)

Pieces of Her is an amazing psychological thriller on Netflix. And the character of Lauras has an interesting story as well.

Even though, fortunately, Toni Collette never had to fight this terrible disease, she has played a breast cancer survivor before. As we move forward in their story, we understand that Laura had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. And in a flashback scene, we see Andy’s emaciated mother going through chemotherapy. Moreover, it gives real depth to Andy and her mother’s relationship.