Video Interview: Toni Collette Discusses HEREDITARY’s Unique Exploration of Motherhood

I had the pleasure of seeing (or experiencing might be a better way to put it) Hereditary during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and I say this with absolutely no hyperbole whatsoever – it’s a film that has snuck its way into my very core, so much so that there hasn’t been a day that has gone by where I haven’t thought about first-time filmmaker Ari Aster’s devastating and brutal debut.

Starring Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, and Milly Shapiro, Hereditary follows the Graham family who is mourning the loss of their matriarch, but things begin to get even worse for their clan after a series of tragedies and terrifying occurrences push the boundaries of their familial bond. And at the center of all their strife is Annie Graham (Collette), who wants nothing more than to keep her husband (Byrne) and her kids (Wolff, Shapiro) safe.

During the recent press day for the film, Collette discussed her thoughts on collaborating with a first-time director for Hereditary, how her involvement in the project could almost be described as “accidental,” and her deeply rooted appreciation for the ways that Aster’s script took an unconventional look at the roles of motherhood.

Hereditary arrives in theaters on June 8th, courtesy of A24. Click here to catch up on our previous Hereditary features and interviews.