Actress Toni Collette talks about life as a mom, and why she wouldn’t mind her daughter entering beauty pageants.

What was your reaction when you first heard about your movie Little Miss Sunshine?

I was working on a very dark movie called The Night Listener (with Robin Williams) and I was immersed in that darkness in the freezing cold of Upstate New York, so I think that’s why Little Miss Sunshine grabbed me from the beginning. It literally made me feel so great, and when you watch it as an audience member, it gives you the same kind of feeling; that is all that you can hope for when you sign on to do something.

Did you relate to your character, Sheryl?

I think she’s really strong and in a complicated position. She’s incredibly supportive of her family and would die for any member of them, but at the same time she’s living with this man who has so many expectations, and she is the complete opposite of that. She just wants her kids to be who they feel comfortable being.

Growing up in Australia, did you ever go on family road trips?

I think everybody did, didn’t they? We had a lot of holidays in Australia in lots of different cars. Also my dad was a truck driver, so I used to go to work with him once in a while. The beauty of this story is it’s a metaphorical journey as well as a physical one, because all these people are spinning in their own universes and not really connecting, even though that is what they are all yearning for.

Would you let your daughter enter a beauty pageant like the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ competition?

It’s a fine line with parenting. You want to let them be who they are, but you also want to give them some guidance. I used to go in talent quests growing up and did singing and dancing and other classes and it probably drove my family nuts, but they were so supportive and I think as a parent that’s all you can really do.

How do you balance your life in Sydney with your Hollywood career?

It’s always hard leaving home, especially now that we also have a daughter, but throughout my twenties, I lived out of a suitcase so now I enjoy going away because I have this stability to come home to, so I think it works out well.

How much time do you get to spend with your husband?

He’s been in bands and I’ve gone on tour with them. Last year we released an album together called Toni Collette and the Finish and it’s kind of an eclectic mix of songs I wrote are all very melodic and lush. We are one of those weird couples who do like to spend a lot of time with each other so we’ve always made sure if we’re apart, it’s not for any great length of time. He’s a great cook and we stay home a lot and watch television, which is something I would never have admitted years ago!

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