By LOUIS B. HOBSON -- Calgary Sun
June 12, 2000

This has been quite a year for Toni Collette.

First, she was nominated for an Oscar for The Sixth Sense and then a Tony for The Wild Party.

"Fortunately, I was working on The Wild Party during all the hype for the Oscars or I probably would have been a basket case," says Collette.

"I just flew out to L.A. for the night and partied with friends and family. It was a fabulous, fantastical adventure."

One of the friends Collette partied with was fellow Aussie and Oscar nominee Russell Crowe.

The two had dated briefly when the filmed the drama Spotswood in Australia.

It was Collette's first film.

"I was 17 at the time. Russell was a lot quieter in those days. He presents this new boisterous, bad- boy image to prevent people from seeing how vulnerable he really is.

"It's really working for him because it's such an entertaining persona, but it's not him."