At a special screening hosted by the Australian International Screen Forum, Toni Collette and Dan Wyllie discussed Muriel’s Wedding and its legacy.
At the Walter Reede Theater in at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Australian International Screen Forum hosted a screening of one of the most beloved films in the country’s history. Launching the careers of Oscar-nominees Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths, Muriel’s Wedding has left a lasting impact on the cinema of Australia and the world as a whole. The film turns 25 years old this year, and Collette reunited with castmate Dan Wyllie for a screening of the film.
Muriel’s Wedding is the story of a Muriel Heslop, a young woman who steals her father’s money and runs away to Sydney in order to reinvent herself and her life. It is funny and charming and has a killer soundtrack, and the film redefined what an Australian film could be.
Prior to the screening, The Knockturnal spoke to the two stars of the film about what they expected from the movie and how they have grown ever since.
(l to r) Dan Wyllie and Toni Collette at the Walter Reade Theater for the screening of Muriel’s Wedding
The Knockturnal: So Muriel’s Wedding is turning 25. Did you think it would have the legacy that it has today?
Toni Collette: No way! First of all, it was the second film I had ever done. I was just happy to have an acting job. I didn’t foresee either the life of the film and its appeal lasting as long as it has, or the career that I have seemed to have mustered. None of those thoughts were in anyone’s heads. We were just excited to be telling the story, and we had an absolute ball doing it. The fact that it is 25 years old and we are here celebrating it at Lincoln Center is kind of mindblowing.
The Knockturnal: Where do you see it in another 25 years?
Toni Collette: (laughing) No idea! No idea! That’s a weird one, isn’t it? Time is such a curly old thing.
The Knockturnal: ABBA is such a key aspect in the movie. What is your go-to ABBA karaoke song?
Toni Collette: I don’t really sing ABBA at karaoke because it seems a bit too obvious. I tend to go for either “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Prince and performed by Sinead O’Connor or the Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly.” Those are my two faves.
The Knockturnal: If you could go back 25 years, what advice would you tell yourself?
Toni Collette: I think it would be to listen to myself more and to just enjoy everything for what it is.
The Knockturnal: So 25 years of Muriel’s Wedding. Did you think it would have the legacy it has today?
Dan Wyllie: Oh, obviously not. You never, ever know. I always take the pessimist’s option that everything is going to be an abject failure. So at least then I can be reasonably excited when it’s not. But to think that it still holds up today and is kind of a classic, you never know those things.
The Knockturnal: Do you get recognized for the film often?
Dan Wyllie: I do, yeah. It’s kind of great. I play an idiotic slob, so there’s that.
