ACADEMY AWARD�-NOMINATED ACTRESS TONI COLLETTE TAKES THE LEAD IN SHOWTIME'S COMEDY PILOT "THE UNITED STATES OF TARA"

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ACADEMY AWARD�-NOMINATED ACTRESS TONI COLLETTE TAKES THE LEAD IN SHOWTIME'S COMEDY PILOT "THE UNITED STATES OF TARA"

Half-Hour Single Camera Comedy Pilot From Showtime And DreamWorks Television Is Based On Original Concept From Steven Spielberg

October 19, 2007 - Academy Award�-nominated actress Toni Collette has been cast in the title role in Showtime and DreamWorks Television's new half-hour comedy pilot "The United States of Tara." The announcement was made today by Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.

Based on an original idea from Steven Spielberg, "The United States of Tara" will revolve around an ordinary-seeming wife and mother of two teenage children (Collette), who also happens to suffer from dissociative identity (formerly multiple personality) disorder. The series will explore how a dysfunctional family, including Tara's working class husband, copes with her various personalities which include an aggressive male biker, a promiscuous teenage girl and Martha Stewart-like homemaker.

"When you're casting a show that requires an actress to not only play one complex character but in this case, several, the road begins and ends with Toni Collette," said Greenblatt. "All of us at Showtime and DreamWorks are thrilled to have one of the best young actresses of her generation come aboard this project."

Feature film writer Diablo Cody wrote the pilot and will serve as co-executive producer along with DreamWorks Television's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank as executive producers. "The United States of Tara" is Steven Spielberg's first project for Showtime during the DreamWorks era as well as one of the few half-hour TV projects he's set up during his career.

Toni Collette is an Academy Award�-nominated actress known for starring in a variety of intriguingly diverse film roles. She made an indelible impression on Hollywood with an unforgettable performance in "Muriel's Wedding," earning her a Golden Globe� nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture. She then went on to star in "The Sixth Sense" for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Collette's most recent memorable role was in "Little Miss Sunshine," for which she went on to receive the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and was nominated for a Golden Globe� for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. That same year, Collette went on to receive an additional Golden Globe� nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her role in the miniseries "Tsunami: The Aftermath." Most recently, Collette starred in this summer's "Evening" alongside Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson and "Nothing is Private," the controversial and highly anticipated Alan Ball film that debuted at the 32nd Annual Toronto Film Festival last fall.