Toni Collette is going to take over as a brave politician in The Power, one of the most unsettlingly current series ever.
The Power, adapted from Naomi Alderman’s novel of the same name, caused quite a stir when it was released in 2016, picturing what might happen if adolescent females suddenly gained the capacity to electrocute people with their bare hands and thereby dominate the world.
Channeling their trauma, rage, and repression, the tables unexpectedly shift in the fight of the sexes, and a long-overdue revolution is unavoidable.
Collette plays Mayor Margot Cleary-Lopez, a mother of three children who is married to her adoring husband Rob. (played by John Leguizamo). She’s driven, passionate, and everything you want in a leader, yet she’s still overlooked by her gutless male contemporaries.
Alderman’s work was groundbreaking when it was published, offering a daring viewpoint in an increasingly patriarchal world.
In theory, you’d think that in the eight years between The Power being a best-seller and the debut of its TV version, women’s rights would have advanced dramatically.
Instead, Roe v. Wade was abruptly reversed in the United States, jeopardising women’s fundamental rights and bodies, while sexist YouTubers influence future generations with astounding misogyny.
According to Colette, The Power is now even more powerful than it was in 2016.
‘It’s probably even more important,’ she tells Metro.co.uk. ‘Now it feels like the perfect moment for it to come out because so much of the show is aligned with so much that we’re actually experiencing in the real world.
‘And for those who don’t find it palatable in the real world, it’s done in an entertaining way. You know, it’s sci-fi, and it’s one step removed but it’s kind of grounded in something very recognisable.
‘I think people can look at it objectively, and have it creep up on them that these things are not right – they need amending, exploring, and adjusting, and it is a time of transition, and we can see ourselves in it.
‘It couldn’t be better timing.’
‘And for those who don’t find it palatable in the real world, it’s done in an entertaining way. You know, it’s sci-fi, and it’s one step removed but it’s kind of grounded in something very recognisable.
Margot is essentially positioning herself to lead the revolt as a politician who disregards the advice of her advisers in order to speak up for women in the past, present, and future.
It takes a lot of seriousness and authority to portray a leader who might go down in history as one of the most significant political figures.
Colette mentioned that portraying Margot had her own set of challenges.
‘The political stuff is difficult, just because as a politician, you have so much to say you have to say it in a way that is appealing to as many people as possible.
‘It was just a lot of dialogue, a lot of pressure. I’m not a politician so just trying to make it real was a challenge.’
At the very least, she pleased her co-star John.
‘When I saw the debates, I was like, “I believe that she’s mayor, I believe that she’s fighting for her daughter.’
The Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video from May 31.