The new series hits Netflix Friday.

Turns out, that exhaustion was mutual for Oscar-nominated actressToni Collette, who played her.

TONI COLLETTE:I hadn’t read the book.

Pieces of Her

Bella Heathcote as Andy Oliver and Toni Collette as Laura Oliver in ‘Pieces of Her.'.NETFLIX

I was sent two scripts for episode 1 and 2.

So I haven’t read it, but it’s right here.

Yeah, I should read it.

One of the ideas the show plays with is, how well do we really know someone?

So, in your own words, who would you say your character Laura is?

Laura, when we meet her, she’s currently a woman living under the witness protection program.

She comes from a very affluent, influential family in San Francisco.

She was very controlled and oppressed as a child.

It’s too controlled, it’s too contrived, there’s no freedom.

I mean, the story’s about personal freedom, and it’s so intense.

Well, there was just so much to play with.

But with this particular character, so much is withheld.

She’s so repressed and everything is hidden.

And she is acting like horrible to her daughter.

And so it was fun to play with all those levels of revealing things.

Did you have prior experience with the piano?

I have a bit of a musical background.

I mean, I wasn’t even double digits, I don’t think.

I had a great piano teacher, but I only had two weeks to learn that piece.

It’s not just about playing for her, she’s remembering an entire lifetime.

So I basically panicked for two weeks.

All I did was play a piano and panic.

And at first I was really pissed off that they couldn’t change it.

We only had the location on this day so it had to be that.

You’ve said previously that this role surprised you with how intense it was.

You’re no stranger to intense roles, so why did this one stick out to you?

When I read it initially, I thought, “Oh, this isn’t quite crazy for me.

I get to work at home, all those kids are doing all the heavy lifting.

I was so wrong, but I think that it was a self-protection thing.

So it was just a lot to contain for an elongated period of time.

I was bloody exhausted by the end of it.

In a few words, tease what viewers should expect fromPieces of Her.Why should people tune in?

Nothing is what it seems.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.