‘I Have Been Very Lucky’

In recent years, Olivia Colman has become one of the most captivating actors to grace both the big and small screen, with transcending performances that make us truly feel her characters’ emotions and ultimately pushes us to reflect upon our own humanity.

Since winning the Oscar for Best Actress in 2019 for playing Queen Anne in The Favourite, Colman, 50, has continued to select roles that embody a sense of confidence, vulnerability and compassion all at once – from her two seasons as the late Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, a woman coming to terms with her painful past in The Lost Daughter, the supportive mother of a bisexual son in Heartstopper, and most recently, as Timothée Chalamet’s ruthless adversary in Wonka.

However, let’s be clear – before Colman made it big in Hollywood, she had already spent years building an acting career for herself within her home country of England, with notable projects like Hot Fuzz, Broadchurch and Fleabag – just to name a few. So, how might Colman say that she has noticed her interests in roles and stories evolving as time goes on?

“I love it that you think that I think about anything very deeply,” Colman said with a laugh. “I think I have been very lucky that people have sent me good scripts, but it’s always sort of a gut feeling. Sometimes, it’s whether it will fit in with something that’s already been booked. It might mean they have to go in a certain period and I can’t do it, so I can’t do that job and that’s a shame, and I watch it and go, ‘Oh bums, I wish I could’ve done it.’ Sometimes, it’s ‘When are they doing it? Ooh, great! Oh no, I would love to play that part, so I’m really pleased.’ Sometimes, it’s a quite small time commitment and I do need the money because I’ve done a project for love for the last six months, so there’s no plan, but you never know what’s coming.”

In her latest role, Colman plays Edith Swan in the sharp-tongued comedy Wicked Little Letters from Sony Pictures Classics, which premieres in select New York & Los Angeles theaters on March 29, followed by a nationwide rollout on April 5.

Based on true events around an English scandal in the early twentieth century, the story revolves around upstanding, religion-guided Swan, who accuses her unconventional, foul-mouthed neighbor Rose Gooding (played by Jessie Buckley) of sending her malicious letters.

So, what intrigued Colman to take on this project next, not only as a leading actor but also as one of the film’s producer? She said, “I think the fact that it was true and then the comedy. I read it in one sitting, which is always a good sign, and I did giggle out loud. Also, Jonny Sweet’s lovely script – I could really picture the characters.”

Even though this true crime took place around 1920, a century later in 2024, our society can undoubtedly relate to the idea of people attacking one another behind the veil of anonymity, these days by way of social media. So, does Colman see the comparison?

“I can’t say that I made the connection when I first read it, but when saw it and now doing press, it is the obvious comparison to draw that a hundred years ago, this anonymous cruelty – and we call in the UK ‘the poison pen letters.’ You’d think you had learned from that and it wouldn’t be something that we do anymore, but of course, humans never learn. So, if anything, we’ve made it much worse by being able to send something awful and anonymously to hurt someone’s feelings and let everybody read it, which makes the hurt so much greater. I would love people to watch the film and have a great time, but also to go, ‘Ooh yeah, actually being mean to someone doesn’t make me feel good. Do I feel better for it? No.’”

Colman’s Wicked Little Letters director Thea Sharrock added about the film’s all-too-real connection to the regular attacks that occur on social media: “The need to get it out and often the bystander is the person who receives it. It’s not really about them, inevitably – it’s much more about you and if we can find a way to talk that through, rather than create such cruelty for other people to suffer from, the world would be a much happier place.”

Fortunately, far more positive conversations continue to occur across social media surrounding Colman’s recurring role in Heartstopper, playing Sarah Nelson, the mother of a Nick Nelson (played by Kit Connor), a kind-hearted teenager coming to terms with his sexuality. Season one includes a coming out scene between Colman and Connor that continues to be applauded, shared and talked about by loyal Heartstopper fans and the LGBTQ community.

Last week, Netflix announced that season three of Heartstopper will premiere in October, so I wondered if fans can expect the return of Colman’s beloved character in the much-anticipated new season.

Colman said in an apologetic tone, “I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that.” She added: “I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.”

I followed up by saying that the world just needs her Heartstopper character to get her own spin-off series or simply to return for a hopeful fourth season.

Colman responded, “Okay! I’ll have a word. As long as it’s booked in advance, maybe I’ll be able to do it, yeah!”