Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman has been involved in a Salisbury Hospital poetry project.
The hospital has published a new collection of poetry about the Covid pandemic, and Olivia Colman has been recorded reading two of the newly commissioned poems for YouTube.
The actress is patron of The Stars Appeal, the official NHS charity for Salisbury District Hospital.
The Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust collection of poems – ‘My Name is Mercy’ – is inspired by some of the hospital staff’s experiences during the pandemic.
Olivia Colman reads the poems ‘Fifth Season’, which is based on a patient’s true story, and ‘Nightshift’, which has recently been chosen by Poetry Archive Now as one of the poems of 2021.
Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson and Sally Hawkins have joined Warner Bros’ Wonka as production got underway in the UK on Wednesday (September 29).
The trio join Timothée Chalamet in the lead role as Willy Wonka in the studio’s Roald Dahl spin-off. New cast include Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Tom Davis, Simon Farnaby, Rich Fulcher, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Paterson Joseph, Keegan-Michael Key, Colin O’Brien, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar and Ellie White.
Paul King of the Paddington films directs and Harry Potter universe producer David Heyman produces alongside Luke Kelly, who produced the recent feature adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches as well as the upcoming Matilda, and Alexandra Derbyshire, who was executive on the Paddington films.
Wonka takes place prior to events in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and imagines the origins of the young inventor. King wrote the screenplay with Paddington 2 co-writer Farnaby (with prior writers including Simon Rich, Simon Stephenson, Jeff Nathanson, and Steven Levenson). Michael Siegel and Rosie Alison are executive producers.
Wonka is scheduled to open on March 17, 2023. Warner Bros handles global distribution.
Comedian Matt Lucas and actress Olivia Colman have joined forces with Great Ormond Street Hospital’s play team to launch their new Power of Play hub – a new free online activity resource for children.
The hub came about following research by GOSH Charity, which discovered that two thirds (66%) of parents polled were concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on how children play will have long-term impacts on their child’s wellbeing.
Three-quarters (74%) of parents said that play has “helped their child cope” as the world around them has changed beyond recognition.
The Power of Play hub provides an outlet for children to express themselves and their emotions, with brand new stories, audio recordings, activities and ideas that use play to help children (and their parents) cope with all types of childhood challenges.
Actress Olivia Colman voices a TV advert to support the campaign, while Little Britain star Matt Lucas narrates a poem featuring Tweedledee and Tweedledum about the pair being separated due to illness.
Matt Lucas said: “What is Tweedledee without Tweedledum? As we discover in this beautiful new poem, he is worried and anxious at being far away from his much-loved brother. It was a moving experience to step back into the characters of Dee and Dum once more, and share their feelings with other children and parents who might have struggled with being far away from their loved ones, especially during the last 18 months.
“I hope the raucous, playful game that Alice introduces them to in this poem will inspire parents and children alike to turn to play as a way of coping during times of sadness.”
The online hub also has a new Peter Pan story, in which Peter feels lonely but Tinker Bell devises a game to give Peter the confidence he needs to tackle his worries and make new friends.
Beano fans will gain support from the website’s exclusive comic, where Dennis and Gnasher use play and pranks to come to terms with a cancer diagnosis. And there’s new animation of Hey Duggee, who uses play to help Frog when her new siblings arrive, and things feel different.
Coming soon to the hub in October is a new Horrid Henry animation and an audiobook from CBeebies’ JoJo & Gran Gran.
The free animations, audiobooks and activities are designed to help parents and children deal with themes including loss, loneliness, sadness, illness and isolation, which many children have experienced during the pandemic.
Laura Walsh, Head of Play at Great Ormond Street Hospital says: “Play is a superpower at the fingertips of all children, and it’s especially important at times of change or worry, when building our children’s resilience can help them to cope with life’s challenges.
“While the last 18 months have seen children adapt to circumstances none of us could have imagined, this September they’ll also have the ordinary childhood experiences likes starting school and making new friends.
“Using our years of experience as play specialists at GOSH, we have teamed up with GOSH Charity and some much-loved children’s characters to create our Power of Play hub and bring to life the transformative power of play. We’re really proud to offer parents free, trustworthy, practical tips and resources to help their children embrace play to overcome their worries and discover all that life has to offer them.”
Suited and booted for her latest red carpet appearance, Olivia Colman looked absolutely regal on Friday as she attended the 78th Venice International Film Festival. Donning a statement two-piece suit from Armani Prive, The Crown star’s velvet jacket certainly turned heads thanks to its glittering silver panels and military-style buttons.
Accessorised to perfection, Olivia added a hint of sparkle to her outfit as she stepped out in metallic silver heels and dangly diamond earrings. Sweeping her brunette hair back into a sleek updo, the actress opted for natural and dewy makeup as she combined a grey smokey eye with a honey-hued blusher and a berry-kissed lip gloss – divine.
In love with Olivia’s elegant ensemble? You might be surprised by just how easy it is to recreate her designer look for less.
Retailing at a total of £338, Reiss’ luxurious velvet blazer, £268, looks so chic teamed with the high-waisted ‘Poppy’ trousers, now reduced to £70 in the sale. A timeless and versatile outfit that’ll never go out of style, the brand recommends accessorising with strappy sandals and a shimmering silk vest.
If you’re searching for something with an even lower price point, then Nasty Gal has you covered. Priced at an affordable £33, this velvet padded blazer is almost identical to Olivia’s with its statement pointed shoulders and tailored fit. While the jacket is a stand-alone piece, there are plenty of velvet trousers available on the high street; you could even mix and match with Reiss’ high-waisted pair.
While fans of The Crown prepare to watch Imelda Staunton take on the role of Queen Elizabeth II in series five of the hit Netflix show, Olivia has been seriously switching up projects. Set to play a fantasist murderer in the upcoming Sky drama, Landscapers, the actress’ latest role is a far cry from her critically acclaimed portrayal of the British monarch
Back in 2019, Olivia told HELLO! of her great respect for the Queen, having played her during some of the darkest days of her reign, including the Aberfan tragedy, the oil crisis and miners’ strikes, along with her own family conflicts in the run-up to the Silver Jubilee.
Speaking ahead of the premiere for the third series of The Crown, Olivia said: “Having never really considered what I thought of her and now having played her, I think she is extraordinary. She said she would serve her country and that is what she has done – and she is now in her 90s and still serving her country. I think she is amazing. I would have definitely retired by now!”
UK charity Choose Love has banded together a group of celebrities to raise money for Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban.
A host of stars, including Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, Game of Thrones stars Lena Headey and Wilf Scolding, author Dolly Alderton, Bastille singer-songwriter Dan Smith, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan and TV presenter Ben Fogle, have joined the charity and personalised video platform Cameo. They will donate 100 per cent of their videos’ profits to the non-governmental organisation.
Fans will be able to buy custom video messages from each of the stars, with Colman selling clips from $750. Coughlan’s start at $500 and Headey’s $325. Also on board are Homeland star Nazanin Boniadi and James McVey of The Vamps, both with videos going from $100.
“We are so excited to be partnering with Cameo and some of our favourite supporters, who will bring you exclusive personalised video messages for you or your loved ones! And we can’t wait to share with you the rest of the supporters who are also joining,” Choose Love wrote on Instagram.
“All proceeds will go to support projects providing vital aid and services to Afghan people who have fled the country, such as clothes, shelter, support for children and groups protecting women and children’s rights.”
You can opt to pay more than the stated amount, if you wish to donate more money.
Choose Love is a UK NGO, which advocates for and provides humanitarian aid to refugees around the world.
The charity’s target was £250,000 ($340,630) and at the time of writing, it had raised £259,342.95.
The Crownstar Olivia Colman appears in the first-look photos for Sky and HBO’s new crime drama Landscapers.
Teaming up with David Thewlis (Harry Potter and Fargo) as mild-mannered criminal couple Susan and Christopher Edwards, Colman’s new project fuses together murder and fantasy in one of the weirdest love stories you’re likely to see.
According to the limited series’ synopsis, Landscapers follows this on-the-surface ordinary pair who “become the focus of an extraordinary investigation when a couple of dead bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham.
“Husband and wife Susan and Christopher have been on the run from reality for over 15 years. When Christopher makes a startling call home to his stepmother, their role in a terrible crime that remained undiscovered for over a decade begins to emerge into the light. As their relationship is subjected to the glare of a full police investigation, the devoted couple are separated for the first time in their marriage.”
Cue the spectacular, cinema-infused chaos of their minds as they look to escape their guilt.
Excited to get started, Thewlis previously shared at the time of his casting: “This is without doubt the very finest project I have worked on for many years.
“Everything about Landscapers is magical, there is nothing like it, and I’m impatient to get to work so that its brilliance can be shared with the rest of the world.”
Landscapers will air on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic/NOW in the UK later this year.
Lionsgate UK is releasing Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman’s double Academy Award and double BAFTA winning film The Father on Blu-ray & DVD from August 30th.
Hopkins stars in the eponymous role of a mischievous and highly independent man who, as he ages, refuses all assistance from his daughter Anne (Colman). Yet, such help has become essential following Anne’s decision to move to Paris. As Anne’s father tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
The Father is drawn from the stage play of the same name, which was written by Florian Zeller and launched in Paris in 2012, winning a Moliere Award for Best Play, before hitting Broadway and London’s West End, where it won both Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Actor (for Frank Langella and Kenneth Cranham respectively).
Zeller directed the film adaptation – his feature debut – filmed in London with a British cast, from a screenplay he co-wrote with playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons).
EXCLUSIVE: After meeting with and auditioning a number actors, Searchlight drama Empire of Lightdirected by Sam Mendes has set Top Boy breakout Micheal Ward to join Olivia Colman. The film will mark Mendes first since his Oscar-winning World War I drama 1917 and he also penned the script and marks his first solo script. The film will be produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris’ Neal Street Productions. Production is expected to star in fall of 2022.
While plot details are under wraps, the film is described as love story, set in and around a beautiful old cinema, on the South Coast of England in the 1980s. Mendes will also reunite with his 1917 cinematographer Roger Deakins.
Mendes has been taking his time in finding Colman’s co-star and in recent weeks Ward began positioning himself as a choice for the role.
Winner of the 2020 EE BAFTA Rising Star Award, Ward recently starred in the highly anticipated Netflix series Top Boy. In the series, Ward plays one of the lead roles, Jamie, a young, hungry and ruthless gang leader who has taken over. The resurgence of Top Boy hit the headlines after it was announced Drake would executive produce the series on Netflix. He can most recently be seen in Lovers Rock which is the second episode of Steve McQueen’s anthology series, Small Axe, which premiered to rave reviews in November of 2020. Ward also has a supporting role in the upcoming Netflix film Beauty. The film is written by Lena Waithe and stars Giancarlo Esposito and Sharon Stone. A ‘Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2020’, He is currently shooting the next season of Top Boy for Netflix.
