Olivia Colman talks Broadchurch at TCA tour

Olivia+Colman+Summer+TCA+Tour+Day+2+X-yvFAMhDa9l British actresses Olivia Colman and Jodie Whittaker are currently in the states promoting their latest mystery drama series, Broadchurch. Yesterday they were on a panel discussing their roles during the BBC America portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour in LA, which aims to showcase the latest British dramatic offerings.
Heart-wrenching

The pair will appear alongside Doctor Who star David Tennant in the eight part series which tells the story of detectives hunting the murderer of a little boy in a small coastal town in England.

The heart-wrenching story gripped UK audiences when it premiered here in March. The producers took an unconventional approach to filming it, in that none of the cast members knew who the killer was or if it was going to be them. The show caused a Twitter frenzy when it was aired in the UK with viewers debating who they thought the killer was.

“We had bets going on all the way through. In our makeup van we had everybody’s photograph up and you put a sticker on who you thought it was,” Olivia, who plays a detective, explained.

“I only got one and I was disappointed.”
Who did it?

The producers are hoping that it will have a similar impact when it premieres in the United States on 7 August.

“If I put all of my effort into watching a show and I get no reward at the end, it annoys me,” Olivia admitted during yesterday’s session. “Chris wanted to conclude it and wanted to reward people who went on this honest journey.”

So while she didn’t reveal the killer’s identity American viewers can be safe in the knowledge that the case will be solved.

Olivia has already blown British audiences away with her compelling performances. This year alone she has bagged two BAFTAs for her roles in The Accused and Twenty Twelve and no doubt she will win over US audiences too.

Source: celebrityredcarpet.co.uk – Olivia Colman talks Broadchurch at TCA tour

Run: Channel 4’s Dark New Drama Hits Our Screens

Olivia+Colman+Broadcasting+Press+Guild+TV+abaMHF86xeqxTonight’s pilot episode of Channel 4’s dark new drama, Run, focused on one of four key characters, Carol Wheeler, played by Broadchurch star Olivia Colman, who is emotionally torn as to what do when she finds out her two sons have beaten a man to death – tell the police or protect her children?

Carol is a single mum who lives on an estate with her two unemployed sons, Dean and Terry. She scrapes together a living working in a factory whilst supplying illegal immigrant, Ying with electronics stolen from the factory in order to buy a flat-screen TV, to keep her Dean and Terry off the streets and out of trouble.

However, whilst physically assaulting his girlfriend on the estate one night, Dean noticed a passerby who was watching the violent events unfold and consequently beat him to death, whilst his brother, Terry, watched, leading to a full-scale police investigation.

At first, Carol’s two sons denied the murder, but as Carol grew increasingly suspicious and started to find clues, such as the victims blood on Dean’s hoody’s sleeve, she started to realise the truth. After finding her son’s girlfriend making out with another boy, Carol threatened to reveal she was cheating unless she told her what happened with her sons.

At first Carol protected her children by disposing of the blood-stained hoody but as time went by, she had second thoughts as the final scene saw Terry and Dean being arrested during a flat-raid.

Best Moment: Picking a ‘best moment’ from Run proves extremely difficult as the intense drama had us hooked from start to finish, But one scene in particular that we found particularly emotional was the final scene, in which Carol broke down in tears as police raided her flat and arrested her sons, as she sat crying at the kitchen table.

Random Moment: A particularly poignant yet endearing moment was when Carol hit the pub karaoke with her friend for drinks,and fake Gucci purse in hand. The pair sang True Colours together which was perhaps one of the only times in the episode where we saw Carol with a smile on her face.

Verdict: Undeniably one of the most compelling pilot episodes of any drama we’ve recently watched. The acting was faultless and the storyline is enthralling. This is a brutal yet realistic look into life on an estate and has Bafta written all over it

Source: entertainmentwise.com – Run channel $’s new drama has BAFTA written all over it

Olivia Colman on Run: ‘Carol is in for a shock!’

capt.029db440212d45cfb37f19a6b9cb5c2d-cd39c7e78721475f863db38316589abd-0sm Olivia Colman discusses her new role as Carol, an inner-city mum of two violent teens in C4’s tough new four-part drama, Run…

What was it about playing Carol that appealed to you?
“I loved playing Carol as she puzzling and not your normal female heroine. She’s a strong woman trying to keep her family together on her own. She’s got aspirations for her sons Terry and Dean – but she probably didn’t have great role models herself. It’s easy to see how she’s ended up robbing phones to get by. She’s not getting help from any quarter and has been forced to do things I don’t think she wants to. She’s had to be tough thanks to the boys’ violent dad.”

What sets Run apart from other city-based dramas?
“While it is an urban story, there are difficulties everywhere. We just show them with concrete, rather than trees. If you turn the corner in any city, it’s not lovely cafes you see but a life that’s harder. Also, scripts this well written are like hens’ teeth. It’s beautifully written and I knew I’d be heartbroken if I didn’t manage to do a good job of it. Run is one of the things I’m most proud of doing.”

Carol faces a heartbreaking dilemma when sons Terry and Dean violently kill a Polish man. Did you enjoy working with Billy and JJ Pamphilon, who play the boys?
“They’re fantastic. Billy and JJ are actually brothers in real life! Billy has ‘mum’ tattooed on his arm, which is great. We use a photo of them when they were little boys in the characters’ flat. Like Carol, I think my boys are sweethearts! Although Carol is in for a shock.”

You’re very much in the spotlight at the moment with the success of ITV’s Broadchurch and winning BAFTAs for Twenty Twelve and Accused. Do you worry about the rise of your profile?
“It’s quite scary and it does feel different – and not necessarily in a good way. I haven’t quite figured it out yet but a lot of actors I admire manage to stay pretty private, so that’s a skill I’ll have to learn. Obviously you have to do press for jobs, particularly if you’re proud of them. I’m worried people will think: ‘She must be inundated with work, we won’t send her our script’!”

Did you have any idea how big Broadchurch would become?
“I’ve done lots of work before that I loved and hoped people would like but nothing has ever gone as nuts as Broadchurch! I was pleased people liked it but for a while I had to stop getting the bus and trains because I was always being asked ‘who did it?’ I’m really looking forward to working on the second series and can’t wait until the script, which will probably take about a year, is written.”

Does this mean you’re too big and famous for a reappearance as Sophie in cult classic Peep Show?
“God no! I couldn’t do the last one because I was working on Broadchurch but everyone on Peep Show knows I’d happily turn up. They’re my boys!”

You’re known now for both your intense roles and your comedy. How do you feel about these two very different disciplines?
“I feel eternally honoured I’m allowed to do both now. You need someone to take a punt on you and let you do both. I love doing each desperately and am just happy to be working as an actor as I don’t know how to do anything else!”

Source: whatsontv.co.uk – Olivia Colman on Run Carol is in for a shock

New Layout

158033275gallYes we have a brand new layout much more summery and celebrating Olivia’s amazing achievments over the last few months. I hope you like it as much as I do I love it I have to be honest and admit that much!

Remember if you have anything to contribute to the site, fanart or pictures you have had with Olivia you can email me admin@oliviacolmanonline.co.uk and it is the same email if you have a website you would like to afiliate with us.

Olivia Colman and Jaime Winstone talk Run

Olivia+Colman+Press+Room+British+Television+5wr8c-bx41lx Plenty of people think actress Olivia Colman has one of the most coveted jobs on the planet. But her children, Finn, seven, and Hal, five, aren’t among them.

“My sons are too little to get wrapped up in the fame side of things and I keep reminding them that being an actor is nice but it’s not impressive. Saving lives is impressive,” says the Broadchurch star, punctuating her sentences with a flash of her dimpled smile.

“Their mates go, ‘Your mum’s famous’, and my sons go, ‘Yeah but that’s not cool. It’s cool to be a nurse’.”

Colman and her sons may be modest but with Bafta wins for her performances in Olympic parody Twenty Twelve and BBC One drama Accused this year, the Norfolk-born actress has entered the big leagues.

After a string of roles on the big and small screen established her as an acclaimed serious actress from her comedy roots, her status as national treasure was perhaps cemented with her role in Broadchurch.

In ITV’s smash crime drama she played tough cop Ellie Miller opposite former Doctor Who David Tennant.

And Colman was tickled when press reports suggested she could be cast as the first female Doctor.

“Maybe I can start rumours about all sorts of roles,” says the actress, giggling.

“I’ve done loads of jobs that are under the radar, so it’s funny when you do a programme or film that more people watch. It’s lovely but it’s scary when people know your name and they throw it into the mix of things you don’t know anything about.”

Tough character

Next be seen in Channel 4’s gritty new drama Run, as Carol is a down-on-her-luck single mother who’s struggling to keep her errant sons on the straight and narrow.

To be shown over four consecutive nights, the series weaves together four seemingly unconnected people who each face life-changing decisions.

“Carol’s doing what she can,” explains Colman. “She’s trying to keep the family together and she’s doing it in an unconventional way.”

Colman, who greets everyone with the same warm smile and encouraging pats on the arm, is the antithesis of her tough character but, as an actress, she relishes playing against type.

“I like the fact that some people might find Carol unlikeable,” she says. “I like that she’s not all smiley and sweet.”

The actress, who befriended her fellow stars from offbeat Channel 4 comedy Peep Show, David Mitchell and Robert Webb, while at Cambridge University, has a very different home life from Carol.

Happily married to writer Ed Sinclair, she loves spending time at home. “My husband’s amazing,” she says. “I get homesick and I’ve never been away more than four nights on the trot.”

Gritty role

Colman’s co-star in Run Jaime Winstone plays a stripper called Tara who learns the man she’s been having an affair with has been killed.

It promises to be another landmark role for the rising star, but she admits to sometimes growing frustrated with what’s on offer.

“I find there’s a lack of material or a narrow-minded view where you’re only getting certain roles or just not being put up for things because you sound like this or you’re a working-class actor,” says the 28-year-old, who doles out plenty of ‘babes’ and ‘darlings’ but refrains from anecdotes about her famous friends who include the likes of Pixie Geldof and Kate Moss.

“I’m a young British actress, so you do get a lot of scripts for prostitutes and strippers, which shows there’s a lack of material but also that there are a lot of strippers and prostitutes,” she says with a shrug.

Killing zombies

Having dipped her toe into film-making for the gothic horror Elfie Hopkins, which she co-produced, Winstone’s currently working on a short film.

“I love film, I grew up on it,” she says, although she doesn’t know what her dream role would be.

“Killing zombies is cool,” she says, and London-born Winstone should know. In 2008, she starred in Charlie Brooker’s critically-acclaimed Dead Set in which zombies attacked the Big Brother house.

“Yeah, you want to do serious drama but you also want to carry around massive machine guns,” she says with a chuckle.

One person who’s sure to be watching Run is her actor father Ray. “My parents are very proud and they’ll definitely be watching,” she says.

“They definitely tell me what they think and they’re very critical, so they keep me on my toes for sure.”

Source: home.bt.com – Olivia Colman and Jaime Winstone talk Run

Colman: I like playing against type

olivia_colman_5604329 Olivia Colman has said she relishes playing “unlikeable” roles.

The Broadchurch star’s latest project is as down-on-her-luck single mother Carol in Channel 4’s gritty new drama Run.

The series, which will be shown over four consecutive nights, weaves together four seemingly unconnected people who are each facing life-changing decisions.

“Carol’s doing what she can,” explained Olivia. “She’s trying to keep the family together and she’s doing it in an unconventional way.”

The star of Twenty Twelve and Accused said that as an actress, she enjoys playing against type.

“I like the fact that some people might find Carol unlikeable,” she said. “I like that she’s not all smiley and sweet.”

While many people may think the Bafta-winning actress has one of the most coveted jobs on the planet, she revealed her children Finn, seven, and Hal, five, aren’t among them.

“My sons are too little to get wrapped up in the fame side of things and I keep reminding them that being an actor is nice but it’s not impressive. Saving lives is impressive,” said Olivia. “Their mates go, ‘Your mum’s famous’, and my sons go, ‘Yeah but that’s not cool. It’s cool to be a nurse’.”

Despite having so many strings to her bow, Olivia has no intention of leaving Blighty for La-La land just yet.

“Me go to Hollywood? Only for a holiday!” she snorted. “I’m getting good work here and you don’t want to ruin it and start somewhere else. I feel lucky to be working.”

Source:thurrockgazette.co.uk – Colman: I like playing against type

Olivia Colman Interview

113848087-1 Unless you’ve been living under a rock – and a rock with very, very poor TV reception and no Broadband – for the last few years, you’ll be well acquainted with Olivia Colman. One of the finest actors to emerge in years, she is equally adept playing knockabout comedy as heart-rending tragedy. Indeed, she won BAFTAs for both drama and comedy at this year’s awards, as well as starring in the drama hit of the year so far, Broadchurch.

Today, Colman is talking about her latest role, in Channel 4’s brilliant new urban drama Run, a series looking at four seemingly unconnected people facing life-changing decisions. Here she explains more about the project, talks about THAT evening at the BAFTAs, and reveals how Broadchurch has changed everything.

You get offered a lot of roles – what was it that made you say yes to this one?

I loved the role as soon as it came through. It’s unusually written, but it’s a story that’s clearly straight from the heart. It’s written by these two fantastic young guys, and the role, Carol is a great part to play. You don’t often get scripts this good through the post, they are few and far between.

Can you describe Carol?

I like Carol, she’s ballsy, a tough old bird. She hasn’t had it easy and she’s trying to do her best against all the odds. She’s a really strong woman who loves her children, but maybe in what some people would term an unpalatable way – they’re not what you’d call a classic rosy family by any means. But she’s doing what she has to do. She’s not an angel, but a lesser being might go under, and I like her for that. I never like playing doormats, and she’s certainly not that. She really feels for other people and although her moral judgment is slightly clouded, she does have it.

As you say, the writers are two young men – it’s quite an achievement for them to write a role like Carol with such skill, isn’t it?

Most of the parts I’ve played have been written by men, just because there seem to be more men writing. Men can write brilliantly for women. But they often don’t. Carol is based on women in their lives, strong women that they’ve known – mums, aunties and so on – and those women had a big influence on them and meant a lot to them. All of the characters in the whole series are people that they know, who they’ve seen and lived next to, so that’s why I think it’s so beautiful. It’s from the heart, and from something that they’ve known. I couldn’t believe how young the writers were when I first read the script; it’s so exciting to think about where else they’re going to go.

Looking at your body of work, you seem to either star in comedy or quite bleak dramas. Do you quite like the contrast between the two?

Yes, I do, suppose. I don’t know if it’s on purpose, or just by accident, but the difference is so vast. They’re more interesting to play, I suppose, those two ends of the spectrum. Comedy is obviously brilliant fun to do, and I feel very fortunate to be allowed to do the drama, because for a long time, people can’t see you as anything other than the thing they’ve seen you in before. So it’s lovely to do something you can really get your teeth into.

Is it quite draining, filming something like Run?

No. I’m not method, and you know it’s pretend. So you do it in the moment, and it’s really cathartic when you get to do it, and then you finish, and it’s not you, and you get to go and have a beer with everybody and have a nice time.

So you were able to enjoy the filming, in spite of the tough demands?

Yeah, definitely. Because of the constraints on time and budget, TV work tends to be quite quick and I like that. In the films I’ve done, I’ve found it quite hard to sustain interest for six hours, so I much prefer this. I love the way Charles [Charles Martin, the director] works. He uses the people around him, it’s really immediate, he understands how actors like to work and doesn’t rehearse everything to death. So by the time you come to do it you’re not bored with it and it’s natural, I like the way he does that. It makes your job so much easier, and it’s so much more enjoyable. He banishes ‘marks’ which is lovely. You just do what feels real and you get a better product that way. There’s a lot to cover every day but I’ve really genuinely enjoyed it.

You’ve filmed in some of London’s livelier communities. How’s that been?

Where we’ve been filming – Brixton, Peckham – contrary to the assumption some people might have about those places, I have to say they’ve been the friendliest. We’ve been on the street filming with real people. You go to other parts of London and people are really put out that you’re on the pavement. I’ve loved it. If you saw the characters you’d presume things about them and almost invariably you’d be wrong. I like that. They look hard because they’ve come from a hard place, but they’re good people.

The guys who played your sons are brothers in real life, aren’t they?

Yeah, JJ and Billy are brothers. And that tattoo on Billy’s arm that says ‘Mum’ is a real tattoo. So that was perfect. Billy had actually been in an episode of Rev – I don’t know if he had a speaking role, but he was the one that Tom accosted when he’d stolen a bag – except he hadn’t really. I think that was him. He was certainly playing a ‘toerag’ in one of them. They’re fantastic in it. And all the way through, in Carol’s eyes, Billy was being led astray, and then when I finally saw the fight scene, you see Billy push his brother aside and absolutely go quite psychotic. The way it was done, it was so nice not to have seen that til afterwards. And I thought “Oh my God, I was protecting the wrong one all this time.”

You also star opposite Neil Maskell. He’s something of the man of the moment just now, isn’t he?

Quite right, he’s absolutely brilliant. It was an honour to work with him. It just makes your job very easy when you’re playing against people like that. His face in repose is such a sweet, gentle, twinkly face. It’s amazing to watch – he just goes into character and suddenly becomes quite chilling. It’s similar working with Eddie Marsan as well – that little, sweet pixie face can suddenly become something terrifying.

Along with Neil, you seem to be the busiest actor in the country right now. Do you work ridiculously hard?

No, I think part of that is an illusion because schedulers put everything on at the same time. I don’t think I’ve worked any more than I’ve always worked. You get big chunks of weeks when you’re not doing anything. When I started out, I didn’t have a job for a year, and luckily for me the gaps have got smaller between jobs, but I think that’s just because I’ve now done jobs that more people have seen. But I still have lots of time at home, and from that point of view it’s perfect for family life. The longest I’ve ever been away was for Broadchurch. I’ve never done a really long job away from the family. Normally it’s six weeks tops, and I get to go home at weekends.

You recently won BAFTA awards for both comedy and drama. That must have been an incredible experience.

Yeah, that was a bit bonkers. Every now and again I’ll ask myself “I wonder if that really happened or not.” I can’t really put that into words. I still haven’t really registered that it happened. It was all a bit overwhelming, so straight after dinner I asked my husband “Can we go home? I want to put my socks on.” So we snuck off.

That’s so not showbiz of you. You should have been falling out of a limo at 4am.

Once upon a time I would have been. And my mates know I’m the last one to leave a party. But stuff like that is just a bit too much, a bit too overwhelming.

Where are the BAFTAs sitting?

If I was really cool, they’d be in the downstairs loo, but I’m not that cool, so they’re in the sitting room where everyone can see them.

You mentioned Broadchurch, which was a massive drama juggernaut this year. Did you have any idea, when you were making it, that it was going to turn into such a behemoth?

No! Lots of times I’ll read a script and think “This is great, I’m going to enjoy doing this,” and you hope people like it. But I’ve never read a script and thought “This is great, it’s going to go nuts.” I don’t know if you can tell or not. But it did go completely bonkers. A lot of people watched it. It was extraordinary.

Do you get recognised a lot more since Broadchurch?

Yes. Previously I’d normally get somebody every day going “I like Peep Show” or something. And now that happens quite a lot more, to the extent that I get quite embarrassed. I only do journeys that I really have to, because I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had a bad experience, it’s just funny. Someone knows your face, but you don’t know theirs. It’s a bit peculiar, and I’m sure I’ll get better at it. But if I need to get a pint of milk, I’ll wait until I really need to go. Where I live, actually, everybody knows me, so that’s all fine, but when you’re away from home, it’s slightly daunting, and I’m a bit of a chicken.

Lots of people will first have seen you in Peep Show. Do you see that as your breakthrough role?

I don’t know if there was one breakthrough. I’ve been working a long time, it was a sort of slow burn. I’m really grateful that it’s been like that. Peep Show is a show that people took to their hearts, but even then it had relatively small viewing figures. So the word breakthrough sounds a bit “Ta-Daa!” and it wasn’t like that. But it’s a show we’re all incredibly proud of. I think it’s great, I’ve always loved it. I’m so grateful I was in it, and working with some of my favourite people in the world.

What roles have meant the most to you over the years?

Tyrannosaur, easy-peasy. Until I die, I can’t imagine any role being more important to me than that one. And actually, I have to say Run was one that I absolutely loved doing as well. It’s about the environment that you’re working in as well. Lovely Charles Martin, the director of Run, really understands actors and lets them do their job. It felt like a really lovely, collaborative project, telling a good story with a good script. Tyrannosaur was like that too. And the other role I really loved was in The Accused.

An indication of how crazy your life has become is that you’re among the favourites to be the new Doctor Who. What’s it like to read stuff like that about yourself?

It’s all on Twitter, isn’t it. I don’t have Twitter. It is all on Twitter, isn’t it?

No, it’s been in the papers as well.

Oh, has it? I didn’t know that. MY brother sent me a text saying “Congratulations, they’ve released odds on you being the new Doctor Who.” Which we thought was very funny. No-one’s ever asked me about it. I wouldn’t put any money on it. I assume they would have to ask me for it to be true.

Source: channel4.com – Olivia Colman Interview

Olivia Colman Confirms She’s Signed Up For Broadchurch 2

Olivia+Colman+Broadcasting+Press+Guild+TV+abaMHF86xeqx Good news for all who were hooked on Broadchurch earlier this year – Olivia Colman has signed up for the second series.

The actress, who was widely expected to return, has confirmed in a new interview that she has agreed to reprise her role as Ellie Miller – though fans have a long, long wait before the next series.

Asked by Digital Spy if the deal was sealed, she said: “Yes. I think so. I think everyone knows that. Right? Yes.

“I’ve said yes anyway. They might not write me in it.”

The only teaser she was able to drop was: “It’s good.”

She also said she has found the surge in interest in her “scary”, and not necessarily for positive reasons.

She said of the shift: “[It’s] quite scary. Different and scary. And not necessarily in a good way.

“Everyone said you must now be inundated with work. I think in reality everyone says, ‘She must be really busy, let’s not bother sending her the script’. So things haven’t really changed in terms of the work coming in.”

She also admitted that Broadchurch made her stop using public transport, because of the amount of viewers who demanded answers.

“I’ve done lots of jobs, where I thought it was great and I hoped that people liked it, but nothing that has gone nuts like that before,” she said. “I was pleased that people liked it as much as I did, but that many people liking it, was a bit weird.

“It’s quite hard to get used to. I ended up not getting on the bus and train because I just couldn’t handle people wanting to know who did it and only being able to reply, ‘I’m not allowed to say!'”

Source: entertainmentwise.com – Olivia Colman confirms she’s signed up for Broadchurch 2

Olivia Colman plays down Dr Who rumours

108239589 Olivia Colman has laughed off rumours that she is set to become the new Doctor in Doctor Who.

The actress, who is best known for her roles in Broadchurch, Tyrannosaur and Peep Show, advised fans not to ‘put any money’ on her being cast as the Doctor, a role in need of being filled following Matt Smith’s announcement that he will leave at the end of the year.

‘My brother sent me a text saying, “Congratulations, they’ve released odds on you being the new Doctor Who” – which we thought was very funny,’ Colman is quoted by Digital Spy as saying.

‘It’s all on Twitter, isn’t it? I don’t have Twitter. It is all on Twitter, isn’t it?

‘No-one’s ever asked me about it. I assume they would have to ask me for it to be true.’

Speculation has been rife that Doctor Who bosses want to cast the first ever female Timelord, with Dame Helen Mirren also said to be in the mix.

Other names being thrown around include Rory Kinnear, Ben Daniels and Ben Whishaw.

Colman is next set to appear on screen in Run, which airs from Monday, July 15 to Thursday, July 18 on Channel 4.

Source:metro.co.uk – Olivia Colman plays down Dr Who rumours