Broadchurch sensation Olivia Colman: 'I'm never cast as the love 利益／興味'

By Daphne Lockyer

Published: 00:01 BST, 5 May 2013 | Updated: 00:01 BST, 5 May 2013

She counts some of the hottest Brit actors の中で her co-星／主役にするs ? from David Tennant to 米，稲 Considine ? but Broadchurch sensation Olivia Colman’s goal is longevity in the 商売／仕事, rather than 存在 seen as ‘that girl!’

Broadchurch sensation Olivia Colman

Within five minutes of 会合 Olivia Colman at the London offices of ITV she has 述べるd herself, variously, as ‘no 広大な／多数の／重要な beauty’ and ‘the 肉親，親類d of gi rl who had to laugh men into bed’.

Then again, part of her attractiveness is that she doesn’t 率 herself in the looks department and seems unaware of her open, likable 直面する.

To 追加する to the 控訴，上告, the 39-year-old actress has a smile like the sun bursting through, a conspiratorial X-率d laugh, and a way of 述べるing things comically with 活動／戦闘s and sounds instead of words.

‘When I’m out with my husband Ed [Sinclair], who is gorgeous, I see people look at us and sort of go, “Urghh?”’ she laughs, 伝えるing jaws dropping to the 床に打ち倒す.

‘Because they can’t believe that we’re a couple. But, you know, Ed and I are the 勝利，勝つd beneath each other’s wings. Neither of us would be any good without the other.’

When she 会談, Olivia’s dark 注目する，もくろむs host a gamut of emotions ? one second they can 井戸／弁護士席 with happiness and mirth, the next with empathy or sadness.

No wonder she is 現在／一般に 混乱させるing casting directors. After all, she （機の）カム to fame in funny 役割s such as long-苦しむing Sophie in Peep Show and Alex Smallbone, the delightfully saucy vicar’s wife in Rev.

But since her harrowing 業績／成果 as the 乱打するd wife in director 米，稲 Considine’s 2011 film Tyrannosaur she’s been as much in 需要・要求する for grit and pathos as she was for pratfalls and laughter.

Her 最近の TV 役割s have 含むd a mother whose son is killed in a ギャング（団）-関係のある stabbing in （刑事）被告 (for which she was 指名するd best actress at the 王室の Television Society awards), and a policewoman 調査／捜査するing a boy’s death in the 批判的に acclaimed Broadchurch.

On the big 審査する she played Carol Thatcher to Meryl Streep’s Margaret in The アイロンをかける Lady, and the Queen Mother と一緒に 法案 Murray in Hyde Park on Hudson.

She is working with 米，稲 Considine again, this time co-starring with him in the ITV period 探偵，刑事 演劇 The 疑惑s of Mr Whicher: The 殺人 in Angel 小道／航路. Olivia plays a 豊富な woman searching for her 行方不明の niece. Here she 会談 about swapping comedy for corsets, and why this is the happiest time of her life.

'I'm いつかs mistaken for a comedian'

Tyrannosaur was my Kathy Burke, Nil by Mouth moment. Before, I was the girl who does ‘料金d lines’ in comedies but 米，稲 gave me the chance to show I could do something else. I still love comedy, but I’m so fortunate not to be pigeonholed and to be able to do both now.

Working with 米，稲 again was blissful. I admire him both as a director and actor and we’re friends, too. So it wasn’t hard to find the 即座の 信用 that my character Susan Spen cer has for the ex-police 視察官 Jack Whicher, when she asks him to help her find her niece.

The 衣装s were amazing ? 特に for someone who’s never done proper period 演劇 before. I wore white fur hats and 十分な-length cream satin gowns. It was so 冷淡な during filming that I also wore thermals and at one point I had a hot water 瓶／封じ込める up my skirt. Even the corset was 広大な／多数の／重要な because it 訂正するd my 傾向 to slouch.

My character is strong but 悲劇の. She has lost everyone she ever loved and now her adored niece goes 行方不明の too. Fortunately, they do find her niece’s newborn baby 早期に on so she’s got him to love. But she’s a pretty sad and lonely 人物／姿／数字.

Working with a baby stirred my hormones. And even though I have two beautiful sons [Hal, seven, and Finn, five] I’m 絶えず broody. We got a gorgeous dog, Alf, to 鎮圧する my yearning for another child but it hasn’t worked because, although I love him, he is a different 種類. My mum says, ‘These feelings go on 井戸／弁護士席 into your 60s.’ I’m starting to believe her.

My emotions have always been の近くに to the surface. Watching weepy movies, I’ve always sobbed louder than anyone else. But since having children I seem to have no 肌 at all. As a result, I’m sure there are parts I’ve played since having my sons that I wouldn’t have done 司法（官） to before. But it’s awful ーに関して／ーの点でs of life. I can’t watch Comic 救済 without dialling in after every ビデオ. As for those fundraising guys in fluorescent bibs in shopping centres, I’m a total 襲う，襲って強奪する for them.

Olivia and David Tennant in Broadchurch

I’m good at putting 役割s to bed. And I’m not a method actress. I’m aware that 事実上の／代理 is pretending and can’t imagine how it 作品 with people’s 長，率いるs if they struggle to leave the character behind.

I have a strong work ethic. It’s the way I was raised. My mum worked 十分な time as a nurse and I grew up admiring her for doing an important 職業 that she loved. What I do doesn’t 事柄 nearly as much but I can see a little bit of that same pride in my kids.

Mum and Dad were feminists and I’m one too. Men and women have different lumps and bumps but we’re the same in the important ways. I’ve had lots of arguments about it.

I can’t stand girlie girls ? women who think emptying the 貯蔵所 is a man’s 職業. I do love strong, 独立した・無所属, loyal, gutsy women, and I have lots as friends.

Ed is 全く supportive. He started out 事実上の／代理 but the work just 乾燥した，日照りのd up. And, 現実に, for him I think it was a bit of a 救済 because he’d always 手配中の，お尋ね者 to 令状 and he’s brilliant at it. H e is working on a novel now and he’s やめる 隠しだてする about the 過程. Ed 存在 at home also means that he can look after the children if I’m away, and he’s a far better parent than me. So, although I 行方不明になる the kids terribly if I’m away working, I know our little boys are in the best possible 手渡すs. When I get 支援する they go, ‘Oh no, she’s not going to cook is she? She’s bound to
燃やす something!’

It was love at first sight with Ed. He was 熟考する／考慮するing 法律 at Cambridge and I was at the teacher training college. We met doing 演劇 at the Footlights [the university 劇の club]. He walked in and it was like a thunderbolt. I thought, ‘There’s the bloke I’m going to marry.’

Our marriage 作品 for simple 推論する／理由s. We’re incredibly proud, supportive and, most of all, nice to each other. Ed is my best friend and, although I’ve been with him since I was 20, I still 全く fancy him.?

Olivia on husband Ed Sinclair 'he is my best friend and I still 全く fancy him'

Olivia with 米，稲 Considine in The 疑惑s of Mr Whicher: The 殺人 in Angel 小道／航路

I was never attracted to bad boys. I always thought, ‘What’s 控訴，上告ing about that?’ I see women 伴う／関わるd with horrible men and think, ‘Really? Why?’ But, then, as a child I was always made to feel 全く worthy of love and I never tire of telling my kids how much I love them, either. I think it helps if you go into the world 推定する／予想するing to be loved.

I’m never cast as the love 利益／興味. I’m just not seen as that girl. The closest I （機の）カム was playing Sally Owen in the BBC2 series Twenty Twelve. I thought, 井戸／弁護士席, she’s the 選び出す／独身 one who’s fallen in love with her boss, Hugh Bonneville’s character Ian Fletcher, and he sort of begrudgingly likes her 支援する. It was enough, so I said yes to the part.

I loved working with 法案 Murray in Hyde Park on Hudson. He’s always been a hero and a legend, so I thought, ‘Oh, please be nice!’ I’d have hated him to be a 失望, but he was fantastic. During filming he left me a phone message about hooking up for a drink at the Groucho. Sadly, the dates got messed up so I 行方不明になるd the chance of getting p***** with him. I kept the message for months until my phone automatically 削除するd it!

I’m いつかs mistaken for a comedian. So I’ve been 招待するd on to comedy パネル盤 shows. But I’m an actress who makes other’s people’s lines funny and I’d be terrified without a script. I couldn’t 令状 a funny line, either. Not with a gun to my 長，率いる.

I did laugh Ed into bed, though. The same as I did with boys before him, because I’m just not the archetypal looker. You see a 列／漕ぐ／騒動 of girls and go, ‘There’s the classic beauty.’ And that was never me. I never really minded and I’m 感謝する now because I think it’s so much harder for beautiful actresses to last in the 商売／仕事.

Longevity is my goal. And I admire actresses such as Judi Dench who’ve 達成するd it, because we can all 指名する actresses who were loved but then slipped off the レーダ. That would break my heart because I love 事実上の／代理.

I’m 星／主役にするing 負かす／撃墜する the バーレル／樽 of 40. I’m aware it can be a time when actresses are passed over for those with より小数の wrinkles, but I’m 承認する with it. As a 譲歩 I’ve joined a gym; I’m 決定するd to have a six-pack by my 40th birthday next January. My sister said, ‘Do you think that’s possible?!’ And I said, ‘F*** off! Of course it is.’

Olivia’s not my real 指名する. It’s one I chose because there was already an actress 登録（する）d at 公正，普通株主権 with my birth 指名する, Sarah. Not that anyone ever used it. To friends and family ? 含むing my parents ? I’ve been Colly ever since I got the 愛称 at 最初の／主要な school.

I loved working with Meryl Streep on The アイロンをかける Lady. I was starstruck on day one, but I needn’t have been because she’s a lovely, normal woman with four kids and a life. She’d happily sit on the sofa and have a giggle with us now. I love that she called me ‘divinely gifted’ at the Baftas. 賄賂ing her to say that was the best fiver I ever spent!

I’m 防御の of my famous co-星／主役にするs. Once, walking along the road with Tom Hollander, who plays Rev, a guy just stuck a camera in his 直面する. I yelled, ‘This is a man! He is not a pigeon!’ Tom shuffled off, horrified. Same を取り引きする David Tennant who drew （人が）群がるs when we worked on Broadchurch. He’s amazing, of course, and I’d 列 too for his autograph, but people forget he’s human. You need to remind them.

I’m from a family of jokers. We’ve always taken the p*** out of each other. Occasionally it could overstep the 示す and end in 涙／ほころびs, but mostly it was fun. It’s probably where my sense of humour comes from.

I loved working on Peep Show. David Mitchell and Robert Webb are my favourite people ever. We met in the Cambridge Footlights, 老年の 19, so we grew up together. We can’t believe we’re all 収入 money at the 職業 we hoped to do. It still makes us giggle.

Neither Tyrannosaur nor （刑事）被告 were my most glamorous moments. In fact, in the latter we had a no make-up 政策. Anne-Marie Duff and I joked that we looked like total s*** in it, but neither of us really cared ? if you do, you’re not doing your 職業 適切に.

I’d love to be in a big Hollywood movie. I’ve always imagined that you’d have to look like a higher level of human 存在, not the 女性（の） 同等（の） of everyman, like me! If I got the call I’d go because it would be a real adventure for Ed, me and the kids. Would I worry about uprooting us for a while? Not at all. We are family and wherever we are together is home.

The 疑惑s of Mr Whicher: The 殺人 in Angel 小道／航路 will be shown on ITV1 this month