Olivia Colman is this generation's Meryl Streep. She can do anything, and she consistently excels at everything she does. Comedy? Yep. Drama? Of course. Musical? Just you wait.
She is one of the most versatile and exceptional performers of all time, and if she's nominated for an award, the other nominees had better watch out because, chances are, she's winning. Don't believe me? All you have to do is watch her on screen to know that everything I just said is true.
'The Favourite' (2018)
Throughout all of 2018, the race for the Best Actress Oscar was a heated rivalry between Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born and Glenn Close for The Wife. They were both exceptional. They even tied at the Critic's Choice Awards. When the time came, though, who won the coveted Oscar? Neither! It went to Olivia Colman for The Favourite. It felt out of nowhere because she hadn't really established herself in America up to this point. She had already been a well-known face in the UK, but now she was taking over America.
The Favourite is a film by acclaimed Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos loosely based on the life of Queen Anne of 18th century England. Amidst the War of the Spanish Succession, Anne (Colman) is frail, sick, and temperamental. She needs the constant attention of her servant Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), but when a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone), enters, a battle begins to earn Anne's confidence as her favorite. Colman is marvelous in this film, showcasing her incredible ability to walk the line between drama and comedy like no other.
'Tyrannosaur' (2011)
Tyrannosaur is one of Colman's lesser-known performances. She plays Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker who forms a connection with Joseph (Peter Mullan), a man prone to violence and self-destruction.
The film is full of subtle, under-the-surface emotions waiting to burst free. Hannah and Joseph have been through so much that they're each afraid to be vulnerable with someone else. Without getting into spoilers, Tyrannosaur is a dark, tough watch, but worth it to see an actor of Colman's caliber turn pain into performance.
'The Lost Daughter' (2021
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter is an incredibly tough movie to get right. Its protagonist has to walk the line between likable and unlikable. Leda is a woman who regrets becoming a mother. Whether right or not, that idea offends some people because of long-held, misogynistic gender roles and expectations.
Colman plays Leda with her trademark humanity and a deep sense of pain. She simultaneously loves her kids as adults and wishes she didn't have to raise them. She's an independent spirit who fell into a dependent situation. That complexity requires a top-notch performer, so it makes sense that Colman earned her third Oscar nomination for the role.
'Fleabag' (2016 - 2019)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag is one of the most acclaimed comedies of the past few years, partly due to the show's complex cast of characters with actual, genuine depth. Olivia Colman's Godmother is one of the show's highlights, earning her an Emmy nomination.
Godmother is the girlfriend of Fleabag's father, and when the show begins, that presents a barrier to their relationship to develop through. It's an under-appreciated role in a family dynamic. The new parental figure has to establish a relationship with someone who may already have preconceived notions about who they are. When the show begins, Colman plays Godmother as an understanding, strange woman with her point of view, separate from Fleabag but open to building a bridge. Connecting that emotional state to the show's comedy can be challenging, but it's one that Colman is clearly up for.
'Landscapers' (2021 - 2021)
In the current state of television, where true crime stories are all the rage, look at this year's Emmy nominees; it's surprising that Landscapers came and went without much fanfare. The show starred Olivia Colman and David Thewlis as Susan and Christopher Edwards, a real-life couple whose murders were kept hidden for 12 years.
Colman excels at showing depth in every character she plays. It's seemingly impossible for her to play a flat, boring character. Landscapers certainly gives her a lot to work with, allowing her to find a light absurdity in a character whose crimes are incredibly serious. No one puts on a worried face like Olivia Colman, and she is given plenty of opportunities to display real pain in her eyes. You can feel
Susan's regret just by looking at her.
'Peep Show' (2003 - 2015)
The role that broke out Olivia Colman in England is Peep Show, a sitcom starring comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The show follows Mark (Mitchell) and Jez (Webb), two roommates with dysfunctional personalities, as they go about their lives getting themselves into comedic scenarios daily. The show is known for its unique camerawork, utilizing point-of-view shots to get you in the mind of its characters.
Colman plays Sophie, a co-worker of Mark's who is his eventual love interest throughout the show. She takes the traditional office romance seen in shows like The Office and plays it to perfection. The character evolves throughout the show's long run, and Colman shines with every turn. If you watch movies like The Lost Daughter and Tyrannosaurus, you may be surprised to learn that Colman comes from the comedy world, but it's true, and not only that, she can hold her own with anyone.
'The Crown' (2016 -)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The Crown is one of the best shows Netflix has ever produced. A major reason for this is the show's casting. Every two seasons, as the story progresses to a new era of the Royal Family, every character is recast to represent the era better. The actors have to find real humanity in the English royalty, whose job is to be larger than life, stoic figures who never show their vulnerability. That's a tough task, but in seasons 3 and 4, Olivia Colman makes it look easy.
She plays Queen Elizabeth II from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, when the Royal Family's beloved nature was being called into question and overshadowed by an outsider, Princess Diana. Colman's Elizabeth is not always front and center, like Claire Foy's was in the first two seasons. That requires a special touch to make a character seem grand and royal without always having the spotlight. Colman plays a real reserved Queen, one who is well-versed at keeping everything built up inside, to the point that it's all she knows.
'Hot Fuzz' (2007)
Hot Fuzz is a hilarious movie made by very funny people. So it means a lot when I honestly say that Olivia Colman is the funniest part of the whole movie. She plays Doris Thatcher, a policewoman who is always ready with some sexual innuendo to lighten the mood. She's like a comedy version of David Caruso from CSI: Miami.
It's the kind of comedy that could be misconstrued as misogynistic, except that's that joke in and of itself. All these men that work with Doris are ready to laugh about her sex life; they're just waiting for her to give them permission. So, in a way, because she's the one initiating the jokes, it takes away their power and just leaves the comedy.
'The Father' (2020)
Florian Zeller's The Father is a hard watch. Especially if you've lived with a family member who has battled with Alzheimer's and dementia. Part of the movie's effectiveness is Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning performance as the titular father dealing with his new, complicated understanding of his perception of reality. His tender confusion will break your heart.
But the thing about The Father is that it's not a story just about one man. It's a two-hander between Hopkins and Olivia Colman as his daughter and caretaker who struggles with balancing her own life with the person she owes the world to. Colman makes it evident that she's a woman who is also broken by this disease, just in a different way than her father. No one plays relatable elegance better than Colman. You can see yourself in her character through her perfect depiction of an imperfect person in a horrible situation armed with nothing but good intentions. Olivia Colman finds the tangible humanity in the role of a woman in an impossibly tough situation.
'Broadchurch' (2013 - 2017)
For many people, this was the role that broke Olivia Colman out as one of the true greats of the modern era. On Broadchurch, she is not only tasked with co-leading the show alongside the most charming man on the planet, David Tennant but also her character, Ellie Miller, is dealt blow after blow to her understanding of the people around her. Throughout the three seasons of this UK crime drama, Ellie is torn apart and has to piece herself back together again, piece by piece.
The show follows Colman and Tennant as two detectives in the small, quiet UK town of Broadchurch, who have to dig up the residents' deepest, darkest secrets after the murder of a child. Due to the nature of its subject matter, the show gets incredibly dark, but the raw humanity of Colman's Ellie Miller carries the weight of the show.