I always assumed I would leave drama school and do 'Lady Macbeth' and all sorts of serious things. It just didn't happen.

Olivia Colman

Categorized in : School Drama Lady Macbeth

If the script's good, everything you need is in there. I just try and feel it, and do it honestly. I also don't learn things for auditions, because I feel like it's just a test of memorizing rather than being real. Maybe every other actor would think that was terrible, I don't know. But it seems to have worked for me, so far.

real trying thinking

Everything with me is pretty close to the surface, but having kids has completely ruined my emotional equilibrium.

surface emotional kids

You see thousands of films you forget the minute you come out of the cinema, don't you? Because they don't mean anything. It's the tough ones like 'Breaking the Waves' and 'Nil By Mouth' that stay with you, that you never forget. I'd like to leave a few of those behind if possible.

cinema mouths mean

This may sound mad, but you sort of assume that no one's going to watch what you do. You go on set, have a lovely time, and then you forget anyone's going to see it. So it's always a bit of a shock to be recognized. I get terribly embarrassed.

lovely mad sound

In fact I was slightly badly behaved at school and got in trouble. I would get a bee in my bonnet about something I thought wasn't right, and I would ape about too, to make everybody laugh. That was my way through my girls' school, because I wasn't very academic.

girl laughing school

I'm not a pin-up, thankfully. I'm not suggesting I feel unconfident. I am beautiful to my husband. I am beautiful to my friends. I feel sexy and all those things with the people I love.

sexy husband beautiful

If the script's good, everything you need is in there. I just try... by Olivia Colman

If the script's good, everything you need is in there. I just try and feel it, and do it honestly.

trying directors needs

I love my job and I know I am very lucky but still, if you audition and you don't get it, it still affects you.

auditions lucky jobs

I am a bit sickie happy. I am prone to black clouds too, but... I am embarrassed about them. It's like: 'My diamond shoes are too tight. My money clip doesn't fit all my fifties.' I mean - really. Shut up.

shoes clouds mean

I feel fortunate that I'm not a beauty. I'm not a classic beauty. I feel it is harder for girls who are like that. There are fewer parts.

harder classic girl

I always assumed I'd be a terribly patient mum but it turns out I... by Olivia Colman

I always assumed I'd be a terribly patient mum but it turns out I'm not!

mum turns patient

I don't like the bullying, do-one-over style of comedy. It's so c... by Olivia Colman

I don't like the bullying, do-one-over style of comedy. It's so cheap.

bullying comedy style

If I didn't have children I might be more of a lush than I am. I like booze. I struggle with smoking. And I'm a big swearer. I'm trying to rein it in but I do think it's a nice seasoning of language.

nice struggle children

If a script is good, you are 10 steps into the part just reading it. But my choices are not all down to my taste. It is about people you have worked with before.

choices reading people

The first time I did a school play was the first time I felt I was good at anything at all. I just loved it.

play school firsts

I had a lovely, feral, free childhood - out and then come back when you're hungry or it gets too dark. I feel slightly cruel that I'm not offering my children the same.

offering dark children

To be in this category with these extraordinary women. Glenn Close, you've been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted Glenn Close to be. I think you're amazing and I love you very much.

entertainment

We're having an amazing night aren't we. We're going to get so (d... by Olivia Colman

We're having an amazing night aren't we. We're going to get so (drunk) later.

entertainment

My mum was a nurse, and her passion was geriatric care. I used to love listening to the old people's stories in her nursing home and picturing myself in their place. They'd say, 'I went to school in a horse and cart,' and I'd just think 'Wow!' I'd picture myself in their place - acting was a natural progression.

myself passion home love

Proper love should be utterly supportive and comfortable, and it feels like a raincoat or a jacket potato.

jacket like comfortable love