Some actresses might be flattered to be cast as a woman with a much younger lover, but Olivia Colman has revealed she was “embarrassed” by her racy scenes.
The 48-year-old actress revealed she had been trying to remove her raunchy scenes with onscreen lover Michael Ward, 25, from her new film Empire Of Light.
The 1917 romantic drama, directed by Sam Mendes, stars Olivia as cinema executive Hilary, who has a relationship with a ticket seller, Stephen, played by the much younger Micheal.
Awkward: Some actresses might be flattered to be cast as a woman with a much younger lover, but Olivia Colman has revealed she was “embarrassed” by her racy scenes
Of her “embarrassment,” Olivia said, “I always wanted Sam to take out the sex scenes because I was so embarrassed.”
“I said, ‘Why can’t they go kiss, cut themselves, and then pretend it already happened?’ she continued.
“Michael was a lot more mature than me and helped me manage my nerves.”
Racy: The 48-year-old actress revealed she had been trying to remove her raunchy scenes with onscreen lover Michael Ward, 25, from her new film Empire Of Light
Her latest comments come after Olivia opened up about the moment she discovered Michael’s real-life mother is five years younger than her.
Olivia and Michael shared some “slightly awkward” moments during filming while discussing a new episode of The Graham Norton Show to air on New Year’s Eve.
Olivia said of the intimate scenes, “There was a specific moment when I was sitting on top of Michael in a compromising and slightly embarrassing situation and he said, ‘Today is my mother’s birthday.’
When he said she was 43, I said, “OK, stop talking!”
Co-Stars: The 1917 romantic drama, directed by Sam Mendes, stars Olivia as cinema executive Hilary, who forms a relationship with a ticket seller, Stephen, played by the younger Micheal
Shock: Her latest comments come after Olivia opened up about the moment she discovered Michael’s real-life mother is five years younger than her
When asked if her role was written specifically for her, Olivia continued: “Apparently she was. But Sam is nice enough that he’d say it anyway. He was watching The Crown at the time and thought of me.
“We had a Zoom conversation during lockdown and I said ‘okay yes’ before I even knew what it was. It’s an incredible honor for him to write something for me.’
And jokingly added: “Thank goodness it was an amazing part – can you imagine if it was rubbish!”
Michael, speaking about working with Olivia, said later on the show, “It’s been an amazing experience. It was amazing just sharing the same space. I learned so much about being a real person – everyone had a real sense of humanity.
Amusing: Olivia said: “There was a particular moment when I was sitting on top of Michael in a compromising and slightly embarrassing situation and he said, ‘Today is my mum’s birthday.’
Family: Michael is pictured with his mother Keisha in 2021
“If Olivia had been rude I might have thought that I had to be like that in order to achieve a certain level of success, but the fact that she is so lovable showed me that I could be a good person and still be successful can be.”
Empire Of Light is a love story set in a beautiful old cinema on the south coast of England in the 1980s.
Filming on the project began in Margate in early February. The seaside town was transported back to the 1980s when builders redesigned the area surrounding Dreamland amusement park.
Happy: Discussing the film further, when asked if her role was written specifically for her, Olivia said, “Apparently she was. But Sam is so nice, he’d say so anyway.
The project marked the first time Sam had directed a film that he had not written with the assistance of a co-writer.
He produced the film with Pippa Harris through his Neal Street Productions and rejoined longtime cinematographer Roger Deakins on the production.
Regarding the film, Sam said in a statement: I have long been a admirer of Searchlight and the dynamic way they have produced and released some of my favorite cinematic releases over the years.
“This project is very close to my heart and I am delighted that it has found its ideal home.”
Icon: Speaking about working with Olivia, Michael said later on the show, “It was an amazing experience. It was amazing just sharing the same space.