Olivia Colman Recalls Awkward Moment Filming Intimate Scene With Micheal Ward

Olivia Colman has recalled a rather embarrassing moment when she was sitting “astride” her co-star Micheal Ward during filming of an intimate scene for Empire Of Light.

The pair share the screen together in director Sir Sam Mendes’ romantic film set in an old cinema in an English seaside town in the early 1980s. 

To promote the film, Olivia and Michael will appear on The Graham Norton Show on New Year’s Eve during which she discusses an awkward moment where she was reminded of their age gap. 

The 48-year-old Oscar-winner recalls: “There was one particular moment when I was astride Micheal in a compromising and slightly embarrassing situation, and he said, ‘It’s my mum’s birthday today.’

“When he said she was 43, I was like, ‘OK, stop talking!’”

Micheal, 25, also says it was an “incredible” and “amazing” experience to share the screen with Olivia.

He adds: “If Olivia had been rude I might have thought that’s how I need to be to reach a certain level of success, but the fact she is so lovely showed me I can be a good person and still be successful.”

During the interview, Olivia also says director Sam thought of her for Empire Of Light while watching her as The Queen in Netflix’s The Crown. 

She adds: “We had a Zoom conversation during lockdown and I said ‘OK, yes’ before I even knew what it was.

“It is an incredible accolade for him to write something for me.

“It was an amazing part, thank god. Can you imagine if it had been rubbish?”

The Graham Norton Show New Year’s Eve special airs on Saturday 31 December at 10.25pm on BBC One.