When Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz took to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall for Sunday night’s BAFTAs, it was all about women supporting women – and we couldn’t get enough of it.
Colman and Weisz won the awards for best actress and best supporting actress respectively for their film ‘The Favourite’ and each celebrated by dedicating their awards to one another, as well as their co-star Emma Stone.
Weisz said she was grateful to have acted opposite “two of the most glorious women”, while Colman referred to her co-stars as “the best and classiest and coolest honour guard any woman could ever have”.
“This isn’t for the lead, it’s for a lead and as far as I’m concerned all three of us are the same and should be the lead and it’s weird that we can’t do that,” she said. “It’s got my name on it but we can scratch in some others.”
Their simple acknowledgement of one other’s brilliance proved that when we support female colleagues to shine, we glow right along with them.
If Colman and Weisz have proved anything, it’s that women needing to compete and fight with one another to get to the top of their profession is a myth. Their speeches are a welcome reminder of the joy and success that can be spread by praising the women around you at work.
So here’s to our girl gangs, our female bosses, our “work wives” or whatever else you choose to call them. After all, where would we be without the women who came before us?