The internet was in raptures last night when Olivia Colman bagged her Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ – and it’s not just because she’s a phenomenal actor.
Many were quick to reminisce about chance encounters with Colman over the years and described how she’s just a really lovely person to be around. Well, she did describe her Oscars win as “hilarious” and tear up while kissing her award – so we don’t dispute that at all.
In the spirit of celebrating brilliant people, which is what our HuffPost: HumanKind section is all about, here are some more wonderful anecdotes about an equally wonderful woman.
1. She Recorded A Children’s Audiobook On Her Day Off.
Following her Oscars win, author Matt Haig tweeted a heartwarming story about how the actor had recorded an audiobook for his children’s mental health book ‘The Truth Pixie’, despite being up to her eyeballs in work commitments.
Haig wrote: “Last November, Olivia Colman was asked - amid her busy schedule - to do the audiobook for the Truth Pixie. Her ‘people’ said it was next to impossible, timing wise. But Olivia liked the book and really wanted to do it so she went and recorded it on her one day off.” What a legend.
2. She Is Forever Living Life To The Full.
If there’s one person who injects joy into every aspect of life, it’s Colman. Just look at her face while riding a carousel. She is a national treasure.
3. The Multiple Times She Got Lashed With Students.
Darren Richman had the best story to share about Colman after her Oscars win. He once interviewed David Mitchell for his university newspaper and was invited to watch the recording of Peep Show, followed by an after party.
“Olivia Colman spots us and comes over to ask what our link to the event is,” Richman tweeted. “She’s really friendly and when we mention that we’re at uni, she keeps on shouting ‘stuuudeennntttts’ in a sort-of Paul Calf voice. For the rest of the night, every time she spots one of us without a beer, she brings one over while screaming ‘students’.”
Jack Parlett also tweeted about how he will forever cherish the memory of having a drunken smoke with Colman outside of his student union and ending up at a chip van with her.
4. The Time She Ate Jerk Chicken In Brixton.
Continuing the theme of being down-to-earth and a bundle of fun, Debbie Wythe recalled the moment she ate jerk chicken with Colman in a Brixton pub. “I will dine out on that memory for the rest of my life,” she tweeted.
5. She’s Just Really Quite Nice.
Jacinta Carroll said she almost physically bumped into Colman when she was filming on her estate years ago. It was no one’s fault, but Colman was apparently “so apologetic and kind”.
She added: “That smile... that smile could bring peace on earth.”
6. And She’s A Great Person To Work With.
The RadioTimes asked various actors Colman had worked with to discuss what she was like as a person – and nobody had a bad word to say about her.
Amelia Bullmore told them: “What Olivia does is this: she turns up on set, giggles a bit, wrinkles her nose at herself, smiles at everyone, goofs about, gets to a take and then says what she has to say with a lightness of touch and live-ness and see-through-ness that is truly rare, as many times as is required, and then resumes the nose-wrinkling and goofing.”
David Tennant said he’d seen her work for years and he got the impression she was “really sound, straightforward and unpretentious”, so when he met her and realised she really was all of those things, it was a huge relief.
“She has this ability to be joking between takes and then, when the cameras roll, to be instantly in the heart of the darkness,” he said, “which is irritatingly perfect from someone as alarmingly down to earth.”