A biography for Olivia Colmanhasn’t been written yet.
“In general, I'm rubbish in heels. I love them, and I own a lot because it's like being in a sweet shop: they're pretty. But I'm not good in them. I don't walk nicely in heels.”
“I've been with my husband and friends for so long, I've forgotten what is unappealing to new people.”
“I am a perfectly normal woman. If what we do is storytelling and represent people that we see all day and every day, well, we do not see supermodels all day and every day.”
“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.”
“I remember doing one of those computer careers tests. It told me I'd make an ideal HGV lorry driver because I've got 100 per cent spatial awareness. I'd be able to back them into tight parking spots.”
“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.”
“After those first two BAFTAs, I didn't really get offered anything, which makes you think, 'Oh, no!' And, after I finished the second series of 'Broadchurch,' nothing came up for six months, which really is a long time, and I got a bit panicky.”
“I spent years commuting into London when I was working as a temp, and I hated the monotony of it.”
“I did a forward roll for the kids the other day, thinking it'd be a breeze like it was when I was six, and I had to lie flat for about 20 minutes afterwards - 'Leave mummy alone; she's feeling a bit dizzy.'”
“If something touches me, I cry. That's it. I'm a bit raw, a bit rubbish, really. Often, a director will say to me, 'I don't think this is a scene where your character cries.' And all I can say is, good luck with that!”
“There was nothing about 'The Killing' that patronized its audience, and it was quite slow and detailed, all of the things which, for a long time, people had been nervous of making.”
“I find Shakespeare terrifying. When Simon Russell Beale does a speech, I understand every word of it, but if I did the same speech, people would be going, 'Huh? What?'”
“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.”
“I was nervous about meeting Charlotte Rampling, as she's a proper legend, but she is just so sweet.”
“Actually, lots of women, when they're pregnant, feel like steel. They feel incredible.”
“I always assumed I would leave drama school and do 'Lady Macbeth' and all sorts of serious things. It just didn't happen.”
“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.”
“I was never one of those surly teenagers who doesn't smile. My lovely godfather said it was always lovely to see me because I was the only teenager who smiled. And I was so in awe of him, I thought it was one of the best things anyone had ever said to me. So it made me want to live up to what he said.”
“Everything with me is pretty close to the surface, but having kids has completely ruined my emotional equilibrium.”
“Proper love should be utterly supportive and comfortable, and it feels like a raincoat or a jacket potato.”