Olivia Colman feels so unnatural posing for fans with cameras, she gave a recent request by a fan an unusual, if philosophical, response.
Olivia, set to return to our screens with David Tennant in the third series of ‘Broadchurch’ next week, tells Radio Times: “I said something the other day to someone who asked for one. I said, ‘Just because there’s not a photo doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.’ I think they thought, ‘What a weirdo.’”
Despite a series of hits in ‘Broadchurch’, ‘Fleabag’, ‘Rev’ and ‘The Night Manager’, the BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actress continues to be baffled by her status as one of the country’s most popular faces.
“I grew up without the selfie thing and I find it quite alien and odd. When people come up and say hello, it’s lovely but… oh, I’m going to sound grumpy now, aren’t I?”
This kind of attention was at its height during the first series of ‘Broadchurch’, when the nation of telly viewers became gripped by the revelation of who killed schoolboy Danny Latimer. Olivia reveals she started taking taxis everywhere so she wouldn’t be accosted.
They were right to target Olivia. It turns out, at this late juncture, that she was one of the very few people trusted with the identity of the murderer. Why was she singled out for the privilege from writer Chris Chibnell? “Because I asked.”
‘Broadchurch’ Series 3 begins on Monday 27 February at 9pm on ITV. Read the full interview with Olivia Colman in next week’s Radio Times, on sale now.