Olivia Colman talks her favourite cinema experience

olivia colman in empire of light photo by parisa taghizadeh, courtesy of searchlight pictures © 2022 20th century studios all rights reserved
Olivia Colman reveals favourite cinema experienceSearchlight Pictures/Parisa Taghizadeh

Empire of Light star Olivia Colman has opened up about her favourite experience in a cinema.

Colman stars in Sam Mendes' new movie Empire of Light, which follows an old cinema on the south coast of England in the 1980s and explores how movies can fuel and heal human connection.

In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Colman name-checked Lars von Trier's psychological drama Breaking The Waves as one of her most memorable movie experiences.

"Breaking The Waves was a moment in the cinema that I'll never forget. And I was very grateful that they have little chapter interludes to get ready for the next chunk of pain," Colman said.

"I've never forgotten sitting in the cinema and who was next to me and it was six of us. Five of us were absolutely crushed by it and one didn't feel much. I just couldn't understand."

The Favourite star continued: "That's what's so amazing, you will watch it together, you will have had the same experience but you take something different away."

Breaking The Waves also stars Top Boy's Michael Ward in a leading role and Ward also spoke to Digital Spy about the same subject, mentioning Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk as his favourite cinema experience.

micheal ward and olivia colman in the film empire of light courtesy of searchlight pictures © 2022 20th century studios all rights reserved
Searchlight Pictures

"I was just super tired. So I thought, you know, I'm gonna try to sleep in a cinema. And there's one gunshot at the beginning. After that 'BANG' I was in, I was just in it all the way to the end," Ward said.

Director Mendes also had his say on the topic and opened up on going to the cinema with his dad.

"I remember going to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind in Leicester Square, my dad took me.

"It starts in blackness, in just darkness, and then it starts with a distant sound, it gets louder and louder. And then it just goes 'close encounters' [on the screen]. And I remember the scale of it, and I remember the floor rumbling, [the sound] moving the floor."

Empire of Light is currently playing in cinemas.


You Might Also Like