Olivia Colman has admitted she finds performing in plays “terrible” and “boring”, despite her acclaimed career in film and television. The Oscar-winning actress shared her dislike for stage work during an appearance on the Waitrose podcast Dish, alongside her The Roses co-star Benedict Cumberbatch.
When asked about jobs she had hated, Colman said: “Oh, most plays. I’m terrible! I have a quite a short attention span, so doing months of the same words, I struggle with. I'm scared for a long time, and then once the fear finishes, I'm so bored.” She recalled a moment during a play when a fire alarm went off, saying she was “out of my costume in seconds” hoping not to return, but the cast was brought back on stage.
Colman has only performed in four plays in her career: Long Day's Journey Into Night (2000), England People Very Nice (2009), Hay Fever (2011), and Mosquitoes (2017). She has not appeared on stage since. Both Colman and Cumberbatch agreed that television is their preferred medium, with Cumberbatch noting it offers a “water cooler moment” that attracts more viewers.
Colman’s upcoming projects include the satirical black comedy The Roses, a loose remake of the 1981 film The War of the Roses, and a Netflix adaptation of Pride & Prejudice in which she will play Mrs Bennet. The latter has made headlines for casting Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, marking the first non-binary actor in the role.
