Olivia Colman

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Lore & Background

Olivia Colman stars as Anne, Queen of Great Britain in *The Favourite*, a film set in early 18th-century Great Britain that examines the relationship between cousins Sarah Churchill and Abigail Hill as they vie to be court favourite of the Queen. The film premiered on 30 August 2018 at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for Colman. It was released theatrically in the United States on 23 November 2018 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 1 January 2019. The film grossed $96 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. Colman's performance drew particular praise, and she won Best Actress at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the British Independent Film Awards, the BAFTA Awards, and the European Film Awards.

Reader's Guide

Colman's portrayal of Queen Anne in *The Favourite* is a defining performance. The film, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, is a co-production between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Principal photography took place at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and at Hampton Court Palace, lasting from March to May 2017. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise drawn to Lanthimos's direction, the screenplay, and performances of Colman, Weisz, and Stone. It won ten British Independent Film Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and eight European Film Awards. The American Film Institute named *The Favourite* one of the top ten films of 2018, and since its release, it has been assessed as one of the best films of the 21st century.

Did You Know?

• Colman won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 75th Venice International Film Festival for her role in *The Favourite*.
• *The Favourite* tied *Roma* for the most Academy Award nominations of any film at that year's ceremony, with ten nominations.
• The film grossed $96 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.
• Principal photography for *The Favourite* took place at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and at Hampton Court Palace from March to May 2017.
• The American Film Institute named *The Favourite* one of the top ten films of 2018.

The Film That Defined a Career

*The Favourite* arrived in 2018 as a satirical absurdist period dark comedy that would become the defining work of Olivia Colman's screen career. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and scripted by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, the art film is a co-production spanning Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Set against the backdrop of early eighteenth-century Great Britain, it places Colman at the centre of a volatile power struggle between two cousins competing for the affection of Queen Anne. Principal photography ran from March through May 2017, with scenes captured at the stately grounds of Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and the historic corridors of Hampton Court Palace. The film made its world debut on 30 August 2018 at the seventy-fifth Venice International Film Festival, where it claimed both the Grand Jury Prize and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, the latter awarded specifically to Colman. That Venice triumph set the tone for what would become one of the most celebrated award seasons in recent memory.

An Unprecedented Awards Sweep

Critics across the globe singled out *The Favourite* for its bold direction, its sharp screenplay, and the extraordinary chemistry among Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz. The recognition that followed was staggering in scope. The film collected ten Academy Award nominations, a tally that tied *Roma* for the most nods at that year's ceremony. Beyond Hollywood, Colman's portrayal of Queen Anne earned her Best Actress honours at the British Independent Film Awards, the BAFTA Awards, and the European Film Awards, sweeping all three ceremonies. She also took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress and the Academy Award itself. The American Film Institute ranked *The Favourite* among the top ten films of 2018, and in the years since its theatrical release, it has been repeatedly assessed by critics and scholars as one of the finest achievements of twenty-first-century cinema. The breadth of that acclaim, spanning multiple continents and award bodies, cemented Colman's status as one of the era's most respected leading actresses.

A Story of Power, Intimacy, and Betrayal

The narrative unfolds in 1705, a year when England is locked in conflict with France and Queen Anne, portrayed by Colman, is ailing and largely disengaged from governance. She finds solace in her seventeen rabbits, which serve as emotional surrogates for the children she lost to miscarriage and infant death. Her world is dominated by Sarah Churchill, her confidante, political advisor, and secret lover, who effectively steers the country through her influence over the Queen. The arrival of Abigail Hill, Sarah's impoverished younger cousin whose father gambled her away in a game of whist, disrupts this fragile equilibrium. Abigail begins as a scullery maid, and her path upward is paved through foraging herbs for Anne's gout, a small act that Sarah initially punishes with a whipping before ultimately elevating her to Lady of the Bedchamber. What follows is a slow, vicious unraveling of loyalty, sexuality, and political ambition, culminating in a final scene where a sick Anne forces Abigail to kneel and massage her leg, pulling her hair as the woman winces.

Creative Origins and Commercial Success

The screenplay's roots stretch back to 1998, when Deborah Davis, then a woman with no prior screenwriting credits, completed a first draft after studying the craft at night school. She originally titled the project *The Balance of Power* and carried it to producer Ceci Dempsey, who described being "haunted" by the survival instincts and manipulations of the three women at its core. Davis had initially known little about Queen Anne or her relationships with Churchill and Masham, but her research into original sources, including Winston Churchill's four-part biography of his ancestor and Sarah's own memoir, revealed the rich "female triangle" that would anchor the story. On the commercial front, the film proved that arthouse ambition and audience appeal could coexist: it grossed approximately ninety-six million dollars worldwide against a production budget of just fifteen million. Fox Searchlight Pictures handled the American theatrical release on 23 November 2018, while audiences in Ireland and the United Kingdom saw it on 1 January 2019.