Olivia Colman says she 'struggled' to act mean while performing with kids: 'I burst into tears' Daysia TolentinoSeptember 7, 2025 at 4:00 AM 0 Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Olivia Colman in 2025 Olivia Colman has played some curmudgeonly roles, which can be a challenge when working with child actors.
- - Olivia Colman says she 'struggled' to act mean while performing with kids: 'I burst into tears'
Daysia TolentinoSeptember 7, 2025 at 4:00 AM
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Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty
Olivia Colman in 2025
Olivia Colman has played some curmudgeonly roles, which can be a challenge when working with child actors.
Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch sat down with the Happy Sad Confused podcast and discussed playing mean characters. Host Josh Horowitz asked the Roses costars if they ever apologized to castmates after reading a "vile" line from a script.
Both agreed that it's hard to act cruel to young performers. The actors try to check in with children before and after abusive scenes. Colman recalled crying on the set of the BBC's TV adaptation of Les Misérables after a scene in which her character hits a child.
"She had padding all down her back, but I had a belt and I was meant to hit her," she said. "And then I hit her once halfheartedly and I burst into tears."
The Crown actor said the child actor reassured her that she was fine, but Colman "struggled" with the act. The Favourite star also said she accidentally made a younger performer cry, which she described as an "awful" experience.
"She started to look like she was crying and I went, 'Oh, shut up,'" Colman said. "I thought she was acting, but she actually started to cry and I went, 'Oh my god, I'm so sorry.'"
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BBC/Lookout Point/Robert Viglasky
Olivia Colman as Madame Thenardier in 'Les Misérables'
Colman and Cumberbatch star in The Roses, a modern adaptation of 1989's The War of the Roses. They play a couple going through a bitter, vicious divorce — which forced them to say some nasty things to each other. At times, the Doctor Strange actor said he had to remember that they weren't actually upset or arguing.
"You get a bit wrapped up in yourself sometimes," he said. "Full stop. Especially when you're pretending to be people in that situation."
Check out the full episode of Happy Sad Confused with Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch below.
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