Olivia Colman has complained about the way women are judged and said people “act shocked” when they swear.
The actress was speaking ahead of the release of her new movie, Wicked Little Letters, in which she plays one of several women targeted by anonymous obscene mail in an English seaside town in the 1920s.
The movie is based on real events and the swearing in the letters outraged people at the time.
Ms Colman told the Radio Times Podcast the film’s swearing was “lifted from real letters, and this was debated in Parliament.
“Everyone was following it in the broadsheets. It was shocking. Today, there are [still] comments on what women should look like… if a woman swears people act shocked! F*** off! Women are human – funny, filthy, loving, caring – just like men.”
The actress, who recently appeared in Wonka, said the movie’s female characters are treated differently to men – and that hasn’t changed.
She said: “The women are looked at and judged and, unfortunately, that still exists. Trolling is something they did even then, but in the form of letter writing.”
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The actress, who made her name on TV in series such as Peep Show and Broadchurch, said she isn’t convinced that women are enjoying a new era in the way they are represented on screen.
She said: “There’ve been many fantastic female-centric films which have moved me.
“And some of the biggest-grossing films, Barbie, Bridesmaids, Thelma & Louise, are led by women.
“People say men get paid more because they get more bums on seats. That’s a lie! It can be proved in the box office. I don’t know why we’re still having to discuss it!”
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Wicked Little Letters, which she also produced, had its European premiere in London on Tuesday.
It co-stars Timothy Spall and Jessie Buckley, with whom Colman appeared in 2021’s acclaimed drama, The Lost Daughter.
Ms Colman, who also played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, will be at this weekend’s film BAFTAs where Wonka is up for Outstanding British Film alongside the likes of All of Us Strangers, Poor Things, Saltburn and more.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has been nominated in five categories.
