‘Empire of Light’ star Micheal Ward wasn’t nervous about having to act out a romantic love scene with his Oscar-winning co-star Olivia Colman during filming. However, Ward, 24, says Colman, 48, was very nervous. Believe it or not, Colman’s long career has never seen her share a kiss with a man on screen. The set’s intimacy coordinator helped the two relax and properly prepare for the film’s pivotal scene. “It was basically making it a dance,” Ward explains. “We had countdowns and things [blocking] like that. And it made everything so much easier and relaxing. It was something we both knew when we read the script. I just wanted to do Stephen justice, first and foremost, and make Olivia feel like she can fly too.
In this episode of the award-winning series Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we talk to Ward about working with Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes on his deeply personal “Empire of Light,” working with cinematographer Roger Deakins, and what’s next for the young actor.
Listen below:
When Ward first read the script for “Empire of Light,” star Olivia Colman and cinematographer Roger Deakins had already signed on. This made Ward want the role even more. It took several callbacks before landing the role of Stephen, which he discovered while filming his next film “The Beautiful Game” opposite Bill Nighy.
Written and directed by Mendes, “Empire of Light” is one of the divisive movies this season. However, one of the agreed strengths is the quality of the performances – including Oscar-winning actor Colman (“The Favourite”), veteran actor Toby Jones and star Ward.
Ward delivers a stellar performance as Stephen, a new cinema employee who forms an unlikely bond with Hilary (Colman), a ticket taker when they find themselves employed at the same small-town cinema in the 1980s.
Ward may be unknown to many, but the Jamaican-born has sparked public interest over the past two years with smaller roles such as Lykon in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘The Old Guard’ (2020) and won the EE Rising Star Award at BAFTA the same year. But her most significant role is as Franklyn in the magnificent “Lovers Rock,” one of five films in Steve McQueen’s Amazon Prime Video anthology series, “Small Axe.”
To see ranked predictions for each individual category, visit Variety Oscar Center.
Micheal Ward and Olivia Colman in “Empire of Light” (Searchlight Pictures)
Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All rights reserved.
“Empire of Light” is distributed by Searchlight Pictures and is set to hit theaters on December 9.
Also in this episode, actress Danielle Deadwyler talks about her role in Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till,” finding inspiration for her performance through Mamie’s words and working alongside her beloved cast, including Whoopi Goldberg.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, who also co-hosts with Clayton Davis, is your one-stop-shop for lively conversations about the best in film and TV. Each week, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; And much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you download podcasts. New episodes released every week.