Olivia Colman On Fans, Fame And The 'Eternally Charming And Patient' David Tennant

Olivia Colman has spoken about her new-found fame in relation to her starring role in hit crime drama Broadchurch. Olivia, already a familiar face to UK viewers through her roles in Peep Show, Rev and Twenty Twelve and film roles in Tyrannosaur and The Iron Lady was surprised by the "completely nuts" fan reaction to the ITV series, and was worried that in all the fuss she would end up giving the game away.

Speaking in an interview published today by Philly.com, she said, "I've only done stuff which is slightly under the radar or maybe a bit too artsy for a lot of people's tastes. I was unprepared, really, for quite how many people watched it. And so I ended up not being able to get on the bus for fear of people going, 'Who did it?'. So I ended up spending a fortune on taxis for the last two weeks it was running."

However, she admired how her co-star David Tennant takes the fan attention in his stride, although she was shocked by the behaviour of some people.

"I think he's amazing, how he handles it all. He's eternally charming and patient. I just kind of wanted to protect him and to tell everyone to bugger off . . . . The weirdest thing is people holding their phones [videotaping] this far away from your face, as if affording you no more respect than a pigeon. . . . This is a horrible exchange. I can see that you're there. This is rude, it's rude. Not even looking at his face. Not speaking. People seem completely desensitized." 

Broadchurch follows the impact on a small seaside town of the brutal murder of a child, and is an exploration of the grief and suspicion that such a tragic event brings as much as the unraveling of the crime.Writer Chris Chibnall and the production team were so secretive about the plot that even the cast, which also includes Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Jodie Whittaker and David Bradley, didn't know the outcome until the final weeks of shooting. Obviously this meant that they needed to have a great deal of faith in the quality of the project. For Olivia there was no question that she wanted to be involved

 "It was an opportunity to play a lead, and it was so beautifully written, that first episode, that I trusted it was going" to be good, she said. Her character, DS Ellie Miller, is passed over for promotion when David's damaged, disgraced Detective Alec Hardy arrives in town. However, events quickly escalate and the mismatched police duo are forced to put their differences aside and co-operate. "I think she becomes grateful that he's there," Olivia said. "She's kind, and she does [her job] for all the right reasons, to protect her community. But when it comes to this particular case, she is underqualified."

And of her own fame? The attention has died down,she says:"They realize you're quite boring. And they stop."

Broadchurch continues tonight on BBC America at 10pm/9c. The series is also currently screening in Canada (Showcase, Sundays and Mondays), Brazil (GNT, Mondays) and Australia (ABC1, Fridays). It will begin on TV4 in Sweden on Monday 19th August.

Broadchurch has been commissioned by ITV for a second series in the UK, and Fox have just greenlit an American remake. 

Find our more about the series here - please be aware that some of the articles contain spoilers

Read the original interview here