Olivia Colman speaks out on gender pay gap in movies

When asked whether this new period of time signals a turn towards "fully-fleshed female characters", Colman responded: "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!"

Of course, Barbie is dominating much of the awards chatter so far this year, with the Greta Gerwig-directed film securing five BAFTA nominations going into this weekend's Film Awards.

As for Colman, she will be in attendance due to her role in Wonka, which has been nominated for Outstanding British Film alongside the likes of All of Us Strangers, Poor Things, Saltburn and more.

Coming up for Colman after that is Wicked Little Letters, which sees a reunion between the actress and Jessie Buckley after their acclaimed performances in 2021's The Lost Daughter as younger and older versions of main character Leda.

Read more:

• The Iron Claw director recalls Kevin Von Erich's reaction to cutting out fifth brother
• Wonka's Paul King on the character's origins: "He had a life beyond Charlie"

Now, Colman stars as Edith Swan in Wicked Little Letters, a mystery film that sees Colman's Edith and other women in their seaside town targeted by a series of anonymous and outrageous letters.

Speaking about her role in the movie and how Wicked Little Letters offers commentary on the treatment of women post-war, Colman also told the Radio Times Podcast: "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.

"The swears [in the film] were lifted from real letters, and this was debated in Parliament at the time.

"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."

Wicked Little Letters comes to cinemas on Friday 23rd February. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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