Stars of The Favourite on female leads and indie films

Sky News’ entertainment correspondent Lucy Cotter talks to Colman and Weisz about female leads and indie films.

Colman, whose latest film The Favourite unusually has three female leads, says equality on screen is essential.

She told Sky News the current film industry is not yet representative.

“A little girl’s self-esteem peaks aged eight because of the influences around them.

“If you go to a street we’re half and half but something like 12% of a cast is women, which is not reflective of every-day life so we’ve got to change it, both have to be seen on screen, has to be, we can’t do this anymore, it has to be equal.”

Colman is picking up another crown and winning major plaudits doing so as Queen Anne in this brilliant comedy directed by lover of the absurd Yorgos Lanthimos.

Written by a woman and boasting three fantastic female leads, the story sidelines men, seeing them all as essentially inconsequential.

Colman said film puts a new spin on history, which she says is brilliant.

She said: “At school I never looked at Queen Anne, it was all kings and she was amazing but all the women’s stories get forgotten through history… the king, her husband, the prince of Denmark is never mentioned and that’s unusual and kinda great, if you’re gonna do it, really go for it.”

The Constant Gardner star Weisz agrees it is fantastic to see a historic movie which gives such great roles to women.

She said: “In films about women they can be reduced to one note and what is wonderful about this film is that they’re textured and complex, serious but quite ridiculous and dangerous.

“The queen is regal and like a big toddler, throwing her toys out of the pram… all three women are complex and textured as we are all contradictory.”

Colman is also set to star as Queen Elizabeth II in the latest series of The Crown.

The Favourite is released 1 January 2019.