Olivia Colman Bleached Her Eyebrows for a Role and Terrified Her Daughter

The Oscar-winner takes on the Charles Dickens classic, 'Great Expectations'.

Great Expectations, streaming on FX, is the re-telling of the Charles Dickens coming of age story about the orphan Pip (Fionn Whitehead) who is thrust into high society. The limited series stars award-winning Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Crown) as Miss Havisham. Colman, 49, will be in Wonka and Wicked Little Lies later this year.

Parade's Walter Scott sat down with Colman to discuss her work in the series.

Scott: Were you a fan of the Charles Dickens book?

Colman: I had never read Great Expectations. I'd seen, adaptations on the telly before, so I knew roughly who Miss Havisham was and I thought, Oh, she sounds great. I'd love to get my teeth into her. [The opportunity] came on the back of quite a long run of work, so I was a bit, Aw, I really need a break, but I couldn't say no.

Would you consider Miss Havisham to be a feminist? She does try to help Estella [her ward; Shalom Brune-Franklin] learn how to navigate the world.

I suppose so, but my idea of feminism is equality, not hatred. She says, “In a marriage, you're the winner if you're not the one that loves.” So, in a way, she was ahead of her time and determined not to need men, but it's not how I see feminism. She's forceful and scary, but I'm not sure any of those things are flattering towards feminists. I know plenty of men who are feminists as well and it's about equality and thoughtfulness and caring, I think.

Did you relate to Miss Havisham at all?

I didn't necessarily find much personally to connect with. Other than I know what it's like to love, and I know the pain she must've felt when that fell apart. I mean, if, if she'd had a good therapist (laughs)—maybe she'd have a very different life. Or just a chum, a good friend. I feel sad that Miss Havisham managed not to meet any really good, nice men and she missed out on what could have been. But those days were really full-on patriarchy; [women] were stuck, they couldn't work, couldn't do anything. So it was going to have to be marriage, and her only insight into marriage was horrendous.

How did the costume and hair and makeup department help you become Miss Havisham?

I've always said good hair, makeup and costume—that's three quarters of your job already done before you leave the van. Verity [Hawkes], the costume designer, she was a big help, because she said, “I don't see [Miss Havisham] as dusty, I see her as rotting from the inside." And I thought Oh my god, that's it. That's great. So the costume literally looks like mold is growing up it and you can see her heart is rotting, and I love that. And hair and makeup bleached my eyebrows and I looked bonkers for weeks and my daughter wouldn’t cuddle me, but it was worth it in the long run.

Related: Olivia Colman discusses the magic of the movies in Empire of Light

The show gets into the idea of dreams being crushed. Was it always your dream to be an actor?

I wanted to be an actor from the age of 16. Before that, I thought I might be a doctor, but it turns out, I really didn't have the brains. But, I feel like my dreams have come true. I wanted loads of kids. I haven't got as many kids as I'd like, but, um, I'm very lucky (laughs).

How old were you when you started acting?

I was 16 when I did my first play at school, and it was probably 19 or 20 when I realized you don't have to have come from [an acting] background to be an actor. My parents were terrified, because they thought I should learn to type and be a secretary, something sensible. And I was a terrible secretary. I did that for a long time, trying to keep my head above water. I was also a terrible waitress, just rubbish at everything. Jolly, but not really good at it.

Related: See How the Cast of The Crown Compares to the Real Royals They Play

Did you enjoy working with the young talent in Great Expectations?

I hate them (laughs). They're flouncing their youth all over the place, it's infuriating. That’s why Miss Havisham is great, 'cause she, she puts them down (laughs). No, I love working with anyone of any age. That’s what I love about the job we do. You can work with a baby, to someone who's in their 90s, and it's a joy and you learn from each person. Everyone you stand across from and you look into their eyes, they bring something else. I hope I never get bored of that. I hope I go on until I'm in my 90s.

Stream Great Expectations now on Hulu.