Olivia Colman wins best actress at Venice for Queen Anne performance
Olivia Colman continues to fuel speculation that she could be a serious Oscars contender next year, as she scooped the coveted best actress award at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend.
The Broadchurch actress won the prize for her role as a volatile and frail Queen Anne in The Favourite.
The film, which also stars Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, is a period comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, whom Colman also worked with for his award-winning 2015 film The Lobster.
The Favourite explores the centuries-old rumours of a love triangle between Queen Anne and her ladies-in-waiting, Abigail Hill (Stone) and Sarah Churchill (Weisz).
The British actress fought off stiff competition for the prize, especially from pop star Lady Gaga whose universally lauded role in Bradley Cooper's remake of A Star is Born, also caught attention at the festival.
Yet, in spite of a number of outstanding films at Venice this year, The Favourite still managed to emerge triumphant. Alongside Colman's accolade, Lanthimos' film also scooped the Grand Jury Prize, which is the second highest film category at the festival.
Queen Anne is not the only British Royal whose shoes Colman will fill this year – the actress will also play the Queen in the forthcoming third series of Netflix's The Crown.
