While living in Cambridge in her early adulthood, Olivia Colman was a professional house cleaner. But this wasn’t research for an acting role — in fact, Colman “loved” her regular job, as she affectionately remembered inher Oscars speech.
“It was such a position of trust,” Colman told Vogue, with the outlet noting that the future star “took great pleasure in making a house beautiful.” The gig also actually helped her become an actor: With the money from the position, she was able to live in the college town, sneak into classes, “and, on a whim, [audition] for student-theater productions,” per the magazine. “It was very important to me in my late teens and early 20s to have fun — it’s a great time to have fun,” Colman, who had previously dropped out of Cambridge University’s teachers-training college.
Looking for her next fun time, Colman joined the school’s prestigious drama club, Footlights, whose previous members included Monty Python stars, as well as the likes of John Oliver, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Richard Ayoade, and Colman’s future “Peep Show” collaborators, David Mitchell and Robert Webb.