The 50th anniversary Olivier Awards ceremony took place at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, hosted by Nick Mohammed, according to multiple reports. Paddington The Musical won seven awards, including Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Musical, the awards organizers said. In the play categories, Punch won the Best New Play award, while Julie Hesmondhalgh won the Supporting Best Actress award for her role in Punch, according to major media.
All My Sons won Best Revival and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Paapa Essiedu, multiple sources reported. For musicals, Into the Woods won Best Musical Revival and Best Lighting Design, the awards confirmed. Into the Woods and Paddington The Musical each had 11 nominations, while All My Sons, Kenrex, and Stereophonic each had six nominations, according to multiple reports.
1997 it was a very different world, the way we spoke about trans-people... we had little understanding. All I could do at the time was reassure the different trans activist groups who were concerned I was playing the role that I was their ally.
Rosamund Pike won Best Actress for her role in Inter Alia, major media reported. According to Daily Mail - Home, Rosamund Pike appeared to confirm she has secretly married her long-term partner Robie Uniacke. Dame Elaine Paige received the Special Award, with Kash Bennett, President of the Society of London Theatre, stating in an official statement that it was fitting to honor a performer whose artistry has inspired generations.
Award presenters included Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Helen Mirren, and Dame Arlene Phillips, according to multiple sources. Julie Hesmondhalgh, who played the trans character Hayley Cropper on Coronation Street from 1998 to 2014, has insisted that trans roles should be played by transgender actors, major media reported. According to Daily Mail - Home, Julie Hesmondhalgh described the 1997 context as a very different world with little understanding of trans people.
I think there would have been unbearable pressure on a trans-actor coming out in such a public way on a huge and controversial storyline. It wasn't why I left but [my exit] came at the exact right time.
The character Hayley Cropper was originally written as a politically incorrect joke and was meant to last two weeks, sources said. Other celebrity news from the event included Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton welcoming their second child, and Elizabeth Hurley attending with boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus and son Damian Hurley, according to multiple reports. Best Actress nominees included Cate Blanchett, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Julia McDermott, Rosamund Pike, and Rosie Sheehy, while Best Actor nominees included Bryan Cranston, Sean Hayes, Tom Hiddleston, Jack Holden, and David Shields, the awards organizers confirmed.
The ceremony was broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Radio 2, according to major media. The Olivier Awards have used a green carpet made from sustainable materials since 2022, sources said.
I went on a two-week trip to China with my family. My children speak Chinese, which is a superpower. It means that I have an experience of China that I couldn't otherwise have. We can dive into the midst of something and not fear getting lost or getting ripped off or any number of things. So we go into the night markets... My husband, mainly to amuse the children, ate a skewer of scorpions, grilled before him on the griddle.