10 Films That Got Actors Taken Seriously

Known as one of the unsung heroes of British TV comedy with her roles in Green Wing, Twenty Twelve and Peep Show, Colman could have happily stayed within this box for the rest of her career but she wanted to prove herself as a dramatic actor too.

Without a doubt the role which changed everything for her was playing kind-hearted Christian charity shop worker Hannah in Paddy Considine's brutal debut film Tyrannosaur. The showy role allowed her to demonstrate her ability as an actor as comfortable eliciting tears as she could laughter. Having first met Considine when they both played Sandford police offers in Hot Fuzz, they then collaborated for the short film Dog Together which was then eventually expanded into her astonishing turn in Tyrannosaur.

This 2011 film led to her casting in ITV drama Broadchurch which in turn led to her joining the ensemble cast of Yorgos Lanthimos' English language debut film The Lobster before Lanthimos cast her as Queen Anne in The Favourite. While the latter performance saw her career launched into the stratosphere with her eventual Oscar win, none of this would have been possible without arguably her career best performance in Tyrannosaur.