Olivier Awards: US actor says 'special relationship firmly intact' despite Trump's tariffs
British star Lesley Manville and American actor John Lithgow have won the acting categories at this year's Olivier Awards, which recognise excellence in London theatre.
Lithgow, 79, played Roald Dahl in Giant, which is about the children's author wondering whether to make a public apology.
While accepting his award he appeared to reference the current controversy over Donald Trump's second term as US president.
The Conclave star quipped: "It's not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, it's probably a little more complicated than usual."
He also told the audience at the Royal Albert Hall that the "special relationship is still firmly intact", despite Mr Trump imposing tariffs on British exports to the US.
His co-star, English actor Elliot Levey, took best actor in a supporting role.
Giant was also named best new play.
Manville, 69, was honoured for her performance in the Greek tragedy Oedipus at the Wyndham's Theatre.
She said she felt "emotional" while accepting her statuette because it was a production she had "felt very strongly about being" in.
Manville, who played Princess Margaret in The Crown, added that she was taking an early flight to Dublin on Monday to do some filming, and would not be getting "much sleep tonight".
Best actress in a supporting role went to Romola Garai for her performance in The Years, based on a memoir by French writer Annie Ernaux.
Garai, whose film credits include Scoop and Atonement, was nominated in the same category for Giant.
Dame Imelda Staunton won a fifth Olivier, for best actress in a musical for the London revival of classic musical Hello, Dolly!
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button won best new musical, a best actor musical award for Lark Rise To Candleford actor John Dagleish, and the outstanding musical contribution award.
The annual event was co-hosted by British singer Beverley Knight and Pose star Billy Porter.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Attenborough's letter delights five-year-old superfan
A five-year-old boy's dream came true when he received a letter from his hero, Sir David Attenborough. Max Evans-Browning from Neyland, Pembrokeshire, drew 99 animals to mark the renowned British biologist's 99th birthday. His endeavours reached "far and wide" and even caught the attention of Sir David himself. After receiving a reply, Max's mum Samantha said he was "doing little flips" on the bed in excitement. Boy draws 99 animals for David Attenborough's 99th birthday Attenborough at 99 delivers 'greatest message he's ever told' "It's literally been a month and I was starting to think we weren't going to get anything," she said. But when Samantha arrived home on Thursday she found a letter which was addressed to Max. "When I picked him up, I acted really casual," she said. When she gave him the letter, she said his eyes immediately went to Sir David's printed name at the bottom. "He can read really well, and he saw the name. "He was doing little flips on the bed and shouting that his card had been in David Attenborough's hands. It was the reaction that I wanted. "Trying to get him to sleep then was an absolute nightmare." Samantha said they would be framing the letter - in which Sir David wrote he "greatly enjoyed" seeing Max's drawings - and hanging it "pride of place" in Max's animal-themed bedroom. "It was so nice that he had hand-written the whole thing. It made that bit more special." She said the reaction from the media and public since she shared Max's drawings had been overwhelming. "People have been so nice, we've seen all the comments and I'm making Max a photo book of them. "When he watches David Attenborough, of course it's all around the world [so] he couldn't get over how many people from different countries could see [his drawings]. "We're usually quite a private family, but I knew there could be somebody who knew where I could send it, and it just went a little bit mad. He's gone a little bit famous. "He couldn't believe it." Samantha added Max can sometimes lack confidence in his drawing, but the experience had been really good for improving that and had reaffirmed his desire to be "the next David Attenborough". "Obviously we are proud of him, but it's just been nice for him to realise all those people who don't know him have made the effort as well. "It's boosted him even more." Sir David Attenborough: 'The world would be worse off without our stories' Postcard finally arrives 121 years after it was sent


Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Kneel it like Beckham: Soccer great to be honored with knighthood
David Beckham, the former England soccer captain who has been an ambassador for the U.N. children's fund for two decades, is to receive a knighthood in next week's honors list from King Charles III, according to U.K. media reports Friday. Without citing sources, the BBC said Beckham is set to receive further recognition both for his soccer career, and his contributions to British society. The knighthood will make Beckham "Sir David" while his wife since 1999, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, will become "Lady Beckham." In 2003, Beckham was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, for services to soccer. Victoria Beckham got the same honor for services to the fashion industry in a later New Year Honours list. Honors are awarded twice a year, once at New Year's, and then in June to mark the king's birthday. They are mostly made on the recommendation of the government, though the monarch has input too. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office would not confirm the press reports, as is custom. Buckingham Palace declined to comment. The Associated Press has not been able to independently confirm the award of the knighthood, which was first reported in The Sun tabloid newspaper. In video footage published by The Sun from the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this month, the king is seen asking Beckham if he "received his 50th birthday present." The King appeared to say "I'm glad it got to you," with Beckham responding: "It was incredible, thank you, it was very kind." [Related: Portugal vs. Spain Nations League Final: How to watch, time, TV channel, streaming] Beckham and the king have crossed paths on numerous occasions, including at state functions. Last year, Beckham became an ambassador for The King's Foundation, an educational and sustainability charity Charles launched in 1990. Beckham, who is clearly a patriot, is the only English soccer player to score at three different World Cups and his illustrious career included the treble-winning campaign of 1999, when Manchester United won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League. With 115 appearances for the England national team, Beckham is third in the all-time list. He also captained the side on 59 occasions. After leaving Manchester United 2003, Beckham played for Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain. He now co-owns the MLS team Inter Miami. His career wasn't always a high, though. After the 1998 World Cup in France, Beckham was widely vilified for his petulant kick of Argentina player Diego Simeone, which saw him sent off. Many fans blamed him for England's exit. In 2023's Netflix documentary series "Beckham," he described the abuse he experienced, which included an effigy of him hanging from a noose outside a London pub. "I knew it was bad at the time, but going over that whole thing was quite a tough one," he told the AP. The four-part documentary series about Beckham's life and professional career scored him an Emmy in 2024 for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Beckham has been a style icon and celebrity and has been a prominent supporter of charities, including UNICEF, which created "The David Beckham UNICEF Fund" in 2015 to mark a decade's partnership between the two. Beckham also played a pivotal role in London being awarded the Summer Olympic Games in 2012. If the knighthood is confirmed, Beckham would join an elite group of British soccer players to have been knighted, including England's 1966 World Cup winners, Geoff Hurst and Bobby Charlton, and Scotland's Kenny Dalglish. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from FIFA Men's World Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Naive American tourist hilariously falls for ‘genius' London restaurant prank: ‘Talk about a mis-steak'
This American tourist got served — in more ways than one. Liam Nelson, a New York comedian in London for a gig, thought he'd sniffed out a hidden culinary standout when he stumbled across glowing online reviews for Angus Steakhouse in Leicester Square. But what did he actually find? A side of steak with a supersized helping of British sarcasm. 'I went on Reddit, every single response was Angus Steakhouse in Leicester Square,' Nelson said in a June 1 TikTok video, captioned 'Talk about a mis-steak…,' which quickly racked up over 127,000 views. 'I thought maybe this is a little hole-in-the-wall area next to all these shops, like a secret hidden gem.' Turns out, he was the latest victim of a long-running British prank — London Redditors have been 'love bombing' tourist-trap chains like Angus with five-star reviews to keep real foodies away from the city's actual best eateries, as reported by The Daily Mail. 'I found an article about how London Reddit has tried to send tourists to Angus Steakhouse to preserve the good steakhouses for themselves — genius,' he said in his nearly six-minute clip. 'I have never seen Reddit all agree on a restaurant before,' Nelson added. 'And they all had these glowing reviews … Some voice in the back of my head was saying 'this is wrong, this is not normal' and I ignored it.' Not exactly a red flag he picked up on — until it was too late. The joint, he soon discovered, was actually 'loud,' 'chaotic' and came with a 'giant neon sign.' A New York funnyman thought he found a sizzling hidden gem in London — until a juicy twist at Angus Steakhouse left a bad taste. WD Stock Photos – Then came the gray slab of steak. 'It was bad. I tried the creamed spinach — worse than frozen somehow. London Reddit, that is one for you, zero for me.' Fellow TikTokkers had a field day with the viral video. 'As a London Redditor who actively takes part in this joke; I'm not sorry,' one user gloated beneath Nelson's clip. Another added, 'Hahaha I'm glad it actually got someone,' while someone else summed it up with, 'WE GOT ONE.' Others offered redemption suggestions in the comments section: 'Go Flat Iron, it's in Covent Garden, affordable decent steak,' and 'Next time you're in London, get a steak at the Guinea Grill Pub in Mayfair! Incredible steakhouse.' Turns out, Nelson got played — locals have been flooding tourist-trap chains like Angus with five-star reviews in a cheeky bid to steer foodies far from the real gems. Tiktok/liamnelsoncomedy The whole beefy debacle comes amid rising tension between real reviews and fake raves — a trend The Post has covered before. Earlier this year, a Florida restaurant tried — and failed — to sue a customer over a one-star review. Irene Eng, a prolific Yelp and TripAdvisor reviewer, was slapped with a defamation lawsuit by Hales Blackbrick, a Chinese eatery in Tampa, after calling its spare ribs 'dry' and its coffee 'lukewarm — a Cardinal sin!!' The suit was tossed in February, with the judge siding with Eng's First Amendment rights. 'I'm 1,000% for freedom of speech — you can say whatever you want,' chef Richard Hales later told the Tampa Bay Times. 'We're not thin-skinned, we're just humans.' Still, the great steak debate rages on. And for now, Nelson's just hoping his next meal won't be medium-rare — or medium-roasted by the internet.