British acting icon Olivia Colman has offered a surprisingly candid take on her own sense of gender identity while promoting her new film Jimpa, revealing that she’s felt “sort of nonbinary” for much of her life, a personal truth she says isn’t meant to be a grand announcement but simply honest reflection.
Colman, 52, whose career has included critically acclaimed roles in The Crown, The Favourite and Heartstopper, spoke about her deep connection with queer storytelling and the LGBTQ+ community, which she describes as “welcoming” and full of “loving and beautiful stories.”
“I’ve never felt massively feminine in my being female,” Colman said in the interview, acknowledging that she’s had many conversations over the years where she felt that her internal sense of self didn’t completely align with traditional feminine norms. She even shared how she’s joked with her husband that she feels like a “gay man,” a description he embraces with understanding.
Yet Colman was quick to temper any assumptions about labels. “Don’t make that a big sort of title,” she added, gently urging audiences not to over-interpret her words as a formal declaration but rather as a personal insight.
Her comments come as Jimpa, a film centered on a nonbinary teen and family navigating identity and belonging, premieres on the festival circuit. Colman says the experience of working on the film and spending time with the trans and nonbinary community helped deepen her own understanding of gender fluidity.
For Colman, who feels at ease moving between different social worlds, the conversation is not about rigid definitions but feeling at home in oneself, something she hopes others will feel encouraged to explore with empathy and openness.
