Mark Strong has been awarded Best Actor at the Olivier Awards 2015 with MasterCard for his staggering performance in A View From The Bridge.
In one of the most hotly contested categories of the night, Strong collected the illustrious accolade after triumphing over fellow nominees Richard Artimage, James McAvoy and Tim Pigott-Smith.
Talking to us backstage after collecting his statuette, Strong said: “I’m blown away. I genuinely thought I was in a really strong category. Those other actors are so wonderful. It’s the greatest theatre award that we have so to be nominated was really amazing but to actually win it and [for the judges to] feel that whatever it was I was doing was worthy of it is incredible.”
Strong wowed audiences at both the Young Vic and Wyndham’s Theatre in Ivo Van Hove’s stripped-back production of the Arthur Miller piece, earning plaudits and standing ovations for his remarkable turn as Eddie Carbone.
Following a host of five star reviews, Strong’s first return to the stage in more than a decade fast became the must-see performance of the year, with The Guardian commenting: “As the evening progresses, Strong’s gaze becomes increasingly intense – he seems to cease to blink. He gives a driven performance of great, rock-like stillness.”
Talking to Official London Theatre when the production premiered at the Young Vic in April 2014, Strong revealed what he thought was so effective about the staging and why it had drawn him back to the stage, commenting: “By eliminating set, eliminating props, keeping it to the actors talking to each other, that’s all you have to concentrate on. You’re getting the play, you’re getting the story, you’re getting the relationships of the characters and you’re not watching actors being impressive with props. It’s been incredibly exciting. I hope it’s as rewarding for the audience as it has been for us because we’ve all really responded to it.”
Tonight’s win marks the screen star’s first Olivier Award following his nomination in 2003 for his last stage appearance in the Donmar Warehouse’s Twelfth Night. Audiences will no doubt now be hoping this triumph tempts the actor back to the stage in the not too distant future.
