Micheal Ward: Nerves added to intimate Empire of Light scenes

Micheal Ward thinks that Olivia Colman's nerves added to the raunchy scenes in 'Empire of Light'.

The pair feature in Sir Sam Mendes' new movie as Stephen and Hilary, two people who fall in love while working at a cinema during the 1980s, and Micheal felt that the Oscar-winner's struggles added to the authenticity of the film's intimate sequences.

He told the i newspaper: "The fact that Olivia was a bit nervous added something to it, because it felt that we both had to overcome something.

"Automatically you're kind of stroking (the other person) and you're like, 'And one and two and three...'"

Ward and Colman worked with intimacy coordinator Ita O'Brien on the movie and he accepts that the role is important on modern projects.

Asked if he's glad to act in the post-MeToo era, Micheal said: "Personally, I don't think it would've really mattered to me.

"I think it does help protect the actor. But I'd like to think the directors I worked with, if I'd grown up in the era before, would have looked after me. Otherwise I wouldn't want to work with them. But I do understand the importance of an intimacy coordinator."

Micheal claims that his and Olivia's characters are drawn together romantically by loneliness in the movie.

The 'Top Boy' actor explained: "The way I see it, it is essentially two people who are lonely and drawn together by their loneliness – and they're lonely for different reasons, but it's what brings them together."

Ward worked as a model and appeared in music videos before auditioning for acting roles and reflected on the wild ride that has taken him to the film industry.

He said: "I'm just riding the wave. Just stay humble. Stay focused on the stuff that I want to accomplish and just keep working at a level where I can keep being proud of myself and the work that I'm doing."