Empire of Light: Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward reveal favourite cinema experiences

Empire of Light star Micheal Ward has revealed that a screening of 2008 dance franchise sequel Step Up 2: The Streets helped him to fall in love with the movies.

The 25-year-old star told Yahoo UK that being able to share in the film's joy with his friends after the credits rolled was hugely important to him.

"We used to go [to the cinema] on non-school uniform day, me and my friends and stuff," said Ward.

Empire of Light is in UK cinemas now.

Video transcript

TOM BEASLEY: And Obviously, one of the big things in this movie is that transcendent moment of sitting in a cinema and having a film just change your life completely. I guess, for the three of you, what were your films that you had that moment in the cinema with?

MICHEAL WARD: I'd say "Step Up," "Step Up 2, The Streets," only because we come out dancing. And everyone's basically picking a character like, you know, someone would be, like, popping and locking and that. Someone would be just all over the floor, and we're literally come out of the cinema doing this. Even on the bus on the way home, you know what I'm saying? So I just feel like, when something affects you like that, you know, it was special to you.

And it really was special to us. I used to love that film so much. So Yeah, I think when I went to the cinema to watch that with my friends-- And, you know, together-- it felt like a together thing, something that we could actually do together. Was special, Yeah.

OLIVIA COLMAN: I remember-- sorry, I've said this before, you'll get bored of me, but "Breaking the Waves," one I watched when I was a drama student. And I never want to watch it again. It was so upsetting, but the experience of-- six of us went to watch it. Five of us were crushed by it, and one didn't really get it. I'm like-- I couldn't-- I couldn't cope with their reaction to it.

But it's amazing how we all watched the same film and yet the conversations that happen afterwards, you know, when one person doesn't feel the same and-- but I remember where I was during that and even the seat I was in the cinema in Bristol. It was-- that was an incredible moment. It was sort of a-- I want to do work like that or work that affects people like that.