The choice of Olivia Coleman and Michael Ward as the romantic leads in Sam Mendes' "Empire of Light," which opens December 9, was unexpected. In many ways, however, it makes perfect sense.

In the film, Colman plays Hilary, a white employee in her forties who works at a movie theater in an English coastal town. She is a shell of herself, but as the film unfolds, it soon becomes clear that she has a mental illness for which she takes lithium (the diagnosis is never revealed, but she does experience a manic episode). Ward's Stephen-Black is fresh out of school and has a unique perspective on music and film, and when he begins working at the theater, the two quickly become involved; their connection seems to go beyond superficial differences, seeing only each other's humanity, and the film's story is one that is both funny and touching.

Despite the very real traumas experienced by the vulnerable pair, including racism, mental illness, social stigma, and sexual harassment, they find their way to the light. With the exception of the greedy manager of the movie theater, played by Colin Firth, the employees surround Hilary and Stephen with care and concern and serve as a shield for their loneliness that would otherwise be crushing at times." It was a bit of an ad hoc family." Colman tells Marie Claire about the characters' relationship. Here, she and Ward reveal the power of finding love and community in dark times.

Marie Claire For me, the most successful aspect of the film is the simplicity with which it presents complex themes-love, loneliness, community, tenderness. What do you think audiences can learn, especially from the relationships between the characters? [Olivia Coleman: I think it's very pure. Well, it's what they do to each other, but two souls who have been exiled for some different reason, and they look at each other and find each other. From Hilary's point of view, I think this dazzling, beautiful, young person comes into their lives in this film. But they don't care about that. It never lasts, but it's a beautiful moment while it's happening.

MC: Steven being black and Hilary having mental illness makes it difficult for them to find a place in their respective communities. Do you think that is one of the reasons they can relate to each other?

Michelle Ward: I think it definitely helps them empathize with each other. It makes them more isolated because of that. If Stephen wasn't black, he would have been able to engage with more of the community, and maybe he wouldn't have gone to see Hillary on New Year's Eve because of the community he had.

MC: At the same time, there was a fundamental aspect of Hilary's and Stephen's experience that neither of them understood. Hilary could not understand, and perhaps did not want to understand, how pervasive racism was in Stephen's life.

MW: That's what makes it special: when you're alone with them, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what the outside world thinks. Because they are invisible. It is only when they are known to the world, known to the world, known to the world, that they become different.

MC: Hilary and Stephen have a willingness to be there for each other anyway, even if in a clumsy and awkward way, despite their inability to understand all of each other's experiences. Do you think the film is saying that you can be there for someone even if you don't know how to be?

OC: Yeah. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but I am certain that we can sense from this film that there are external influences that should not be allowed to affect our private relationships. And the way these two people care for each other against all odds is a beautiful thing to witness and something we can all learn from.

MW: I think it was equally interesting that people like Neil (a fellow cinema employee who advises Stephen not to get too involved in the situation), who really cares about Hillary, didn't necessarily say that helping was a bad thing. (Neil) because he knows more about the situation. The fact that Stephen doesn't know the world and has seen Hilary for what she is makes him feel like he can go back there. And I think that is what is driving Stephen to lean in more. I used to think Neil was just an idiot. But he's probably grown up surrounded by people with mental health issues, so he knows more about the situation. Plus, he's much older, so he would have more life experience.

OC: The question was whether he would be helpful. I don't know or care about other people's boundaries. I'm going to help, no matter what anyone says."

MC: What kind of research did you do to portray having a mental illness and dealing with a loved one with a mental illness?

OC: Sam was our biggest source... Hilary is modeled roughly after his mother. So every minute of every day, Sam was there, "What is it like when you're off lithium?" "What does it feel like when you're high?" He would ask me. [Stephen goes to Hilary and says, "It's not your fault," because he did a little research. But how did he find out? His mother is a nurse, so he probably would have had to ask her. We feel like we have such easy access to things now that we forget how hard it was to get information back then. But how challenging it must have been back then to actually know about mental health. Perhaps Steven had to go through a lot to figure it out, and he was really excited to know about this part of his life.

MC: The themes of the film are universal and touch on some of the most pressing topics we are dealing with right now, such as racism, mental illness, and sexual harassment. On the other hand, the film is set in a different time. How have these aspects affected your portrayal of the characters and dynamics?

OC: [Sam] wrote this piece during a lockdown, and Black Lives Matter was happening in the US at the time. And [while writing] he was thinking about his childhood - about his mother - and about the racial unrest that occurred [when he was growing up] under [Margaret] Thatcher. And he thought about. Sam's political views were sort of formed during that period (of his teenage years). He wants to discuss why these issues are addressed together in the film, and why they are all his memories, and why mental health is still, more talked about, but still not enough. And why there are still horrible moments in racial issues.

MC: And it was important for you to play a role in getting those messages out.

MW: I do want to play a character that has something to say, but I also want to play a character that has something to say. So when we were doing the scene where we were talking about the New Cross fire, it got pretty long and then we ended up with a cut version. [Stephen needs to say something here. Because it's very important to him as a young black man. He wants to get this stuff across, but he doesn't want to do it in a way that teaches people a lesson, as Sam was so adamant about. He just wants to convey how he feels about the person.

And I think moments like this can be extracted from movies and used for history lessons and things like that. So I think it's important for people who don't know about these things to know about them. I feel like we've come a long way from slavery and things like that, but compared to 40 years ago, we haven't moved on. [The fire] happened in 1981. Now it's 2022, and we still haven't moved on. So it's important to send this kind of message through the film. Because just by playing these characters, they had a huge impact on me.

The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.