American actor John Lithgow won the best actor trophy at the London stage Olivier Awards on Sunday for exploring the dark side of childrenโs writer Roald Dahl in Giant.
Backwards-biographical story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was named best new musical at the awards, Britainโs equivalent of Broadwayโs Tony Awards.
Conclave star Lithgow added the Olivier to an awards shelf that already includes multiple Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe trophies, for depicting the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Mark Rosenblattโs play, which confronts Dahlโs antisemitic views.
โI think Iโm going to faint,โ said an emotional Lithgow, 79. He said he wanted to assure Britons that the transatlantic โspecial relationship is still firmly intact.โ
โItโs not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, itโs probably a little more complicated than usual,โ he said.
Lesley Manville, whose CV includes a stint as Princess Margaret in The Crown, took the best actress prize for her performance as shocked royal spouse Jocasta in Oedipus.
Director Robert Ickeโs modern-day reimagining of the ancient Greek tragedy โ which opens on Broadway later this year โ was named best revival of a play.