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Olivia Williams Joins Fiennes in Love's Labour's Lost

British screen actress Olivia Williams (pictured) will join Joseph Fiennes (See News, 29 Nov 2002) in Love's Labours Lost, Trevor Nunn's farewell production as artistic director of the National Theatre, which opens at the NT Olivier on 21 February 2003, after Nunn's twinned musical production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes.

Williams will play The Princess of France with other principals Fiennes (as Berowne), Simon Day (The King of Navarre) and Kate Fleetwood (Rosaline) joined by John Barrowman (Dumaine), Jane Fowler (Maria), Richard Henders (Costard), Akiya Henry (Moth), Annette McLaughlin (Jaquenetta), Martin Marquez (Armado), Tam Mutu (Longaville), Robin Soans (Holofernes), Mary Stockley (Katharine) and Philip Voss (Boyet). Many of the company, including Day, are also currently appearing in Anything Goes.

Williams' many film credits include The Postman, Rushmore, The Sixth Sense, Born Romantic, Lucky Break and the forthcoming Peter Pan and To Kill a King. Previously a regular at the RSC, her stage credits include Peer Gynt, The Broken Heart, A Brand from the Burning, The Wives' Excuse and Wallenstein. Fleetwood's stage credits include Medea (West End), Tender (Hampstead), Two Noble Kinsmen and The Tempest (Shakespeare's Globe), The Nativity and Arabian Nights (Young Vic).

Although not seen on the London stage since the Royal Court's 1998 premiere of Real Classy Affair, Joseph Fiennes caused a stir in March 2001 when he took the title role of the homosexual king in Michael Grandage's production of Marlowe's Edward II at the Sheffield Crucible.

His earlier stage credits include A Month in the Country (Albery Theatre), The Woman in Black (Fortune) and numerous RSC productions. In addition to the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love, Fiennes' other screen credits include Luther, Enemy at the Gates, Elizabeth, Martha Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence.

Meanwhile, older brother Ralph Fiennes is currently appearing at the NT Cottesloe in the world premiere of The Talking Cure, Christopher Hampton's play about Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, directed by Howard Davies. He'll finally face the press - much-delayed following the death last month of co-star James Hazeldine - on 13 January.

- by Terri Paddock

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