Rachel Weisz proves she’s The Favourite at Baftas 2019

Rachel Weisz had cause for celebration after picking up one of seven Baftas handed to The Favourite, this year’s runaway success at the glitzy awards show.

The north London-born star took home the gong for best supporting actress, while Olivia Colman won the leading actress prize for her turn as a cantankerous Queen Anne in the spiky period drama.

The Favourite also received accolades for outstanding British film, costume design, production design, make-up and hair, and original screenplay.

Taking to the stage after her name was called, Colman said of her co-stars Weisz and Stone: “As far as I’m concerned all three of us are the same and should be the leads and it’s weird we can’t do that.

“This is for all three of us. It’s got my name on it, but we can scratch on some other ones.”

Speaking about her win, Weisz said that the success of The Favourite at time when the Me Too movement and Time’s Up campaign are prominent is just a “coincidence”, following the push to end harassment and inequality for women and minorities in the entertainment industry.

She added that The Favourite was in fact about women in power, and largely harassing each other.

Speaking backstage at the film awards at the Royal Albert Hall, Weisz said: “I think it’s just a lovely coincidence.

“We have Time’s Up – women getting together. They don’t want to be harassed.

“This is a story about women that happened hundreds of years ago, in power, sometimes abusing each other. ”

Weisz paid tribute to her co-stars Emma Stone and Olivia Colman, saying they “definitely made my performance better”.

She added that it was easy to perform intimate scenes with her leading lady Olivia: “There’s no preparation for kissing someone, I don’t think.

“No preparation, she’s just gorgeous.”

At the glittering affair, Weisz was also seen speaking animatedly with the Duchess of Cambridge on the red carpet.

The 48-year-old actress starred most recently in Disobedience alongside Rachel McAdams, which explores the taboo of lesbian love in the Orthodox community.

Meanwhile, David Rabinowitz and Charlie Wachtel were part of the quartet of writers who won best adapted screenplay for BlackKkKlansman.

The film, based on a real-life story, explores a black police officer and his Jewish colleague who infiltrate the KKK.