Wicker cast discuss the film's wicker-husband romance, its sex scenes and its marketing
Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård and Elizabeth Debicki have talked about making "Wicker", a romantic fantasy comedy that opened in US cinemas on 23–25 October and reaches UK cinemas on 30 October.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2"Wicker", from married filmmakers Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, follows an ostracised fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) and her husband made of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård), handcrafted for her by the local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage). VarietyLC “From married filmmakers Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, “Wicker” follows the relationship between an ostracized fisherwoman (Colman) and her fantastical husband (Skarsgård)” Read at Variety ↗ Digital SpyN “Written and directed by the team of Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Mixed · 2Digital Spy says the film is based on Ursula Wills's 2008 short story "The Wicker Husband". Both outlets say that when the wicker husband proves a better partner than the village's other married men, jealousy and envy follow. Digital SpyN “based on Ursula Wills's 2008 short story The Wicker Husband” Read at Digital Spy ↗ VarietyLC “When the wicker husband proves to be a better man and partner than the rest of the married men in the village, jealousy erupts” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1In an interview with Variety at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, Elizabeth Debicki recalled turning a corner on the Budapest set and seeing a naked wicker figure of Skarsgård wading through water, and going "bright red". VarietyLC “I turned the corner, and I was like, ‘Hi, Alex!’ and I went bright red because my brain couldn’t compute what it was seeing,”” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1Colman, the first to see Skarsgård in the full wicker suit and prosthetic makeup, said the cast had looked at images for about 18 months. Skarsgård said an earlier prototype, tested on someone else at Weta Workshop in New Zealand, did not quite work, and that Colman's reaction eased their nerves. VarietyLC “The Oscar winner was the first to see Skarsgård in his full wicker suit and prosthetic makeup.”“Thankfully, Colman’s exuberant reaction eased any of Skarsgård’s fears.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Skarsgård said "It's not just a slapstick or sex comedy", and Colman said the script's realism let it move from "very silly to really heartbreaking". Debicki said the film examines marriage and what patriarchy does to women. VarietyLC ““It’s not just a slapstick or sex comedy,” Skarsgård says.”“a lot of this film is looking at what patriarchy does to women” Read at Variety ↗ Centre · 1Speaking to The New York Times, as relayed by Digital Spy, Colman said the sex scenes with Skarsgård were less embarrassing than similar work before because they felt real, and that the intimacy coordinator made them "like a dance routine". Digital SpyN “"I do find things like that incredibly embarrassing," said the actor. "But this wasn't as embarrassing as other things I've had to do because, well, it felt real.” Read at Digital Spy ↗
Centre · 1Skarsgård said the scenes were "very funny on the page" and that such scenes only feel uncomfortable if he does not know their narrative purpose. He cited a gay orgy in the woods in "Pillion" as an example of a scene that excited him creatively. Digital SpyN “"They were very funny on the page. They were steamy and sexy, but there were all these really funny moments," Skarsgård added.” Read at Digital Spy ↗ Left · 1Variety describes a trailer full of innuendo and playful merchandise such as nipple pasties, splinter removal kits and a popcorn bucket shaped like the wicker man's torso. Skarsgård said he had never had a reaction like it to a movie. VarietyLC “playful promotional products like hand-woven nipple pasties, a popcorn bucket shaped like the wicker man’s torso and splinter removal kits” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Variety reports the film opened in fifth place with $5.75 million from 1,471 locations, a "strong start" for a low-budget indie, according to its reporter Rebecca Rubin. Black Bear bought it for $2.5 million after Sundance buzz. VarietyLC ““Wicker” captured fifth place with $5.75 million from 1,471 locations, a “strong start” for the low-budget indie” Read at Variety ↗
Centre · 1Digital Spy lists Debicki, Marli Siu, Nibhaan Rizwan, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Richard E Grant in the supporting cast. Siu told the outlet that watching Skarsgård half in the suit and half in a dressing gown on set was an "out of body" experience. The film opens in UK cinemas on 30 October. Digital SpyN “Wicker is released in UK cinemas on 30 October.”“It was so out of body.” Read at Digital Spy ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Variety runs a joint cast interview as a promotional-style feature. It stresses that the film is more than a sex comedy and ties the cast's remarks to box-office performance.
- Emphasis
- The film's emotional and feminist themes, the practical effects, the marketing campaign and the opening weekend figures.
- Leaves out or plays down
- It gives no detail on the sex scenes' choreography or intimacy coordination, which Digital Spy foregrounds.
- Charged language
- “hard-as-wood jokes”“steamy”
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Digital Spy leads with Colman's comments on the sex scenes, taken from a New York Times interview, and adds a quote from supporting cast member Marli Siu from its own interview.
- Emphasis
- Embarrassment, humour and the intimacy coordinator's role in the sex scenes, plus the UK release date.
- Leaves out or plays down
- It leaves out the film's themes of patriarchy and marriage, the box-office result and the marketing campaign.
- Charged language
- “embarrassing”“gay orgy in the woods”
- For example
-
“Olivia Colman didn't find Wicker sex scenes with Alexander Skarsgård as "embarrassing" as usual” — Digital Spy
“"[The intimacy coordinator] made it fun, like a dance routine."” — Digital Spy
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Wicker stars Olivia Colman as an ostracised fisherwoman and Alexander Skarsgård as her husband made of wicker.
- Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer wrote and directed the film.
- Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki are in the cast.
- Colman and Skarsgård's intimate scenes together are a focus of the film's publicity.
Olivia Colman person
Colman says seeing the wicker husband in person was amazing, that the script's realism lets the film move from silly to heartbreaking, and that the sex scenes felt real and were made fun by the intimacy coordinator.
“It can be hard to go from very silly to really heartbreaking, but because it was all done with realism, it worked better.” — Variety
“But this wasn't as embarrassing as other things I've had to do because, well, it felt real.” — Digital Spy
Alexander Skarsgård person
Skarsgård says the film is more than a slapstick or sex comedy and that the scenes were funny on the page. He says intimate scenes only feel uncomfortable when their purpose in the story is unclear.
““It’s not just a slapstick or sex comedy,” Skarsgård says.” — Variety
“I only feel those types of scenes are uncomfortable if I don't know what purpose the scene fills in the greater narrative.” — Digital Spy
Left1 article
-
Celebratory A promotional-leaning cast interview that frames Wicker as a funny, moving original and a box-office success.
Centre1 article
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Olivia Colman didn't find Wicker sex scenes with Alexander Skarsgård as "embarrassing" as usual
Neutral A short entertainment piece built on Colman's and Skarsgård's quotes about the sex scenes, with release information.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 25 Oct 20:02 First VarietyLC ‘Wicker’ Stars Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård and Elizabeth Debicki on Making the ‘Very Silly,’ ‘Really Heartbreaking’ Film: ‘It’s Not Just a Slapstick or Sex Comedy’
- 27 Oct 17:01 +44h 59m Digital SpyN Olivia Colman didn't find Wicker sex scenes with Alexander Skarsgård as "embarrassing" as usual
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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