“Getting paid to behave as badly as possible, what could be better than that!”
They previously appeared together in Netflix’s The Lost Daughter. Now Olivia Colman (The Crown) and Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl) face each other in the irresistible English Wicked little letters (now in cinemas). Elegance zoomed exclusively with the pair.
English comedy-mystery
Olivia and Jessie share the screen as warring neighbors in Wicked Little Letters, a comedy about a real-life scandal that shocked England in the 1920s. A razor-sharp and irresistible English comedy-mystery. The makers of The banshees of Inisherin and Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri tell the true story about the seaside town of Littlehampton. The village is startled by mysterious and obscene handwritten letters and a battle ensues between the correct Edith (Colman) and the falsely accused, but foul-mouthed, Rose (Buckley).
Just like men
Olivia Colman: “Everyone followed it in the newspapers at the time. It was shocking. Nowadays people still find it shocking when women swear,” she says. “Women are human. They are funny, dirty, loving, caring – just like men.” To which Jessie Buckley adds: “My personal favorite? “Fuck you in the nostrils.” That made me giggle quite a bit. Olivia even framed one of the letters in the toilet at her home. It reads: “You sad, stinking bitch.” Amazing, right!?”
Swearing on the silver screen
They didn’t hesitate for long when they were asked to be in the film. “Swear as much as possible on the silver screen and get away with it! And that freedom of my character is contagious. A woman with principles who does not give way easily,” Jessie laughs. Olivia adds: “Being paid to behave as badly as possible, what could be better than that!”
Jessie especially likes the authenticity of the film. “If you come across a film about two real women, including their misdeeds, you can’t pass up that opportunity as an actor.” Olivia: “Plus it shows that this behavior has always existed. Now this is happening online and it is called trolling, but deliberately damaging people over nothing has always been the case. Edith also loves Rose in the movie. She finds Rose’s freedom enviable. It’s everything she wanted in her own life. That also makes it surprisingly emotional.”
Text: Jorrit Niels | Image: NL Image
