Olivia Colman takes on the role of a despondent fisherwoman, while Alexander Skarsgård portrays a character constructed from wicker, whose sole purpose is to bring her joy. How did the performers navigate this unusual, emotionally charged dynamic—and what personal insights did Colman draw from her own marital experience?

As the calendar turns, yet another risqué comedic drama emerges where Alexander Skarsgård embodies the fantasy of a social misfit’s deepest desires. "I absolutely adored Pillion!" exclaims Olivia Colman, characteristically blunt from the start, referencing last year’s British independent hit in which Skarsgård played a leather-clad dominant opposite a timid traffic warden as his submissive. "And that kiss at the end… Aww." The 52-year-old Oscar recipient for The Favourite lets out a feigned sniffle, gives a slight shake of her curly grey hair, and pretends to wipe her eyes.

Seated next to her in a London hotel room, sporting a vivid orange "I’m With Stupid" T-shirt, Skarsgård nods in appreciation. In Pillion, it was Harry Melling who had the honor of being ravaged by the 50-year-old Swedish actor. Now, it’s Colman’s opportunity in Wicker, a raw adult fairy tale filmed in Budapest and set in a medieval village populated almost entirely by British comedic actors, who communicate in a blend of archaic formality ("Pleased to do business with you") and straightforward colloquialism ("I’d better be off"). Among the cast are Phil Daniels as a leering butcher and Richard E Grant as a doctor even less competent in his role than Grant was as a Celebrity Traitor.