Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman turned heads on the red carpet at the BFI Southbank on Thursday, debuting a stunning new look as she arrived for the London Film Festival premiere of her highly anticipated and remarkably unconventional new film, Wicker. The 52-year-old star effortlessly embraced her natural grey locks and soft curls, entirely ditching the brunette pixie cut she had recently sported for her role in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
Radiating elegance, Colman wore a sophisticated caped Celine gown that caught the flashbulbs of photographers as she posed alongside her husband, Ed Sinclair. The couple, who tied the knot back in 2001 and share three children together, looked entirely smitten, sharing a sweet and affectionate moment on the red carpet that quickly captured the attention of onlookers and entertainment reporters alike.
However, Colman was not the only member of the star-studded cast to spark conversation with their fashion choices at the high-profile event. Her co-star, Alexander Skarsgård, immediately raised eyebrows and generated a flurry of discussion upon his arrival by stepping out in an exceptionally quirky footwear choice. The 50-year-old Swedish actor paired a vibrant, shimmering gold suit—sourced straight from Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2027 collection, which originally debuted at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year—with transparent plastic shoes that prominently displayed his feet.
Skarsgård, who plays the titular wicker man in the surreal feature, gamely posed alongside Colman, wrapping an arm around his co-star as the pair shared a relaxed giggle for the cameras. The dynamic duo was also joined by fellow co-star Elizabeth Debicki. The 36-year-old actress wowed the crowd in a plunging, glitzy black suit, accessorized exquisitely with fine jewellery from Chaumet. The ensemble cast, which also includes Peter Dinklage, posed together to capture the celebratory atmosphere of the evening, sharing warm embraces and broad smiles before heading into the screening.
While the red carpet glamour provided plenty of high-fashion moments, it is the film itself that has been leaving audiences thoroughly bewildered and intensely curious since its promotional campaign kicked off. Described by early reviewers and promotional materials as "vulgar, horny yet unexpectedly heartwarming," Wicker features a bizarre and wildly original premise based on Ursula Wills’ acclaimed short story, The Wicker Husband.
The narrative follows Colman’s character, a lonely fisherwoman living in a quaint village whose romantic prospects are consistently thwarted by a persistent and unfortunate fishy odour. Desperate for affection, companionship, and a chance at true love, she makes the unorthodox decision to commission the local basket weaver—portrayed by Game of Thrones icon Peter Dinklage—to fashion her a husband entirely out of wicker.
The resulting creation, brought to life by Skarsgård, proves to be so breathtakingly alluring that it sparks an immediate wave of fierce jealousy and obsession among the village’s residents, ultimately threatening to completely upend the local social order. When the film’s first official trailer dropped to immense fanfare in July, viewers were sent into a state of shock by the graphic and passionate scenes shared between Colman and Skarsgård.
Although Colman is certainly no stranger to period dramas or racy historical romances—having famously secured an Academy Award for her regal portrayal of Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite—her passionate trysts with a wicker man represent a cinematic endeavor unlike anything she has tackled before. The trailer wastes no time diving into the absurdity, opening with a racy sequence in which Colman is flung across her bed during a passionate encounter, before flashing back to explain how she became the recurring subject of mockery and pity within her village due to her prolonged single status.
Following her unconventional request, Dinklage’s basket weaver spends a grueling month meticulously weaving together a life-sized male companion. Once completed, the wicker creation miraculously comes to life, leading to a traditional chapel wedding between the fisherwoman and her handcrafted partner. Another visually striking and intimate scene from the film shows Colman stripping the layers away from her wicker husband, gasping in wide-eyed awe as she admires his physique before being pulled into a passionate clinch.
As the story unfolds, the villagers—portrayed by an eclectic supporting cast including Phil Daniels of Quadrophenia fame, Saltburn star Richard E Grant, and The Crown alumna Elizabeth Debicki—become entirely fixated on the couple and their unusual union. The men of the village grow increasingly resentful and demand that the wicker man be ousted, while the women find themselves overwhelmingly lusting after him.
The bizarre nature of the plot has naturally prompted lively discussions online and in fan forums. Taking to social media comment sections after the initial trailer release, baffled yet delighted fans shared their reactions. One viewer wrote that Olivia will simply not do a conventional movie and that they live for her unpredictable choices, while another chimed in to say they refused to judge a woman for wanting a hot monster husband. Others praised the clever casting and predicted that beneath the madness lies a deeply human message, with some drawing fascinating parallels to other whimsical romances such as Wicked, where the Wicked Witch falls for a scarecrow, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, which sees a lonely janitor fall in love with an amphibious creature.
The actors themselves have been open about the unique and eccentric challenges of bringing such a surreal romance to the silver screen. Discussing her character’s motivations, Elizabeth Debicki offered insight into how the narrative ripples through the small community. She explained that the character she plays, known simply as the tailor’s wife, is deeply unhappy—though she does not fully realize the extent of her misery until she witnesses another woman in the village, whom she describes as the stinky beautiful fisherwoman, make a radically different choice about the path she wants her life to follow. Debicki noted that this act of rebellion completely unravels her own character’s worldview.
Peter Dinklage also reflected on his role as the marginalized artisan behind the unorthodox creation. He pointed out that the basket maker is fundamentally an outsider just like the fisherwoman, which naturally fosters a deep sense of affection between them, adding with amusement that the basket maker likely does not even register the odor that troubles the rest of the village.
Colman has been similarly vocal about her admiration for the project, frequently praising the quality of the writing and ranking it among the absolute best material she has ever encountered in her illustrious career.
Wicker has already established a strong critical foundation, currently boasting an impressive 91 per cent ‘fresh’ rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes following its initial premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Following its London Film Festival showcase, the film is officially scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on October 23, followed closely by its UK release on October 30.
