Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in The Roses, which follows a couple whose seemingly perfect marriage violently falls apart
Olivia Colman revealed she was ‘uncomfortable’ with a particular aspect of the movie, The Roses, which she stars in with Benedict Cumberbatch. The new movie, which stars Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa, Kate McKinnon and more, follows a successful couple whose seemingly pitch-perfect marriage begins falling apart.
The Fleabag actress, 51, features moments of mutual destruction and domestic violence jokes, which Olivia admitted she was concerned about. One moment sees Theo (played by Benedict) withholding Ivy’s (played by Olivia) EpiPen after feeding her food she’s allergic to.
He refuses to give her the EpiPen until she signs divorce papers, but Ivy soon grabs a gun and chases Theo around the house.
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One scene has her pretending she was ‘beaten’ by him. Benedict expressed how dark moments in life can be shown through physical comedy without having to add a warning.
Speaking to Radio Times, Olivia admitted: “I found that very uncomfortable – but then it’s not mocking anyone who is a victim. It is definitely saying, ‘I want the world to know that he’s the worst kind of guy,’ which is cruel of her to have done that, because he would never have done that.”
She was convinced to do the scene and Benedict added it had to be made clear tonally that physical violence isn’t a joke.
Benedict said: “But we also live in a world of expressing things through physical comedy, which I think still exists without [the need to say] ‘Don’t try this at home’.”
It comes after The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation slammed the movie for the ‘dangerous’ scene involving Theo withholding Ivy’s EpiPen.
They said: “Withholding life-saving medication like an adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen, Jext) in a medical emergency is not remotely funny; especially as life-threatening food allergies affect so many people.
“These portrayals are not only triggering, they are dangerous. Using food allergies and the threat of anaphylaxis for cheap laughs is careless, offensive and completely unacceptable.
“Just one more very important reason why it is so important for us all to continue to raise awareness and educate others on the reality and dangers of living with food allergies. Natasha’s Foundation will be contacting the filmmakers directly.”
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
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