Peter Dinklage revealed unexpected skills in basket weaving while preparing for the Sundance premiere of “Wicker,” a film directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, adapted from Ursula Wills’ short story. The movie tells the story of a fisherwoman in a small village who, tired of being mocked, commissions a husband made of wicker to turn her world upside down.
In this atmospheric film, Olivia Colman takes on the role of the fisherwoman, bringing depth to a character who faces ridicule yet sparks change when her extraordinary request unexpectedly alters the village’s dynamics. Peter Dinklage plays the basket weaver, an eccentric inventor crafting the unlikely protagonist’s new companion.
Crafting the Story: Inspiration and Visual Challenges
Directors Wilson and Huston Fischer described the unique premise as highly visual and creatively demanding. Alex Huston Fischer explained,
“The movie is about a fisherwoman in a small village. She stinks, she’s got a unibrow, everybody makes fun of her. One day she’s had enough, she goes to the local basket maker to commission a husband made out of wicker.”
Eleanor Wilson emphasized the visual storytelling element:
“It’s intrinsically a very visual premise, and it just felt like it would be an amazing translation to screen. So that was a huge draw. And sort of the challenge of, ‘What would a wicker man look like?’ It was really exciting to us.”
Olivia Colman Embraces a Complex Role
Olivia Colman, who also served as a producer, discussed her connection to the fisherwoman. She said,
“I don’t think she knew that she was creating anything other than wanting to retaliate against being ridiculed by the village, particularly the taylor’s wife.”
Pointing to Elizabeth Debicki, who plays the antagonist in the film, Colman noted,
“They had known each other all their lives. And there was some last-straw moment where the Fisherwoman goes, ‘Please, can I have a husband?’ She just thought she wanted to shake things up and piss everyone off. And then accidentally, they fell in love, and then the village unravels, because we had a better relationship.”
When asked why she was drawn to the role and what she wanted to express about marriage and relationships, Colman replied with self-deprecating humor,
“I genuinely didn’t. I don’t think of anything very deeply. I didn’t think any of that.”
She added,
“I just really loved the script. I think it’s in my top three favorite scripts I’ve ever read, and I just wanted to play her, and that’s all there is to it. I thought this would be a beautiful film. I wanted to be in it, and that was it.”
Aside from the emotional demands of the role, Colman also had to master a tricky physical skill, paddling a coracle, a small, round, often unstable boat. “I loved it,” she said, recalling the cinematographer’s tips with a chuckle,
“I remember [cinematographer] Lol [Crawley] giving me directions on how to do it, and he’d never sat in a coracle in a current, so that went down like a cup of cold sick.”
Peter Dinklage’s Immersive Approach to Basket Weaving
While Colman navigated waterways, Dinklage honed a less common skill, immersing himself in basket weaving to embody his role authentically.
“I got really into weaving wicker. On set. We had a really great tutor. It was wonderful, and it’s part of being an actor is just going and doing strange things like that,”
he shared.
His character stands out as an eccentric, flamboyant inventor unabashedly different from the conformist villagers. Dinklage described him as “lovely,” comparing him to the fisherwoman in his refusal to abide by societal rules.
Alexander Skarsgård Reflects on Playing the Wicker Husband
Actor Alexander Skarsgård, portraying the wicker husband, revealed initial ambivalence about the role due to the character’s purity and simplicity. He said,
“I was a little intimidated reading the script. I knew I wanted to do it, and I was incredibly excited about playing this character, but he has a purity that scared me. I often gravitate towards conflicted characters, characters where there’s a darkness, or an internal struggle, or some kind of weird dichotomy of friction. And there’s a lot of friction in the movie, but none of it comes from the wicker husband. He is just pure — not naive — he’s just there. He loves his wife, and it’s just happy and sweet. So that scared me a bit.”
Skarsgård described this role as a departure from his usual parts:
“I didn’t really know how to approach it. I’m so used to — even if it’s a character who is ostensibly a protagonist — I often gravitate towards finding some darkness or friction or something that I lean into that because I feel like that’s very playable. I felt a bit unmoored by this, because then I was like, oh, not only is the character void of that internal friction, I also know that I have to kind of exaggerate everything, so I can’t be completely real and natural in the scenes, because, I was wearing a full mask every day, a full body suit actually glued to my face and body. And the way you move your face, you have to exaggerate it a bit. So that scared me also, playing these beautifully written scenes, intimate, quiet scenes with Olivia, where I can read every little detail on your face, or, then I have to go, like, [exaggerates expressions] ‘Ohhhh, realllllyy.’ And that made me little insecure, because I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m sh-t. This is terrible.’”
Significance and Anticipation Following the Sundance Premiere
“Wicker” offers an intriguing narrative that combines fantastical elements with intimate human stories, brought to life by a cast willing to engage fully in their unusual roles. Peter Dinklage basket weaving serves as a vivid example of the dedication behind the film’s creation, highlighting how actors immersed themselves in their characters’ worlds beyond traditional acting methods.
As the film debuts at Sundance, it promises to challenge conventions about relationships, identity, and community, while showcasing impressive technical craftsmanship in its storytelling. The unique blend of visual artistry and heartfelt performances sets the stage for audiences to experience a refreshing and thought-provoking cinematic journey.
