WICKED LITTLE LETTERS Movie - True Story
WICKED LITTLE LETTERS Movie Featurette - True Story
This is more true than you'd think. Watch the cast and filmmakers of #WickedLittleLetters discuss the story that inspired the scandalous comedy - in UK cinemas February 23 and coming soon internationally.
#OliviaColman #JessieBuckley
A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark and absurd scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based on a stranger than fiction true story, WICKED LITTLE LETTERS follows two neighbours: deeply conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women - led by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) - begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and Rose may not be the culprit after all.
This is more true than you'd think. Watch the cast and filmmakers of #WickedLittleLetters discuss the story that inspired the scandalous comedy - in UK cinemas February 23 and coming soon internationally.
#OliviaColman #JessieBuckley
A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark and absurd scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based on a stranger than fiction true story, WICKED LITTLE LETTERS follows two neighbours: deeply conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women - led by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) - begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and Rose may not be the culprit after all.
Transcript
00:00 The mystery of the obscene little Hampton letters is causing widespread distress across
00:07 the nation.
00:09 Sometimes real life is weirder than fiction. This story was a perfect example of that.
00:14 True story and it was debated in Parliament in all the broadsheets every week. The whole
00:18 country was reading it.
00:20 Edith Swan lives with her mum and dad.
00:23 Edith starts getting obscene anonymous letters.
00:27 It's shocking, they are.
00:29 Incredibly insulting.
00:31 Full of swearing.
00:33 Everyone assumes it's Rose Gooding.
00:34 Living next door with a potty mouth.
00:36 She says it's not her, off we go.
00:39 Everyone knows it's her love ever since she got off that boat.
00:41 It was quite wild realising it was true. My character ended up going to prison for these
00:45 letters.
00:46 Why would I be doing that?
00:47 I just kind of read it back and was like... because it just sounded so ridiculous.
00:53 This happened.
00:54 What sort of person does this?
00:56 Next.
00:57 It was really important to keep going back to the fact that this is a real story, set
01:02 in a real place at a real time.
01:05 You want in the nose you old beetle.
01:09 Beetle?
01:10 Right.
01:11 The whole nation was kind of going crazy.
01:13 The ever growing scandal of the Little Hampton letters.
01:17 This story's genius is sort of putting one foot into the past and then one foot in the
01:21 now and the timelessness of it as a modern story.
01:24 There's a hierarchy in the police love.
01:26 Yes sir.
01:27 It is a period piece that isn't trying to be modern, it just is.
01:31 We forget that there was an old social media, it was called writing a letter.
01:35 The letters were just very funny.
01:37 Edith Swann takes it up the swanny and she loves it.
01:40 All right man.
01:41 I think a film like this, it's always fun because of the words, because of the real
01:48 story.
01:49 In the bones of it, there's a dramatic human journey.
01:53 I hope it'll be slightly shocking but it's really funny.
01:55 And audiences do like a bit of a swear.
01:59 The fact that this vituperative, filthy language bursts out of this buttoned down world, that's
02:05 what makes it very hopefully funny.
02:07 Say that again, say it again.
02:09 F*** off you pasty old crusty old piss bearded f***ing old...
02:13 I think.
02:15 I'm loving that.
02:16 (upbeat music)
02:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]