You’d probably never think that Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley would use promotional time on the period black comedy indie “Wicked Little Letters” to talk about Marvel, but hey, it’s a podcast conversation with lots of room for topics, so here we are. The Academy Award winner (Colman) and Academy Award nominee (Buckley) were on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote their aforementioned Sony Pictures Classics comedy that comes out on March 29. Based on a true scandal, it follows an investigation into the anonymous author of numerous crude insulting letters sent to the residents of the seaside town Littlehampton (read our review here).
Miriam Margolyes, who Colman knows, came up in the conversation because of her recent comments about turning down Marvel’s “Agatha” witches series starring Kathryn Hahn. Margolyes said at the time, “I don’t like America, and I didn’t want to be in Georgia for four months,” Miriam continued. “So, I just said, ‘well, I want a million pounds,’” and eventually Marvel let it go.
Asked if shooting in Atlanta, where Marvel regularly does their productions, was a problem for Colman, who starred in the Disney+ series, “Secret Invasion,” the actress said, actually, she had shot her part in the U.K. and launched into a by the way, “I love Marvel” praise session.
“I love Marvel, not ashamed to say it. I think there’s room in the world for all genres and things,” Colman said. “And I was very excited to be in a Marvel [project], but I filmed in the U.K. I would understand, even though I love Marvel and I love the fact that they can pay you so much [laughs], but I don’t think I could do overseas for six months.”
Asked if she had ever auditioned for a superhero part, Buckley said she hadn’t and that it didn’t sound like her cup of tea overall. “I don’t know if I have,” she said. “I don’t think I belong; I don’t want to be in a big tight [suit]. If I could be a big blog like a Jabba The Hutt, maybe… that sounds fun.”
Colman explained to her that not every actor has to be in a tight superhero suit; she certainly wasn’t. Buckley brought up the “morality” about appearing in a Marvel movie that some actors face. While she sounded ambivalent about that element of the argument and its pros or cons, she also suggested that she likely wouldn’t be doing it any time soon.
“I find it interesting that there’s a kind of, like, a club of you’re either in or you’re out, you have a morality around Marvel, and I’m like, I dunno, you [act in] what you get drawn to do, and like when I’m 50, maybe,” she explained.
Colman, for her part, said she understood the dilemma some actors face, given that Marvel is such a cultural behemoth that can sometimes squash the smaller competitors, but admitted that she’s a huge fan of Marvel Studios and enjoys seeing their films in the theaters.
“I understand the battle in the cinemas of, they take up all the screens, and there’s one screen doing this beautiful piece which [makes a heart-tugging motion], and I understand that, and I do wish that more people went to see the smaller, beautiful films,” she explained. “But there’s no point in lying about it. When a Marvel film comes out, I f*cking love it. I wish there were more cinemas fighting for the smaller films [though].”
As for Buckley’s part, she admitted she doesn’t think she’s ever seen a Marvel movie. Colman gasped when she heard the news and then said, “Well, that’s our next weekend” plans. “I just don’t know if it’s for me, but I’ll give it a go,” Buckley countered, and yes, Colman says she’s seen every Marvel film.
Different strokes for different folks. Regardless, “Wicked Little Letters” comes out March 29 via Sony Pictures Classics, and you can watch that trailer and the full interview below.