Colman admits that they maybe “mucked about too much. Poor Jay was probably saying ‘It’s like herding cats!’” But Roach disagrees, saying that he fel
Colman admits that they maybe “mucked about too much. Poor Jay was probably saying ‘It’s like herding cats!’” But Roach disagrees, saying that he felt the actors had an effortless rapport from the beginning of the 40-day, UK-based shoot. “There is a little bit of a joyful keeping the ball in the air,” he says. “I can always tell, much like the characters in the story, when they trust each other so much that they’re willing to go a little off the script or a little into dangerous territory. I feel the audience senses that high-wire act a little bit.”
While both actors are known for dramatic work (Cumberbatch was nominated for an Oscar for 2014’s The Imitation Game and 2021’s The Power of the Dog, while Colman was nominated for 2020’s The Father and 2021’s The Lost Daughter), they’ve both also showcased their playfulness and powerful comedic timing. Colman started out on the sitcom Peep Show, starred in Fleabag, and won an Oscar for her work in the dim comedy The Favourite. Cumberbatch has often played his characters with a delightful, whimsical intelligence, including in Sherlock and as Marvel’s Dr. Strange.
In The Roses, both actors get to embrace bold comedy and bring forth the sense of mischief that’s been central to much of their past work. “Olivia is as good on the first take as she would be on the 40th,” Cumberbatch says. “She’s great at taking direction and is such an acute instrument of joy and drama, as well as an immediate human mood enhancer. She has a lot of vulnerability for someone who’s the funniest person in the room.”
The film also features a powerful lineup of talented comedic actors in supporting roles, including Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Allison Janney, and Ncuti Gatwa. “I was working with such a fine company of comedy masters, so watching them improvise inspired me to do a little bit of my own as well,” Cumberbatch says. “The supportive nature of this group was incredible.”
Cumberbatch, Colman, and Roach all agree that viewers don’t have to be familiar with the 1989 classic to enjoy their recent take. After all, its themes remain universal. “We’re idiots. Humans are so flawed. We want so much to be our high selves, especially with each other, and the illusion and the miracle of love is what sometimes gets us through,” Roach says. “But when it turns, when it goes in the opposite direction, it can be extremely painful. And one enjoyable way to acknowledge that is through humor.”
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