Interview – Wicked Little Letters’ Thea Sharrock and Jonny Sweet swear by the film’s language

It’s a tale of sworn enemies – and possibly the most foul mouthed fun you’ll have had in the cinema since “expletive deleted” knows when.

Based on true events on the south coast in the 1920s, Wicked Little Letters takes a decidedly comedic look at how a series of offensive anonymous letters affected the people of Littlehampton and how the owner of the poison pen was eventually uncovered. With Olivia Colman on the receiving end of a deluge of abuse and Jessie Buckley as the prime suspect, the film puts the letters’ language – a combination of familiar cursing and more idiosyncratic invention – in the spotlight. And in this exclusive interview, the film’s director, Thea Sharrock, and writer Jonny Sweet describe how it was a combination of eccentric phrases from the real letters and more than a little creative license.

Sharrock also revealed that working with Colman and Buckley was “everything you could imagine” and that they clearly relished their respective roles. “While they are disciplined and professional and have an extraordinary background, they’re filthy and they’re potty mouthed!” Both director and writer also admitted they’re not averse to a little swearing themselves. “My swearing got a lot worse in the making of this film.” said Sharrock. “But I’m in recovery now!”

Wicked Little Letters is released in cinemas on 23rd February. Read our review.

About the Author

Freda Cooper

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Freda is a Senior Writer at The People's Movies. A lifelong movie fan and a film critic for over ten years, Freda’s natural habitat is the darkened rooms frequented by fellow cineastes. She can also be found asking questions of some of the biggest names in the business – from Cate Blanchett to Daniel Craig or Mike Leigh to Pete Docter – or crafting reviews for a number of sites and publications, including The People’s Movies. And listeners to BBC Local Radio can catch her views on the latest releases. She always – and probably always will – cite The Third Man as her favourite film of all time. Her top ten? That’s a moveable feast …..

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