American comedy icon Kate McKinnon had no problem getting ‘sexually aggressive’ with her The Roses co-star Benedict Cumberbatch.
The new film – written by Tony McNamara and directed by Jay Roach – follows Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy Rose (Olivia Colman) as they try to hold their marriage together.
While Colman and Cumberbatch deliver the kind of dry wit and razor-sharp one-liners typical of British dark comedy, McKinnon and Andy Samberg inject a more American slapstick energy as married couple Amy and Barry.
In one standout moment, a clownish McKinnon locks eyes with Cumberbatch and mouths, with almost violent intensity: ‘I want to f** you.’
It’s a scene that’s guaranteed to earn a huge laugh, perfectly contrasting the blunt, SNL-style jab with the subtler irony threaded through much of the film.
Asked by Metro on the red carpet what it was like to deliver that line, McKinnon grinned: ‘Very natural.’
She added: ‘I like, as a gay woman in real life, to act out sexual aggression towards men. You know, in a safe, and mutually agreed upon and scripted way.’
And did Cumberbatch enjoy the moment as much as she did? McKinnon laughed: ‘Well, it was in the script, and he said yes to doing the film, so I would assume it was okay!’
For McKinnon, the blend of comedic traditions was one of the most intriguing parts of making the film.
‘Oh, it was just fascinating,’ she said.
And we talked about it a lot when the camera was not rolling. Just to listen to Jamie Dimitriou and Andy Samberg talk about the differences between the two styles was fascinating. And I felt like I was at some sort of academic conference about comedy, and it was wonderful.’
Director Jay Roach, himself American, agreed that the cultural crossover was a big draw.
‘You know, that was a hook for me for it, because I’ve always envied British humor. I grew up on Monty Python and Hugh Laurie and Blackadder. I just, for some reason, even though I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I always had a thing for UK humour.’
He went on to link it back to his work on Austin Powers: ‘I think that’s why I did Austin Powers, because Mike Myers was the same way. I’m from a small town. He was from a suburban town in Canada, and, you know, Tony’s from Australia. So we’re all kind of on the outside, envying British humor as colonists.’
McNamara – whose credits include Poor Things – said he deliberately played with these contrasts when writing The Roses.
But when pressed on whether Brits or Americans are funnier, he wouldn’t be pinned down: ‘Well, they’re both funny. It’s like saying who’s funnier Olivia Colman or Kate McKinnon. They’re both incredibly funny in their own way!’
He added: ‘And that’s what I loved about what Jay did. It was like, got this British acting royalty and this American comedy royalty in Andy and Kate and putting them together.’
With lines dripping in British sarcasm like ‘Don’t ever leave me, but when you do, could you kill me on your way out?’ set against heavy-handed moments such as McKinnon’s unsubtle come-on to Cumberbatch, The Roses promises a fascinating culture clash of comedic styles.
You can catch it in cinemas from August 29.
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