Alexander Skarsgård, the 50-year-old Swedish actor, is back in the spotlight as Wicker opens in select U.S. theaters on October 23. The detail fueling the buzz is how he describes shooting the film's bed-breaking love scenes with Olivia Colman, which he says were genuinely fun to film. Here's everything you need to know about the scenes, the suit and the film's rollout.
Key Facts to Know
- Release: Wicker opens in select U.S. theaters October 23 and expands October 30. Source: AV Club
- The role: Skarsgård plays a life-sized husband woven entirely from wicker, who becomes a devoted companion and lover. Source: IBTimes UK
- The scenes: The couple's bed breaks during their love scenes, and the characters comment on it in the moment. Source: IBTimes UK
- Origin: The film adapts Ursula Wills-Jones's short story "The Wicker Husband." Source: AV Club
lexander Skarsgard and Olivia Colman in ‘Wicker’.Credit : Black Bear
What Skarsgård Said About the Scenes
Skarsgård opened up about the film's physical comedy in a recent interview. He explained that the filmmakers deliberately built in the bed-crashing beats.
"We wanted those moments when the bed crashes and breaks," Skarsgård said, per IBTimes UK.
That comedy sits alongside the romance. Skarsgård said the characters also share tender and sexy moments, which keeps the film from tipping into pure slapstick.
How the Intimate Scenes Were Planned
The love scenes did not happen on the fly. Directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson said the sequences needed some of the movie's "most detailed prep," per Hola!.
According to that report, every shot was boarded, rehearsed and boarded again ahead of filming. That makes sense. Skarsgård wears a fully practical suit, built by Joe Dunckley and Wētā Workshop, rather than a digital effect.
Inside the Wicker Husband Suit
The costume is the star of the film's online life, and it asked a lot of the actor. Skarsgård, who is usually cast as dark and mysterious, said the part tested him in a different way.
"Playing a good guy was terrifying," Skarsgård told Entertainment Weekly in July 2026.
It's a candid admission from an actor known for brooding roles. He also joked to EW that his dream had always been to have nipples made of wicker.
Colman, Dinklage and the Cast
Colman plays a village outsider known as the Fisherwoman, who asks the local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to weave her a husband. Elizabeth Debicki plays a judgmental neighbor, and Richard E. Grant and Gustav Lindh also appear, per AV Club and MovieZine.
Colman was happy to swoon on cue. She joked to TheWrap in January 2026 that it was easy when facing "the most beautiful creature made of wicker," per TheWrap.
Reviews and What Comes Next
Wicker premiered at Sundance in January 2026 and earned two standing ovations, per TheWrap. Critics have been split. Awards Watch gave it a B+ and called it a fun, bawdy fable, while TheWrap's review found it well-intentioned but wooden.
The film reaches UK cinemas on October 30, per IBTimes UK. Skarsgård comes from an acting family, and his father, Stellan Skarsgård, is a screen icon in his own right. For more on actors leaning into offbeat roles, see our reports on Jack O'Connell and Odessa A'zion playing flat-earthers and Tom Hiddleston on fatherhood.
Closing
With Wicker now in theaters, audiences can judge for themselves whether the bed-breaking romance lands as sweet, funny or both. Stay tuned to Bigwritehook for more on Skarsgård and Colman as the film expands.
