Among this year's critically-acclaimed films that are receiving Oscar buzz is Yorgos Lanthimos' far-from-proper period piece, The Favourite. The film starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone may have its leading ladies strapping into tight corsets, but their characters' language is quite unhinged, as frequent swings of "fucks" and "cunts" unapologetically comes from their mouths. But will the film's frequent use of swearing sway The Favourite's chances from being... the favorite? Olivia Colman recently weighed in:
Who gives a fuck? Though [cunt] really is a big no-no. It's sort of equal to the n-word in America. Here the n-word is way up there and cunt is sort of all right. But the people who vote are all in the industry and less puritanical and shocked by stuff.
As far as expletives go, "cunt" has been one that's not regularly spoken in film as much as "fuck" is spewed and whatnot. So it's possible that some Oscar voters might be put off by The Favourite for this reason. Olivia Colman, however, likely didn't star as Queen Anne in the film only to be recognized by the Academy, but because it was a role she wanted to tackle.
Olivia Colman does admit in her interview with The Guardian that she's dreamed of holding the golden trophy, but the whole concept of award season tends to make the actress feel sick. She doesn't want to count on it and then feel disappointed, so she's keeping herself in check and focusing on what's important: the movie itself. That's a wise choice.
The Favorite is set in the early 18th century and follows the relationship between Queen Anne and Lady Sarah, played by Weisz. When Sarah's cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives to the castle, it starts a rivalry between the two over the Queen's affections and powers. Because Yorgos Lanthimos' film is such a rejection of the typically stuffy period piece, perhaps it was greatly intended for it to defy norms and put off people a bit.
Lanthimos' last film was 2015's The Lobster, but he's also directed some other eccentric movies such as The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dogtooth. As award season continues to unfold, The Favourite has shown quite a bit of promise, as it recently scored four Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture and for the main trio of actresses. The Favourite also led the Critics' Choice Award shortlist, with 14 nominations.
Olivia Colman is especially high on the list as a possible winner for Best Actress in this year's award season, though she is among A Star is Born's Lady Gaga, The Wife's Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Emily Blunt for Mary Poppins Returns.
