“It’s women getting the job done”
Meet the women of Widows, a dark thriller generating serious awards buzz
WHEN DIRECTOR STEVE Mcqueen won the Best Picture Oscar for 12 Years A Slave, the question was: what’s next? The unexpected answer: a big-screen version of an early ’80s Lynda La Plante ITV series. Adapted by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, this is an honest-to-goodness thriller that sees the widows of a criminal gang follow in their deceased husbands’ footsteps, after the men’s initial heist goes fatally wrong. Here, the four leading ladies introduce us to their characters.
VIOLA DAVIS AS VERONICA
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that Oscar winner Davis is head of the widows, the outwardly tough but inwardly devastated Veronica. “For me it’s a game-changer,” says Davis. “I would not readily have thought of me for this role, and I don’t know why. Me, with a ’fro, married to Liam Neeson? That’s not how Hollywood works. To me, this is the ultimate chick-flick because it’s women getting the job done. Everyone is an underdog; we’re trying to survive.”
MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ AS LINDA
The Fast And The Furious may have fuelled her career in recent years, but Rodriguez is getting back to her seriously dramatic roots: think Girlfight but… ladylike? “This is a way more feminine character than I’ve ever played before,” Rodrigeuz observes. “She has two kids, she’s a seamstress. At first, I was repulsed by this type of femininity, a woman who relies on her man for everything. But the fact that I had such a strong reaction said maybe it’s worthwhile facing it.”
CYNTHIA ERIVO AS BELLE
Erivo may be new to the big screen, but she already has a Tony and a Grammy for her (mindblowing) Broadway performance in The Color Purple. Her character, Belle, is the newcomer brought into the gang. “There’s no frills about her,” Erivo explains. “She cares deeply about her family and her child, but she’s sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place. She’s really special.”
ELIZABETH DEBICKI AS ALICE
Debicki, the tallest widow, plays the vulnerable Alice, dominated by her late husband and controlling mother. “She doesn’t have street smarts, but she has the instincts for it,” says Debicki. “It’s such an interesting journey, someone who lived in such a little bubble. And they’re performing this heist as a means to an end, and the end is so much more meta than the money that they’re stealing. I don’t want to give anything away!” WIDOWS IS IN CINEMAS FROM 9 NOVEMBER