You may not know the name Ruth Wilson, but chances are you know the face of this Golden Globe and Olivier Award-winning British actress, whose notable onscreen appearances have included key roles in series like Luther, The Affair and His Dark Materials.
Wilson’s next big screen role is in twisted historical tale Victorian Psycho, based on the novel by Virginia Feito. In the film – which is out today, 13 November, in South Africa – Wilson plays Mrs. Pounds, the matriarch of an affluent 19th Century family that has their lives upended by the arrival of sociopathic governess Winifred Notty (played by Longlegs’ Maika Monroe). Zachary Wigon directs this unapologetically unhinged and gory effort.
Thanks to Sun Africa Group, we have this insightful interview to share about Wilson’s experience of making the film.
What drew you to Victorian Psycho?
I read the script fairly late in the day to be honest, but I loved the cast attached – Jason Isaacs and Maika Monroe, I’ve seen a lot of their work. And when I read the script, there was something really wild and brilliant about it. And it’s batshit, basically, and I quite like weird stuff. So I was instantly drawn to it. It was a great little job to do in Ireland and a fun piece to be part of.
Who is Mrs Pounds and when do we first meet her in the story?
So you first meet Mrs Pounds at a dinner table. She and Mr Pounds have hired Winifred to be the new governess to look after their two children. They’re a typical Victorian family.
But as the film goes on, Winifred draws something out in each of them. And you realise she’s not who she says she is. And she kind of leads them all to madness, I suppose. They’re already quite mad, this family, but they seem quite normal initially. And then you realise that they’re eccentric and strange and dangerous. And she’s got intentions of her own, Winifred.
Tell us about the relationship between Mrs Pounds and her family.
I think it’s reminiscent of Victorian times in that she didn’t have much of a relationship with her children. They were taken care of by a governess or the maid. She had staff to do that. So she runs the household.
And I read something actually that Victorian wives, their job was to maintain the status of their husbands in some way. So they would host gatherings called callings – basically social events – to keep their husband of high status and relevant.
So that was their job really. But they don’t have much of a relationship with either their children or their husband. I kind of believe they didn’t have much of a sexual relationship as well. And that kind of sexual repression comes out in weird ways.
Certainly with someone like Mrs. Pounds, I sort of feel that you’re corseted up, you’re held in, you’re trapped. You’re not educated, really, and all your desires are kind of repressed. You’re not allowed to talk about them or express them. It’s pre-Freud, so there’s no reflection of your feelings. You’re taught not to have feelings. So I think that’s what was interesting to me, how Winifred draws out all the family’s feelings, their subconscious feelings, throughout the course of the film.
What was Mrs Pounds’ reaction to meeting Winifred, and how does their relationship evolve throughout the film?
When Mrs Pounds first meets Winifred, she’s quite impressed by her. I mean, her father is a clergyman, apparently, and she seems to have all the skills needed to educate her kids. So I think she’s happy with her.
And then as it goes on, you realize that Winifred acts out of turn; she speaks out. Mrs. Pounds is intrigued by her. There’s something that Winifred sparks in her. And it’s a line of disgust and desire; I’m drawn to who she is. She’s challenging the norm. And so Mrs. Pounds kind of hates that but also probably slightly admires that.
What are the contemporary themes that this film touches on?
It’s patriarchy, it’s class, it’s mental health and madness, and sexual oppression. I suppose all those things contribute to mental health and madness. You know, if those things are stopped and repressed and shut down and you’re not able to express yourself or fully of explore your desires, then it will probably come out in some mad way.
Was there anything about filming that you found challenging?
I think tonally I was never quite sure of what this film was… Is it a drama horror or is it a comedy horror or is it sort of…? Where does it fit? And the fact that we’ve all got names like Mrs Pounds and Mrs Fancy and Mrs Prim, you know, okay, this sounds like a Cluedo film. Anyway, I wasn’t quite sure of the tone, and it’s very funny. You know, it’s very dry-witted. And the way [Zack’s] shooting it is really funny. It’s lots of comedy beats. So I was like, okay, there’s something stylized about this.
But I haven’t found it difficult. I found it really interesting and fun to do, with some very mad scenes. We have one which where I drag Winifred out to a dog kennel. I presumed the kennel would be quite small, but it’s massive. It looks like a doll’s house. And there’s a big massive dog-stroke-bear in the kennel. I was like, this is totally mad and brilliant… And it’s partly inside Winifred’s brain. You can stretch reality a bit and you can have fun with it.
How will this film appeal to the contemporary audience?
In terms of what people like to watch these days, it’s fast, it’s furious, it’s fun. It’s wild. It’s eccentric. I think it’s really exciting to watch.
It will be really overwhelming visually, and colorful. It reminds me sometimes of The Substance, of Poor Things, and then of The Innocents. It’s got all those things in it – comedy, humor, horror, and drama. So I think it’s got a lot going for it. It will keep you entertained, certainly.
How would you describe Victorian Psycho in one word?
Batshit! *laughs*
