London: Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro says he is putting a fresh spin on the Gothic romance genre in Crimson Peak by subverting the classic gender roles in the period thriller, out on October 8 in the UAE.
The men can’t cope; the women can.
The movie tells the story of aspiring New York-based author Edith Cushing, played by Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who falls for mysterious British stranger Thomas Sharpe, portrayed by Thor actor Tom Hiddleston.
In the wake of a family tragedy, she decides to marry Sharpe and moves to his isolated and crumbling English mansion, a house full of secrets as well as troubled spirits.
“I made it a point to make every man in the movie useless.
“Normally in Gothic romance you end with [the male hero] carrying the girl without a shirt and rescuing her from imminent danger,” del Toro said.
“I wanted to sort of actualise the genre a little bit and make the female roles the central roles.” Del Toro, best known for Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth, directed, produced and co-wrote the film, which also stars The Martian actress Jessica Chastain as Sharpe’s sister Lucille.
“In this story the heroine saves herself. I think that’s very powerful because ... in many ways we all have to do that,” Hiddleston said on del Toro’s aim to subvert expectations about Gothic romance. “It did feel rare, it felt like the right way to move the genre forward.”
The screenplay took on a life of its own as production advanced, being rewritten and changed to adapt to new ideas — and to casting changes for the lead characters of Edith and Thomas.
“Emma Stone was going to play the part of Edith and Benedict Cumberbach the part of Thomas, so they were very different characters when they were going to play that,” Del Toro said.
Wasikowska and Hiddleston took the starring roles. They had previously performed together two years ago in another dark romance, Only Lovers Left Alive, about dissolute vampires.
