Basketweavers Tangle Over Alexander Skarsgård’s “Wicker Husband”
The new rom‑com’s sentient wicker lead has sparked a heated debate among professional basket makers.
Hollywood’s Newest Love Interest
Alexander Skarsgård’s role as the “Wicker Husband” in the rom‑com Wicker has ignited a social‑media frenzy, with comments ranging from “Never looking at my patio furniture the same again” to IKEA’s tongue‑in‑cheek caption of its wicker range as “husband material.”
Artisans Question the Materials
Deborah Needleman, a former T‑magazine editor turned basket maker, was among the first to voice concern on Instagram, asking why the English‑village character is neither made of willow nor rush. More than one hundred basket makers have since joined the conversation.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines wicker as “thin sticks of wood twisted together to make baskets, furniture etc.” Yet Eleanor Morgan, trade adviser to the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers, notes that while willow has historically been associated with wicker, the term once covered any pliant twig or osier.
Behind the Scenes of the Wicker Suit
Joe Dunckley, a prosthetic designer at New Zealand’s Wētā workshop, described the project as a “big challenge” because the character is sentient yet composed of wicker. The team of 80 specialists produced 50 interlocking body pieces using a rubber‑like thermoplastic elastomer, 3D‑printed to a bespoke weave and mounted on a spandex base. The 18‑month effort also yielded ten facial appliances.
Dunckley explained that real willow was unsuitable for the suit’s functional requirements, likening the decision to the film industry’s avoidance of actual steel armor in fantasy movies.
Craftspeople Weigh In
Lewis Prosser, a basket maker from Cardiff, said the approach “isn’t the way I would have done it, but that doesn’t mean that it is bad.” He clarified his view of wicker as an object that is woven but specifically not textile, acknowledging that some will disagree.
Prosser outlined three traditional methods—coiling, braiding, and stake‑and‑stand basketry—stating that classic wicker items usually involve the latter technique, which the Wicker Husband does not employ.
The Ongoing Debate
Some makers, including Needleman, argue that wicker denotes a type of weave rather than a specific material, while others maintain that material choice remains central to the definition. The discussion continues to ripple through online forums and trade circles.
For now, the film’s audience will keep watching the plaited protagonist, while basket makers keep polishing their own definitions of what truly makes a piece “wicker.”
