Suffragette's Abi Morgan has made a startling revelation about the Carey Mulligan drama.
According to the BAFTA-winning screenwriter, many male actors turned down the chance to star in the film because the parts weren't substantial enough.
"When we came to cast this film it was very difficult, because we kept getting calls from agents saying the male parts weren't big enough," Morgan said at the BFI London Film Festival.
"So it's a huge tribute to Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, Samuel West and Finbar Lynch that they took on these parts. One of the things that I really wanted to try and do was, although they are smaller and supporting roles, they are complex.
Morgan defended the film against accusations it didn't have any sympathetic male characters.
"I think one of the things that's really interesting is they are all going on their journey," she explained.
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"Certainly for Ben, he's a man out of his time; for Brendan, he's a man trying to uphold the law, who then starts to question the law; for Samuel unfortunately there's very little enlightenment.
"But I do think it's very clear that he's a man who controls the world through his wife, and her wealth."
Suffragette, which centres on the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, boasts an all-star cast of Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne-Marie Duff.
The film is showing in UK cinemas now and will open in the US on October 23.
Movies Editor
Simon has worked as a journalist for more than a decade, writing on staff and freelance for Hearst, Dennis, Future and Autovia titles before joining Cision in 2022.
