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Before the idea to reimagine the 1989 classic film The War Of The Roses came about, Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch had never worked together.
Despite being good friends off screen, they had been patiently waiting for the right project to put their spin on.
British actor Cumberbatch, 49, who played Sherlock Holmes in BBC One's Sherlock, believes the 51-year-old Oscar winner only agreed to co-star with him in their new macabre comedy because she could be the "worst version" of herself.
"I think really it's because in this film she gets to be the very worst version of Olivia Colman there could ever be," says Cumberbatch, who received Oscar nominations for his performances in The Imitation Game and The Power Of The Dog.
"And I've relished watching her do it. We've both got a vicarious kick out of it."
"Yes, it has been lots of fun, hating each other. There's something rather therapeutic about getting to be utterly horrible to someone, and then having a good laugh about it later," adds Colman, who has won acclaim for her starring roles in The Crown, Broadchurch, The Lost Daughter and her Oscar-winning turn in The Favourite.
"She has been a lot of fun to work with. She's an amazing collaborator with this lovely, joyous, upbeat energy, which I would be exhausted by having to exert. It's just who she is. She's like that through and through.
"And, as an actress, she has this unique range between comedy and tragedy. It's effortless for her," says Doctor Strange star Cumberbatch.
"It's strange making a movie with someone you love so much, where you get to be so horrendous and nasty to them all day. But that's what this film is. It's about the highs and lows of a relationship and everything in between. Human mess in all its glory and s***," admits Colman.
For American director Jay Roach, 68, best known for the Austin Powers trilogy and Meet The Parents, their on-screen partnership also proved to be an "alchemic collision".
"I love British wit and these two are at the pinnacle of that," says Roach.
"They make it look so easy, and being funny is hard. It's hitting something so undefinable and unscientific. But it comes naturally to them, like a sixth sense."
The Roses is a modern love story, also based on the 1981 novel The War Of The Roses by American author and playwright Warren Adler, about Theo and Ivy Rose, a married couple who were deeply in love at the start of their relationship but are now crumbling under the pressure that comes with juggling modern family dynamics.
Not too long after architect Theo, played by Cumberbatch, and restaurateur Ivy, played by Colman, got married, they had two children and moved to America to start a new life.
But when a dangerous storm causes Theo's latest masterpiece, a high-profile nautical museum in San Francisco, to crumble, it puts his high-flying career at risk after a very public meltdown goes viral.
Meanwhile, the same storm ironically redirects people to Ivy's seafood restaurant, We've Got Crabs, where Jeffrey, played by Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, 32, works as the head waiter.
It is also where a well-known food critic also happens to be eating that day and writes a review, which turns Ivy into a culinary star overnight.
This puts a strain on their marriage, and what initially starts as a playful cat and mouse game evolves into fully blown emotional warfare, where neither Theo nor Ivy is willing to compromise.
"Theo and Ivy are trying to hide the intensity of their conflict, to suppress it," says Cumberbatch, who is the son of actor parents Timothy Carlton, 85, and Wanda Ventham, 90.
"But you know it will come out. It's such a brilliantly skewed cultural observation and assimilation of what other people find cute about other people.
"Really, it's about two people who love each other but are dysfunctional in and of themselves and hit a massive, massive bump. Amongst all the fun and games, it's heartbreaking."
The Roses also explores if people can truly have it all, especially when they start to have children.
For Colman, who has three children with her husband Ed Sinclair, when children come into the equation, the dynamics of a relationship will inevitably change.
"Ivy is initially the prime caregiver for the kids, which means her career starts to get sidelined. Both Ivy and Theo are brilliant at what they do. But it's hard for them to find a balance between their careers and family life," she says.
"There's also a level of guilt parents will never really get away from. But I think it's good for kids to see their parents working and enjoying their work."
"It's a universal experience," says Cumberbatch, who has three sons with his wife Sophie Hunter.
This is why Roach says he was determined to get the tone of The Roses right. He wanted it to feel "unique", parallel to real life, and to provoke reflection and honest discussions.
"I often use humour to navigate tough moments, and I think people in relationships who can joke and tease their way through awkward or tense situations show signs of a healthy bond.
"But this film explores how that love language can turn from teasing to outright attack, and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference," says Roach.
"By the end of our first read-through, although everyone was laughing through the early parts, it became clear to everyone how deeply tragic and heartbreaking it all is.
"When we finished, Benedict said to me, 'I hope this film causes every person watching it to turn to their partner and say, 'Wow, we need to talk honestly and drop the surface stuff, because if we don't, we might misunderstand each other. We might stop giving each other the benefit of the doubt'.
"And I think that is the real magic of any relationship. Once you lose that, you're on a slippery slope."
Cumberbatch adds: "This film will have something very recognisable in it for everybody, whatever stage their relationship is at. Hopefully not too much, though. This is a cautionary tale at the end of the day."
The Roses is in UK cinemas now.