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Olivia Colman’s Talking Fox Comedy And The Australian Folklore Behind It

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Olivia Colman’s Talking Fox Comedy And The Australian Folklore Behind It


If you’re going into The Fox expecting something straightforward… absolutely do not. Olivia Colman leads this wildly offbeat, Australian comedy that leans all the way into the absurd, blending satire, folklore, and just enough disorder to keep you constantly guessing what you’re watching.

At the center of it all is a bizarre premise involving a talking fox, questionable decisions, and a very suspicious “magic hole” that promises transformation — but it might not be the kind you want. ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan spoke to director Dario Russo at SXSW in Austin, Texas, last week, where he dished on the real-world inspiration behind the film.

Dario Russo: There’s a problem in Australia, where people keep listening to talking foxes, and pushing their fiancées into magic holes in the bush, with the promise that they’re going to come out as the perfect woman. And for some reason, they never get the idea that it doesn’t go to plan. And I thought it was about time to make a movie that warned people about this phenomenon. It’s very relevant.

Insisting that the film is based on a “true story” that happened to him, Russo joked that the phenomenon is particularly prevalent in Australia, likening the behavior of the fox in the film to the coyotes typically spotted in the United States.

Dario Russo: Coyotes are very untrustworthy. Almost as bad as the foxes.

While Colman voices the mischievous fox, it’s Kori [ Emily Browning] who is the film’s anchor, caught in the middle of the chaos of her sweet but oblivious fiancé Nick [ Jai Courtney] and her self-absorbed coworker Derrick [Damon Herriman], with whom she’s having an affair. As she quietly drifts out of her relationship, Nick becomes desperate to fix things, setting off the film’s wild chain of events when he turns to a very questionable solution involving a talking fox and a magical pit that transforms Kori into the partner he always wanted — or so he thought.

The surrealist role was the perfect change of pace for Browning, who told ScreenRant she was in after reading the script.

Emily Browning: I have a short attention span, and I get bored really easily, so I just always want to be doing something different to what I’ve done before. And this was just a great script, and it was really fun.

While viewers will have to watch the film to get the full scope of Browning’s transformation, it’s clear something is “afoot” when she comes out of that hole.

Dario Russo: Let’s just say Emily’s character transforms… Something’s wrong with her when she comes out of that hole, that’s for sure. Something’s afoot.

The transformation for Browning was unique, with the Australian-born actress calling it akin it to “getting used to a new body.”

Emily Browning: I think the transformation for me was — I guess I thought of it as someone who has not been in a body before. Kind of getting used to a new body, something like that.

When I read the script, I was like, “I think I know what this is meant to be.” It was just kind of there. I didn’t do anything… a good script is like a guide.

And a perfect guide it was, with Claudia Doumit, who played Diana in the film, also crediting the script for the “easy” work experience she and her castmates had while making The Fox.

Claudia Doumit: I just loved the script. It’s true. If it’s on the page, you don’t have to do much. It’s already there for you. So it makes your job so easy. So that’s what this was. So easy, but a lot of work.

Everything Else The Fox Cast Said About Bringing This Quirky Film To Life

The Fox
ScreenRant

ScreenRant: There is a talking fox, and as soon as she starts speaking, I’m like, “I know that voice very well.” [It’s] Olivia Colman. So tell me about just getting her, and what that conversation was like.

Dario Russo: Well, a dream come true to be able to work with Olivia Colman. I wanted to work with her for a really long time, like back to Peep Show days, and all the weird comedy stuff she did in the U.K. So I’d like to say it’s a very exotic story about how we got her, but she kind of read the script and said, “Yes.”

It’s a self-selecting work, in that regard. “Yep, come on, come on board. You don’t know what you’ve got yourself into.” It was pretty wonderful. We did kind of a Zoom session where Olivia performed all the lines, and we recorded them sort of roughly. And then, the animatronics team rehearsed for those performances. On set, we played Olivia’s voice through a speaker while the performers manipulated the puppet. Afterward, in post-production, we conducted an ADR session to smooth everything out, and so there was a back-and-forth between her setting the tone for the performance, and the puppeteers bringing something else, and then she just comes back in at the end and has the finishing touches.

ScreenRant: I love that you used puppeteers, by the way.

Dario Russo: Oh yeah, you bet.

ScreenRant: Can you talk a little bit about that experience and what you were kind of thinking, and how you ultimately landed on “I want to use puppeteers?”

Dario Russo: Well, I always knew I wanted to do the animals by practical effects through this movie. That was in the brief from the get-go, because I really love prac effects. I grew up a bit obsessed with Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Alien, and all these wonderful movies that built everything. The creatures were actually there. And also, our generations grew up sort of indoctrinated by puppets, in one way or another.

I just love puppets. Whether it be the Muppets or Sesame Street, or Fraggle Rock or The Dark Crystal — We’re programmed to take puppets seriously, in a kind of nostalgic way, and to connect with them emotionally, in a way that maybe computer-generated characters can’t do. Not to mention that the performers actually got to perform with the puppet creature, not just a tennis ball at the end of a stick. It was an elevated experience on set.

ScreenRant: Can you speak to that?

Claudia Doumit: I loved it. I pre-recorded it, so I’m going to get one kind of performance every time, I think. And so how am I really going to have a conversation with this animatronic magpie across from me? I don’t know. How’s it going to work? And then, by the second take, I was like, “I’m connected. This is my scene partner. Here’s the magpie, and here I am.” It really is funny how easy it was to drop in. And it’s like what you said, there’s no tennis ball there.

Emily Browning: I didn’t have any scenes with any of the puppets, but I watched … I was just on set for all the scenes I wasn’t in, because I really enjoyed making this movie, so I was just there watching. But it’s insane, the acting that the puppeteers are doing with the puppets.

Claudia Doumit: And they’re moving simultaneously, but in such a cohesive manner. The wing flaps here, and the beak goes here — It’s like a marriage.

Emily Browning: And you were also very good at it; you knew how to direct the puppets somehow. That scene where Jai’s talking to the magpie, we need a head tilt there to make … There was a line that was a bit sarcastic, and it was like we need it. And I watched it. I was like, “How did you know?!”

Dario Russo: I did a class on directing animals in the bush. You go under a certain tree, at a certain time, and there’s a guy who tells you what’s what in that respect.

ScreenRant: What did making this film teach you about what you want to do next?

Dario Russo: Exclusively, I want to work with animatronic animals, no humans ever again, I think. [Laughs] No, it was absolutely incredible. I’ll just work with these guys over and over again. That’s about it. I’ll just write movies for them. It was fantastic. It was an incredible experience all the way through, and a huge challenge. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but so fulfilling. And I don’t know, I just hope somebody gives me another shot, and I get to make another movie.

The Fox premiered March 15 at SXSW. As of now, there’s no official wide release date yet, but it’s currently seeking distribution.



Release Date

March 15, 2026

Runtime

90 minutes

Director

Dario Russo

Writers

Dario Russo

Producers

Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings, Carly Maple



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