For actors, every role comes with unexpected experiences, from learning how to be a twin to learning your physical limits from repeating the same scene over and over again to get the perfect shot. In Fox Searchlight’s new dramedy, The Roses, kid actor Ollie Robinson collected many of these kinds of quirky stories. Becoming 10-year-old Roy Rose brought Ollie into a chaotic family setting that pushed his creativity and athletic abilities to new levels.
The Roses takes some inspiration from Warren Adler’s 1981 novel The War of the Roses and remakes the 1989 film starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. At the center of the store are Theo and Ivy Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman in the 2025 film). The duo is the perfect couple—until they aren’t. Over the course of the film, we see the Roses weather life changes as their marriage falls apart and their family and friends navigate the fallout of their relationship. We caught up with Ollie for an inside look at the new film, becoming Benedict Cumberbatch’s son on screen, and his on-set experiences.
Showstopper Magazine Online: Hi Ollie! Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you beyond the screen?
Hi! I am a pretty normal 12-year-old who likes to hang out with friends, game, go to the beach, and drink chocolate milk.
SMO: How did you get your part in your latest film, The Roses?
I auditioned for the role of Roy on tape first. The casting directors, Kathleen Chapin and Jon Ort, trusted me enough to then come in and do a creative working session with Jay Roach (the director) and Delaney Quinn, who ended up playing my sister. I guess I did something right during that working session because they gave me the role.
SMO: Tell us about Roy Rose. What did it take to bring him to life?
Roy is a lot like me at the beginning of the film. He hates exercise, prefers eating sugary cereal and staying indoors. But by the end of the film, Roy is an award-winning athlete, something I’m definitely not!
Benedict Cumberbatch really helped keep me motivated during the intense running scenes we had to do. When Roy was really out of breath from a beach run with his dad, I did not have to do much acting. We shot that scene all day, so by the end of the day, we were all tired of running. My legs definitely hurt the next day.
SMO: What was it like to play a twin?
It was really fun! We obviously aren’t related, but since Delaney has lots of freckles, they ended up putting fake freckles on me every day. It was super hot when we were filming, so I kept sweating them off and having to get them redone.
SMO: The Roses is a story about a family in turmoil. What did you do to be part of that world?
Roy has an interesting place in the turmoil. He starts off really close to his mom, who happily feeds him sweets. But when things change, he ends up seeking his father’s approval by pushing himself to become the kind of athlete he thinks his father wants.
The kids kind of become this integral part of the tension between Theo and Ivy because Ivy feels like she gave up motherhood and her bond with Roy and Hattie to see success work-wise. Theo, while he loves the kids, looks at them as the reason he can’t succeed with his work and starts to resent Ivy because of it. Then he decides he can just build people instead of buildings, and yeah, let the fighting begin!
SMO: You worked with some major actors on this film. What was it like to work with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman?
Like what I imagine driving a really nice car must be. They’re just the best. They are truly amazing scene partners, and it was really fun to get to play off of them and the sense of humor they put into Ivy and Theo. Also, they were legit kind people.
SMO: What were your favorite behind-the-scenes moments with your castmates?
Benedict is one of my favorite people, period. The best way to describe him is present. He is a great listener, gives amazing advice, and really treated me like an equal instead of just some kid he had to spend time with. We hunted for bugs between takes, told jokes, and mostly just had a lot of really awesome conversations.
Another behind-the-scenes moment, I don’t know that I’d call it fun, but it does show how cool Olivia is, is when I got heatstroke from filming and threw up everywhere. Both Benedict and Olivia told me we could wrap for the day, and I could go home, but I wasn’t going to do that because acting and storytelling is my favorite thing ever. So we had to go upstairs in this really hot house in England with no AC. It was in the 90s, and I had on thick pajamas and had to be under several layers of covers. The room was tiny, and with the cameras and light,s it was crazy hot in there. My real mom had to wait outside because there wasn’t room for anyone other than the cast and crew, so Olivia told me she’d be the mom. So in between each take, she would rip the covers off of me, use her fan to cool me off, and keep my neck wet with cold water. She’s the best. And also so goofy, and I love her.
SMO: The Roses is far from your first time on screen. How did that filming experience compare to other projects you’ve been part of?
This was a really magical project because of the cast and crew. I’ve been on a lot of sets, and the magical team Jay and the producers put together to film The Roses takes the cake. I know Kate McKinnon from doing SNL, so it was also fun to be able to work with her again. Overall, it was really just the people who made this such a special project.
SMO: The Roses is out now! What are you most excited for audiences to see?
I think just the way Olivia and Benedict manage to make two people behaving so badly towards each other actually so likable that you love them both and want them to reunite by the end. And just to go laugh and enjoy a break from life for a bit. I think Jay and Tony McNamara really did a good job telling Theo and Ivy’s story.
SMO: What’s next for you? Are you hunting for any particular roles or stories?
I love working, so I’m going to keep going, but if you know anyone looking to cast the next Jurassic World movie, please give them my name!!!
The Roses is in theaters now.
