The Dig: Emerald Fennell praises Carey Mulligan’s ‘range’ amid Promising Young Woman review drama

The Crown star particularly enjoyed the actor’s new Netflix film

Emerald Fennell has praised Carey Mulligan amid the drama surrounding a controversial review of their film, Promising Young Woman.

Fennell, who wrote and directed the revenge comedy-thriller, was one of the millions to have watched Mulligan in her new Netflix film, The Dig, which is the streaming service’s most-watched title since being released on Friday (29 January).

“Absolutely loved The Dig,” she wrote, adding: Just beautiful and supremely moving. And my god the RANGE of a Mulligan!!!!”

The Dig’s release comes days after Mulligan said she was “thrilled” that Variety apologised for its controversial review of Promising Young Woman, which was set to be released in the UK in April 2021 before being delayed until next month due to the pandemic.

The review, published in January 2020, suggested that Margot Robbie would have been better suited to play the lead character.

RELATED: Promising Young Woman: Carey Mulligan responds to apology for controversial film review

“Mulligan, a fine actress, seems a bit of an odd choice as this admittedly many-layered apparent femme fatale,” stated critic Dennis Harvey. “Margot Robbie is a producer here, and one can (perhaps too easily) imagine the role might once have been intended for her. Whereas with this star, Cassie wears her pickup-bait gear like bad drag; even her long blonde hair seems a put-on.”

Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell at Sundance Film Festival in 2020  (Getty Images)

In a profile in The New York Times in December, Mulligan condemned the review, saying it implied she wasn’t “hot enough to pull off this kind of ruse”. 

She added that while her ego wasn’t “wounded” and she can see that “Margot Robbie is a goddess”, she found it bizarre that the review focused on her appearance given that the film aims to subvert expectations of women. “It drove me so crazy,” she said.

Variety subsequently added an editor’s note at the top of its review that reads: “Variety sincerely apologises to Carey Mulligan and regrets the insensitive language and insinuation in our review of Promising Young Woman that minimised her daring performance.”

RELATED: The Dig review: Netflix archaeological drama quietly subverts its period dressings

While Mulligan said she was “thrilled” by the response, Variety’s decision has led to outrage from several critics who argued that the publication should have stood by its long-standing freelancer. Harvey then defended his choice of words in an article for The Guardian after receiving criticism online.

Fennell, who plays Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown, has not directly commented on the controversy.

Mulligan is in the running for a Best Actress nomination at both the Golden Globes and Oscars for her role in the film.

The Dig, which co-stars Ralph Fiennes and Lily James, is available to stream on Netflix.

Meanwhile, Promising Young Woman will be released in the UK on 12 February.