Landscapers: The Fake Letters From Gérard Depardieu Explained

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Landscapers. 

HBO Max’s Landscapers tells the true crime story of Susan and Christopher Edwards, a married couple who killed and buried Susan’s parents on their own property — but how do the fake letters from French actor Gérard Depardieu factor into the story? Both of the Edwardses lived in their own fantasy worlds, in particular, glamourous 1940s Hollywood and the Second World War. Throughout the first episode, the couple refers to Gérard as if he were a personal friend; however, the truth is even more bizarre. Here’s how the fake letters from Depardieu only further fueled their fantasies.

The true story of Landscapers was that Susan and Christopher Edwards were just a typical, quiet married couple who resided in London. After the brutal slaying of Susan’s elderly parents, William and Patricia Wycherley, however, their life was far from typical. The couple got away with the crime for almost 15 years, fleeing the country to hide out in France after stealing almost $400K from the Wycherleys’ pension, but they were eventually apprehended when Christopher admitted to the crime while asking for financial assistance from his stepmother. After a whirlwind capture and trial, the Edwardses were convicted of murder in June 2014, being sentenced to life in prison with a minimum 25-year sentence.

Much of Landscapers focuses on Susan’s fantasies, and Gérard Depardieu was just another facet of her fantasies. Depardieu is a real-life French actor, starring in films such as Cyrano de Bergerac and The Man in the Iron Mask. Susan has an incredible fascination with Old Hollywood and movies — even when the couple get down on their luck, a large portion of their income goes to Hollywood memorabilia, and when times get tough, her train of thought disappears into an idyllic, black-and-white Hollywood moment to shield her from reality. Instead of facing the truth of their declining funds and fruitless run from the police, Susan comforts herself with the fantasy that their story will have a happy, romantic, Hollywood ending, and the personal letters from Depardieu are only part of the ruse.

The fake letters from Gérard Depardieu also serve to help Susan sway things in her favor. Even when their funds are rapidly draining and Christopher is struggling to find employment in France, Susan can’t curb her spending when it comes to film memorabilia. When the pair turn themselves in, their suitcase is filled with ₤15,000 — almost $20,000 — worth of film and war memorabilia. By pretending that funds are coming in from Depardieu, Susan attempts to cover the speed of her own spending from Christopher, whose financial stress is quickly mounting, as is highlighted in the first episode of the HBO Max drama, as well in the Landscapers trailer.

The letters from Depardieu are one true part of the Edwardses’ story that was brought into Landscapers. For years, the real Christopher Edwards believed that he was penpals with Depardieu. Susan was more than happy to indulge her partner in this fantasy; Christopher would write to Depardieu, and Susan would take them to “mail” them. Instead, Susan would write back to her husband as Depardieu, entertaining his delusions — this fact is further emphasized by the fact that the Depardieu letters are always read in Susan’s voice in Landscapers. The pair’s obsession with Hollywood stars and film likely contributed to their choice of imaginary penpals. Christopher seemed to fully believe in this fantasy, and it is unknown — both in real life and in Landscapers — if he ever realized the letters were truly coming from his wife.

Landscapers releases new episodes Mondays on HBO Max.

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