Saltburn's Director Asked Barry Keoghan Some Wild Questions When He Auditioned [Exclusive]
Emerald Fennell's new film "Saltburn" is about a lonely young college student named Oliver (Barry Keoghan) who does a small favor for a wildly handsome classmate named Felix (Jacob Elordi), who, in exchange, offers Oliver a trip to his palatial estate. While there, Oliver falls into the dark psychological hole ordinarily occupied by the morals-free idle rich. The parties get wilder and wilder, and Oliver gets pulled deeper and deeper into Felix's world.
"Saltburn" is just the latest film on Keoghan's filmography wherein he plays an intense soul or deeply weird creep. Keoghan has proven to be something of an institution in recent years, having appeared in "The Batman" (as the Joker), "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," "Dunkirk," "The Green Knight," "Eternals," and "The Banshees of Inisherin." When Keoghan appears on screen, you know that things are about to get sweaty. He is proving to be one of the more dedicated and dating actors of his generation.
Fennell certainly feels that way. "He'll burrow under your skin," she said, "and hide under your bed, and then he'll pop out." In a recent interview with /Film's own Jacob Hall, Fennell talked about working with Keoghan, his dedication to the role, and his audition process. She called him "a stealth missile" and said she insisted on grilling him closely, trying to crack into his unusual exterior to find out exactly what kind of an actor he is. Already a fan, Fennell admitted to asking some really weird questions.
'Do you really like being famous for all your protestations?'
Fennell said that she likes to cast actors — and indeed hire any of her crew — based on her personal rapport with them. If she can communicate well right off the bat, then they'll work well on her film. She had a very positive experience with Keoghan, recalling:
"The way that I like to work with actors, not just actors though, any head of department, is I like to get to know them, which sounds so twee and silly, but I mean ask questions. If I meet actors, for example, [I want] to see if we're going to have an honest conversation, if we're going to be able to be honest with each other, if we can get into the place, which is exciting. So I'll ask things like, 'Do you really like being famous for all your protestations?'"
That's a strange question to receive during a job interview, but it makes sense, given the context and the nature of the job in question. More than anything though, Fennell just wants to have a conversation and her "interview" is really just a way to break the ice and bring up some complex topics. If an actor says they like being famous, the conversation has begun. Fennell can also get a little grim. She explained:
"Or you ask, 'Do you prefer your mother or your father? Which one would you mind least if they died?' Whatever it is, the kind of things that you want to see if people are [...] There are lots of actors who are amazing, but they're naturally reserved, and they don't want to give you that stuff. But Barry, he came in and we were just right into it right away."
The Enigma, unrevealed
Fennell also admitted to becoming more and more intrigued with Keoghan as their interview/audition — achieved via video call — progressed. Just like his characters, Keoghan himself seems to be mountingly inscrutable. Fennell was surprised at his technical prowess as well, finding that he does a crackerjack English accent (Keoghan is Irish). But more than anything, the mystery compounded:
"[B]y the end of the audition, my nose was practically touching the screen, because the thing with Barry is the more you show him, the closer you show him, almost the more enigmatic he becomes. He's sort of a closeup magician. You can just watch him, and something's happening that's magic, but it's impossible to see what it is or how it is."
The experience Fennell had with Keoghan's audition, perhaps expectedly, translated directly to her experience with shooting. Although he was cast as Oliver, and the filming was well underway, Keoghan remained mysterious. It seems that the actor and the director often got on each other's nerves, but that there was nothing but an air of professional respect and devotion to the film. The push-and-pull, Fennell said, was constant:
"[M]aking the whole film was like that all the time. There were still days when I was like, 'F***, how does he do that?' Especially at the moments when we were most furious with each other and we most wanted to push each other off a cliff, then it'd be like, 'Oh wow, yeah.'"
Fennell and Keoghan may not seem to be best friends, but they both seem to have gotten on each other's wavelength. Audiences will soon be able to check out the fruits of their working relationship after "Saltburn" goes into wide release on November 22, 2023.