Hollywood director reveals her favourite Barry Keoghan on-set catchphrase
Barry Keoghan attends the Los Angeles premiere of Saltburn in Hollywood, California. Pic: Getty Images
Dublin actor Barry Keoghan was made for his role in Saltburn, according to the director of the new movie which is already creating a buzz around Oscar nominations.
Saltburn is set on a luxury estate belonging to the aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites his fellow Oxford university student Oliver Quick (Keoghan) to stay with him for the summer.
Emerald Fennell, who directed the new movie, spoke with FM104’s Crossy today about how she adored working with the Dubliner.
Director Emerald Fennell praised Barry Keoghan's performance in Saltburn. Pic: Getty Images
“Barry was made for it; I mean absolutely one of the most compelling performers in the world,” she said.
“I saw him in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and remember thinking, who is this boy? I couldn’t take my eyes off him. When it came to casting Saltburn, I couldn’t get him out of my head.
“Barry is endlessly surprising, I’m not interested in things that are straightforward, I don’t think we as people are straightforward.
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“All of us are complicated, delusional, difficult, cruel and funny. When it comes to actors in general, we want that element of not necessarily knowing,” she added.
Australian actor Jacob Elordi is known for his roles in The Kissing Booth film trilogy on Netflix, the HBO series Euphoria and more recently played Elvis Presley in the biopic Priscilla.
According to Fennell, both Jacob and Barry became best friends while working together on the movie.
Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan became firm friends on the set of Saltburn. Pic: Getty Images
“Barry and Jacob just were and are like brothers. They didn’t know each other very well going in, but they were huge admirers of one another’s work. They became incredibly close, they’re still incredibly close, they look after each other,” she said.
“That’s the thing you absolutely can tell, that’s the joy of making something, you hope it fosters a connection between people.
“Barry is one of my favourites because he has his own philosophical catchphrases which we all teased him about all the time, but also use a lot now in our everyday lives.
“One of Barry’s sayings, which I love, was ‘every rollercoaster has a shadow’. Whenever we were having a difficult day at work, I said ‘don’t forget, every rollercoaster has a shadow’,” she added.
