Director Emerald Fennell has praised her Saltburn star Barry Keoghan for having “absolutely no fear or shame” while making the movie.

In the writer-director’s latest provocative thriller, the Irish actor plays Oliver Quick, a poor Oxford University student who becomes obsessed with the rich and charming Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. Felix invites Oliver to his family’s luxury estate Saltburn for a summer they will never forget.

Speaking to Deadline at the London Film Festival on Wednesday, Fennell claimed that Keoghan had no fear about shooting the outrageous material and was excited to dive into the role, which involves full-frontal nudity and graphic sexual acts.

“(He) has absolutely no fear or shame… he just wants to get into it. And the thing that excites him as much as it excites me is that feeling of: Let’s do it. Let’s do it. Let’s get in,” she told columnist Baz Bamigboye after the film’s international premiere.

She went on to praise the “exceptional” actor for being so dedicated to making something that they knew was going to be “intense and memorable and new”.

“I suppose we’re all looking to drill down into something deep,” she added.

Addressing the dark and twisted nature of her film, the Promising Young Woman director shared that she wanted to make a story that “everyone talks about afterwards”.

“The thing is that we just always want to make things that are fun, that push buttons and that make people excited… And make people want to watch it again,” she stated.

Saltburn opened the 2023 London Film Festival, which runs until 15 October. It will be released in cinemas on 17 November.

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