Rosamund Pike and Carey Mulligan had a “familiarity and shorthand” on the set of Saltburn because they had worked together before.

In Emerald Fennell’s provocative thriller, the British actress plays Elspeth, the Catton family matriarch who welcomes Barry Keoghan’s Oliver Quick into their Saltburn home for the summer. Oliver isn’t the only family guest – Elspeth’s old friend Pamela, played by Mulligan, has also come to stay.

Pike told Deadline that her previous collaboration with Mulligan fed into their on-screen relationship in Saltburn.

“I think with Carey and I, because we knew each other since she was 18 and I was 24, for Pride and Prejudice, we have this familiarity and shorthand. Sisterly things,” she shared. “So, I’m sure that feeds in, I’m sure I knew it would feed into what you feel with Elspeth and Pamela.”

Pike, 44, and Mulligan, 38, played two of the Bennet sisters alongside Keira Knightley in Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel.

Audiences first meet Elspeth and Pamela when they are gossiping about Oliver’s misfortunes behind his back – a moment which was partially improvised.

“Emerald allowed us to usually improvise our way into most scenes, and sometimes little bits of that are captured. It was fun with Elspeth because I could just look up anything from 2006/7 and riff on it at dinner,” Pike explained of the scene.

“I had a ball because I’m not a great improviser unless I know exactly who the character is, and with Elspeth, I just had to pitch everything to the most extreme and most vain version of whatever it was. She’s usually getting any story and placing herself in the centre of it. And it was really fun to just live in that shallow space.”

Saltburn is now streaming on Prime Video.

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