Barry Keoghan defends authenticity in daring "Saltburn" role

Barry Keoghan, an actor known for his roles in "Dunkirk" and "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," recently interviewed with "The Louis Theroux Podcast " about a scene from the movie Saltburn in which his character, Oliver Quick, dances completely naked. When the host suggested that some speculate about the use of prosthetics or digital enhancement of his body, Keoghan quickly debunked these rumours.

"Enhanced? Who said that? Nah, wow," the actor replied firmly. "It was all me. […] it was a thing that I didn’t really bat an eyelid to, you know, I would bat an eyelid if it didn’t fit the story," he added.

In the controversial scene, Oliver Quick triumphantly moves through the inherited estate, dancing to Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dance Floor." Keoghan explained that he and director Emerald Fennell wanted to show how his character takes control of the space. "We all do it at home: we walk around naked, do you know what I mean? Because we’re comfy and this is our environment," he stated.

The actor compared the scene to a work of art. "It’s just beautiful to look at that […] but to watch the body of someone run through rooms like that, it’s like a painting almost," Keoghan said in an interview with PageSix.

In a conversation with "Entertainment Weekly," he admitted that after the first take, he felt comfortable enough to want to shoot more. "But after take one, I was ready to go. I was like, ‘Let’s go again. Let’s go again.’ You kind of forget, because there’s such a comfortable environment created, and it gives you that license to go, ‘All right, this is about the story now," he added. Ultimately, the scene was repeated 11 times.

Director Emerald Fennell conveyed that the scene was designed to highlight the character's triumph. She aimed for the audience to root for Oliver despite his simultaneously repellent and captivating nature. She likened it to a metaphorical dance with the devil that leaves viewers intrigued and eager to see the next move. This is why the ending required an element of triumph, victory, and desecration.

Keoghan also mentioned another improvised scene in which his character simulates a sexual act with a grave. "I wanted to see what the next level of obsession was," the actor revealed during a conversation with Deadline. "And by that [I mean], I just wanted the camera to roll. Not to kind of preempt it or rehearse it and what happened, happened," he confessed.

"Saltburn" has been mainly discussed due to the abovementioned controversial scenes. It's a production about an Oxford University student drawn into an aristocratic world. A friend invites him to the vast estate of his eccentric family for an unforgettable holiday. The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.