Warning: Spoilers for Saltburn!
Summary
- Paul Rhys conveys his character's emotions in Saltburn through his facial expressions, earning laughs from the audience.
- Rhys praises director Emerald Fennell as a generous and spontaneous mastermind, admiring her articulation and mind-blowing talent.
- Rhys's character, Duncan, is the only one who senses something off about Oliver from the beginning, and his presence is crucial to the essence of Saltburn.
Saltburn is writer-director Emerald Fennell's sophomore feature, following in the acerbic footsteps of Promising Young Woman. Unlike her 2020 debut, however, the new movie follows the fears and follies of a young man named Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan). As a scholarship student in the elitist circles of Oxford, he finds himself nearly friendless until the day he lets the aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) borrow his bike after a flat tire incident.
After Oliver is welcomed into the friend group in a lukewarm, Saltburn really kicks off when Felix invites his new sidekick to the family estate for the summer. Oliver quickly sets about the task of winning over Felix’s parents (played by Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant) and sister Venetia (Alison Oliver), but he finds that Felix's cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) is much harder to impress, as is the family butler Duncan (Paul Rhys).
Screen Rant interviewed Paul Rhys about stepping into the world of Saltburn, collaborating with filmmaker Emerald Fennell, and portraying a fully fleshed-out character with limited lines.
Paul Rhys Talks Saltburn
Saltburn was such a mind trip, but I have to say, your facial expressions convey so much at every moment that you're on screen. The audience was cracking up every time.
Paul Rhys: I know, because I saw it last night and everyone was laughing!
Can you talk about expressing your whole character with your face? Because you have so few lines!
Paul Rhys: I know, there's so few lines. It never puts me off, actually. I was saying earlier that my friend says that she thinks films went down when the talkies were invented. It was better before, so I hold onto that.
What was it like working with Emerald Fennel as a collaborator? I imagine her mind is a mastermind.
Paul Rhys: Well, I agree. She's a mastermind, a kind mastermind, a generous mastermind, and a spontaneous mastermind. I can't tell you how much I admire her. We all did and do. I saw her first film and thought, "What on earth could I do to ever meet this woman?" and then quite soon after I was asked to do Saltburn, I couldn't believe it. I didn't need to look at the script. I just said, "Yes, of course." She's wonderful. I can't place her highly enough. The articulation of that brain is phenomenal.
What would you say is Duncan's first impression of Oliver, and how does that evolve?
Paul Rhys: This is a very interesting question. Duncan is immediately aware that there's something wrong with this boy. Immediately, from the minute those doors open. He doesn't know what it is, but something is off and he's the only person in the entire film that does. And fully know without really knowing, because as Emerald said to me, if he really knew, he'd kill him. Kill him. Because he loves his family so much, but he knows there's something wrong, and he's from a rough part of life.He's not from privilege and he's developed the skin to see a [ruse], and the family have not. They've been too coddled, and too privileged and too protected from life to spot anything. [Barry] has a brilliant line later in the film. I can't remember whose line it is. "Like sleeping dogs lying in the sun belly up."
Near the end of the movie, Oliver asks about Duncan, but I don't think that we really get to see that much of you after that point.
Paul Rhys: No, the ending changed. We don't. It's the first thing he said, "Is Duncan's still there?" Because he must be. If Duncan's not there, it's not Saltburn anymore. He's like a gargoyle of one of those pillars on the courtyard. He just is the place more than anybody. I think he genuinely loves the place as much as he loves the family and he has grown to really love these children, particularly. When Jacob's character dies, he's devastated.
You are also in Napoleon, so you're just having an amazing film year. What was that experience like for you?
Paul Rhys: Somebody called it the Rhys-naissance. I'm trying to put that around. I know, because Emerald Fennell and Ridley Scott, come on. Both wonderful roles.I can't comment on Napoleon because I haven't seen it yet. I'm seeing it tomorrow night in London. We'll be flying back to see it, but I had a lovely time doing both. Huge admirer of Joaquin. We had a wonderful time together. Nearly everything I did was with him.
About Saltburn
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Check out our other interview with Archie Madekwe.
Saltburn is in theaters now.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
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Saltburn
- Release Date:
- 2023-11-17
- Director:
- Emerald Fennell
- Cast:
- Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan
- Rating:
- R
- Runtime:
- 131 Minutes
- Genres:
- Comedy, Thriller
- Writers:
- Emerald Fennell
- Studio(s):
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MRC, LuckyChap Entertainment, Lie Still
- Distributor(s):
- Amazon MGM Studios
