Jacob Elordi has revealed the major Hollywood star who was set to play Barry Keoghan’s character in Saltburn.
The Irish actor has already received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Oliver Quick in the psychological thriller, which has garnered huge attention in recent weeks.
However, it turns out Barry almost missed out on getting the part, as it was originally intended for a very famous actor.
During a joint interview with Barry for British Vogue, Jacob confessed the film’s director Emerald Fennell initially wanted Timothée Chalamet to play Oliver.
In a Q&A session, Jacob said: “Barry, what drew you to Saltburn?’
Barry responded: “When I met Emerald, she told me that she had you kind of down to do it. So, Emerald, yourself and the script… what about you?”
His co-star replied: “Definitely yeah, it was Emerald. Then she said she wanted Timothée Chalamet for it, and I said have you thought about Barry Keoghan?”
While Saltburn features plenty of shocking moments, including the infamous bath water scene and the “vampire sex”, Barry has confessed he improvised his character’s most jaw-dropping act.
The scene in question was when his character Oliver Quick stimulates sex with the grave of his dead best friend Felix Catton (Elordi).
During a previous interview with Variety, the 31-year-old revealed he asked for a closed set because he wanted to “try something”.
“On paper, he wasn’t written to do that. But I wanted to see what actually happened, where I would take it,” Barry confessed.
“I wanted to be confused and let my body lead the way. What am I doing? How can I get closer? It’s trying to find that new level of obsession. Trying to level up on the obsession.
“It’s quite sad because he didn’t even know what to do. He’s a lost boy who’s confused and doesn’t know what he’s chasing. And he never gets the fulfillment of what he’s chasing.”
While the film was released in cinemas back in November, it became available to stream on Amazon Prime in late December – which lead to many people watching it over the Christmas period.
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, the film focuses on student Oliver Quick (Keoghan), who finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Barry has already been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the movie, with the awards ceremony taking place this Sunday, January 7th, in Los Angeles.
The actor is up alongside fellow Irish stars, Cillian Murphy and Andrew Scott, who have been nominated for their respective roles in Oppenheimer and All Of Us Strangers.
Also nominated in the Best Actor category are Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Colman Domingo (Rustin).
This is the second Golden Globe nomination for Barry – who was previously nominated for his role in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin in 2022.
