Rosamund Pike chats about why she always thought she was a good fit for acting, working with Hollywood heavyweight Tom Cruise and starring in the outrageous hit film Saltburn
WORDS: JENNY DAVIS PHOTOS: CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK
PIKE DREAMS
She’s an acclaimed actress with a long and illustrious career, but no one could deny that Rosamund Pike is enjoying something of a moment thanks to her scene-stealing role as Lady Elspeth Catton in director Emerald Fennell’s hit movie Saltburn.
“I just saw her as a fun ride. She had great lines – that was clear,” Rosamund tells OK! as she settles down to talk about her career highs and that memorable performance in the shocking black comedy drama. “I think there are definitely scenes in the film which probably could never have been in the script or she [Emerald] would never have got it made,” she says, laughing.
And we can see why – no spoilers, but this may not be the elegant Brideshead Revisited–style film you might expect. Set in 2006, Saltburn follows awkward Oxford University student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) who becomes obsessed with his intoxicating new friend Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. Invited to spend the summer at Felix’s family’s country estate, Oliver meets the aristocratic (and frankly bonkers) Catton clan and forms a special bond with matriarch Elspeth, a former model with a very loose take on supportive motherhood.
The 44-year-old gained critical acclaim and awards nominations for her role, so it’s easy to see why she remembers the experience with such affection.
“We were in the house all the time. This family in the UK, who’ve never opened it to the public or to a film crew, let us film, which was a gift. So the crew moved in, our catering tables and catering trucks were outside permanently, our huge cranes were in their garden. Everybody ate together and so it was growing and developing through kind of games of ping-pong and basketball and just sort of fooling around in the grounds.
“With Elspeth, I had to give her a backstory. I had to think how she came to be married to Sir James [played by Richard E Grant]. What was her youth like? What are her disappointments?
“I think she honestly believes she’s a kindly person and is kind – very, very kind until you don’t interest her any more. She has the need for somebody less fortunate to be in her orbit so she doesn’t have to focus on any of the problems going on with her own family. It was very i
