41 Fun Facts About Saltburn

Who wrote and directed Saltburn?

Emerald Fennell wrote, directed and co-produced Saltburn, her second feature film; she had already won a screenwriting Oscar for her first.

What is the name of Barry Keoghan's character?

Oliver Quick arrives at Oxford apparently poor and with no idea how the upper classes behave.

Which actor plays Felix Catton?

Jacob Elordi's audition, Fennell said, was a genius piece of observational comedy about a spoiled little boy.

How is Oliver funding his place at university when he arrives?

Oliver arrives at Oxford on a scholarship, presenting himself as a poor student from a broken home; his lack of money and polish is what sets him apart from Felix's set.

In what year is the main story of Saltburn set?

The main story is set in 2006, the year Oliver starts at Oxford; the epilogue jumps forward to 2022, after Sir James's death.

Who plays Lady Elspeth Catton?

Rosamund Pike plays Lady Elspeth Catton, Felix's glamorous and blithely cruel mother; Pike had earlier earned an Oscar nomination for Gone Girl (2014).

Which actor plays Sir James Catton?

Richard E. Grant plays Sir James Catton, the family patriarch who eventually pays Oliver to leave Saltburn; his death years later draws Oliver back.

Who plays Felix's sister, Venetia?

Alison Oliver plays Venetia Catton, Felix's troubled sister; the Irish actress had broken out as Frances in the 2022 series Conversations with Friends.

Who plays Farleigh Start, Felix's American cousin?

Archie Madekwe plays Farleigh Start, Felix's American cousin; the same year Madekwe starred as racing driver Jann Mardenborough in Gran Turismo.

Which Promising Young Woman star plays Elspeth's friend 'Poor Dear' Pamela?

Carey Mulligan, the lead of Fennell's Promising Young Woman, plays 'Poor Dear' Pamela, the troubled house guest Elspeth tires of and shows the door.

Who plays Duncan, the Saltburn butler?

Welsh actor Paul Rhys plays Duncan, the watchful butler who hovers over almost every scene at the house; Rhys earlier played Theo van Gogh in Altman's Vincent & Theo (1990).

What does Oliver tell Felix has just happened to his father, prompting the summer invitation?

Oliver tells Felix his father has died suddenly, which prompts the summer invitation; the lie unravels on his birthday when Felix drives him home and finds both parents alive and well.

In which town does Oliver's family really live?

Prescot, a Merseyside town where the family's respectable middle-class home is nothing like the chaos Oliver described.

Why is Farleigh thrown out of Saltburn during the summer?

Oliver later confesses he used Farleigh's email to make the Sotheby's offer himself.

In Saltburn, where on the estate is Felix found dead the morning after Oliver's birthday party?

Felix is found dead in the hedge maze, beside the Minotaur statue at its centre, the morning after Oliver's birthday party.

How does Oliver claim he killed Felix?

He tells Elspeth this on her deathbed, along with every other thing he engineered.

How does Venetia die?

Oliver confesses he left razor blades beside her while she was bathing.

Where does Oliver 'accidentally' run into Elspeth years later?

Oliver contrives to bump into Elspeth at a cafe after reading of Sir James's death in 2022; she invites him back to Saltburn as her companion.

How does Oliver finally kill Elspeth?

By then she has already bequeathed him all her assets, including the house.

Which song plays over the film's closing dance through the house?

Murder on the Dancefloor, a 2001 disco-pop single that originally peaked at number 2 in the UK, scores Oliver's naked victory dance through the empty house.

What is the theme of Oliver's birthday party at Saltburn?

Oliver's birthday party is a costume ball themed on A Midsummer Night's Dream; Oliver wears a set of antlers while Felix arrives in a pair of white wings.

Which piece of music opens the film?

Handel's coronation anthem Zadok the Priest opens the film over Oliver's arrival at Oxford; written for George II's coronation in 1727, it has been sung at every British coronation since.

Who composed the score for Saltburn?

Anthony Willis composed the score, as he had for Fennell's first feature; his Saltburn score was nominated for the BAFTA for Original Score.

In what aspect ratio is Saltburn presented?

Saltburn is presented in the near-square 4:3 (1.33:1) ratio, shot on 35mm film, so the towering house looms over the characters instead of sprawling across a widescreen frame.

Who was the cinematographer on Saltburn?

Linus Sandgren, the Swedish cinematographer who won an Oscar for La La Land, shot Saltburn on 35mm film during the summer of 2022.

Which real stately home stood in for Saltburn?

Drayton House, a privately owned country house near Lowick that had never been used as a film location, played Saltburn; its owners asked that it not be publicised.

In which English county is the house that played Saltburn?

Fennell deliberately avoided estates audiences would recognise, and wanted the whole shoot in one place.

Saltburn opened which festival in October 2023?

Saltburn was the opening-night gala of the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 4 October 2023, which doubled as its UK premiere.

After its cinema run, Saltburn began streaming worldwide on which service on 22 December 2023?

Prime Video saw viewership quadruple in the two weeks after launch as the film went viral on TikTok.

Which studio handled Saltburn's release in the UK and Ireland?

Amazon kept the US and streaming rights while Warner Bros. put it in British cinemas on 17 November 2023.

Roughly how much did Saltburn gross worldwide in cinemas?

Saltburn grossed about $21 million worldwide in cinemas, roughly $11 million of it in North America; its real audience arrived on streaming.

Which two cast members received Golden Globe nominations for Saltburn?

Keoghan was up for Best Actor in a Drama and Pike for Best Supporting Actress at the 81st Golden Globes.

How many BAFTA Film Award nominations did Saltburn receive?

Saltburn received five BAFTA nominations in 2024: Keoghan, Elordi and Pike for acting, the original score, and Outstanding British Film; it won none of them.

Which Barbie star was one of Saltburn's producers?

Robbie produced with her LuckyChap partners Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara, confirmed in May 2022.

Which Patricia Highsmith novel is Saltburn most often compared to, despite Fennell downplaying it?

Reviews repeatedly compared Saltburn to The Talented Mr. Ripley, Highsmith's 1955 novel about a poor schemer who insinuates himself into a rich friend's life; Fennell played down the parallel.

Which House of the Dragon actor plays Oliver's first Oxford friend, Michael Gavey?

Ewan Mitchell, Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon, plays Michael Gavey, the maths obsessive Oliver drops the moment Felix pays him attention.

Which member of The League of Gentlemen plays Professor Ware?

Reece Shearsmith, co-creator of The League of Gentlemen and Inside No. 9, plays Professor Ware, the Oxford tutor who presides over Oliver's early tutorial with Farleigh.

What kind of film has Fennell herself called Saltburn?

Fennell has called Saltburn a vampire movie, with Oliver as the outsider who must be invited in before he drains the household; the midnight garden scene with Venetia makes the image literal.

What CinemaScore grade did US audiences give Saltburn?

US audiences gave Saltburn a B- CinemaScore, a middling grade for a wide release; PostTrak polling was warmer, with 75% rating it positively.

Which Pet Shop Boys song does Farleigh use to needle Oliver at Saltburn's karaoke night?

Farleigh picks Pet Shop Boys' 1987 hit Rent at the house karaoke night, aiming its refrain 'I love you, you pay my rent' squarely at Oliver's dependence on the Cattons.

Which band's 2005 track Destroy Everything You Touch trended after the film?

Ladytron, the Liverpool electronic band, released Destroy Everything You Touch in 2005 on their album Witching Hour; Saltburn's TikTok boom sent it trending again.