If you’ve ever thought Jacob Elordi is so sexy it’s scary (first of all, same), the actor says you ain’t seen nothing yet. According to Elordi, his new character Felix in the upcoming film Saltburn puts his Euphoria character to shame.
In the film, which comes from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), Elordi plays opposite Barry Keoghan, who stars as Oliver Quick. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, Oliver ultimately finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix. When Felix invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, it leads to a “wicked tale of privilege and desire” as Oliver becomes increasingly drawn to Felix.
In other words, our anticipation is high.
Even in the teaser trailer, there’s a hint of the sinister around Felix, and the actor confirms that you should be afraid of the character. In an interview with British Vogue, Elordi teased that Felix is much “scarier” than toxic jock Nate from Euphoria. As he explained, this new character is a frightening portrait of a more subtle manifestation of patriarchal values because Felix thinks he owns “well, everything,” said Elordi.
Courtesy of HBO
The challenge for Elordi in bringing Felix to life was embodying the attitude of “I [genuinely] don’t need to prove anything [to anyone],” the actor explained. Elordi shared his anxieties that someday someone still may take it all away from him, which is a fear Felix can’t relate to.
Elordi mostly played coy in the interview about what to expect from Saltburn, but Fennell teased a bit more about the inspiration behind this queer film.
“I wanted to make something sexy. I wanted to make something about boys. And I wanted to make something that felt very different to the last thing I made,” said Fennell. “And, honestly, my favorite genre slash subgenre of anything is: something happens in a country house one summer.”
While that may be the setting, she explains what’s bubbling underneath. “Really, it’s a film about first love,” she explained. “Generally, because I’m quite facile, I think everything has to do with sex, and I think our fetishization of the country house and titles is completely sadomasochistic.
Courtesy of Prime Video/MGM
“I’m utterly obsessed with how we relate to things that we want and desire, and also kind of hate and know are unattainable: things that we know will never love us back, whether that’s a person or a house or a culture. And yet we can’t f**king stop being desperately attracted to them.”
Saltburn is set to premiere at BFI London Film Festival Oct 4, followed by a theatrical release on November 22. Watch the trailer below.
