Rosamund Pike expresses 'bewilderment' over the love for her role in 'Saltburn'

When Rosamund Pike and Emerald Fennell, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning "Promising Young Woman," sat down to discuss "Saltburn," Pike's choice of adding milk to her coffee apparently passed Fennell's first test. Having already found the script "pretty delicious," Pike was offered the role of Lady Elspeth Catton, a character in this decadent tale of obsession and excess.


In "Saltburn," young Oxford student Oliver, played by Barry Keoghan, integrates himself into the family of his classmate Felix, portrayed by Jacob Elordi. Pike's character, Lady Elspeth Catton, is depicted as a wildly out-of-touch mother who has a penchant for taking in charity cases, including Oliver and her friend "Poor Dear" Pamela, played by Carey Mulligan, who is seeking refuge after a breakup with a "malignantly ugly" Russian billionaire.

Known for excelling in roles with morally ambiguous characters, Pike, whether in her Oscar-nominated performance in "Gone Girl" or her Golden Globe-winning role in "I Care a Lot," has a knack for portraying characters we can't help but root for. In "Saltburn," even though Elspeth is more clueless than conniving, Pike manages to steal scenes with her character's horribly insensitive remarks, endearing her to the audience.


As "Saltburn" becomes available on Amazon Prime, Pike shared insights into her approach to portraying Elspeth, the challenges of finding empathy for such a character, the art of improvisation, and even hinted at what a spin-off with Carey Mulligan could entail.

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