Yahoo Movies Barry Keoghan improvised Saltburn's grave scene
Saltburn spoilers ahead.
Saltburn's disturbing graveyard scene was totally improvised, it's been confirmed.
In the new psychological thriller from writer-director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), Oliver Quick (played by Barry Keoghan) 'makes love' with his late friend Felix Catton's final resting place in a moment of twisted lust.
However, Fennell explained that the script originally called for a less intense exchange.
"I spoke to Barry in the morning, and I just said, 'I don't know, Barry. I think that he would... unzip.' And Barry just said, 'Yup,'" Fennell told Entertainment Weekly.
Related: Jacob Elordi shares reaction to Saltburn's bathtub scene
Keoghan, who recently revealed what "freaks" him out about Saltburn's streaming release, added: "She plants seeds, Emerald, you know what I mean? She knows that they're going to grow, these seeds, especially when she plants them with me.
"But it is a testament to Emerald and having that idea and me meeting it with, to be honest, no questions. I was totally on board for it.
"For me, it wasn't about fecking the grave, it was more about I don't know what to do with this obsession; it's making me confused and making me unhuman in a way," he added.
"It was a total discovery for him, I think. And it was sad. It was very, very sad."
Related: Saltburn's outrageous sex scenes mean more than you think
Further along, Fennell noted how the "shocking and darkly funny" sequence in particular represented "a moment of profound despair – an almost relatable moment of grief over this completely forever unrequited love".
She went on to say: "The awful length of it is what makes it so powerful. People said, 'Oh, we know what's going to happen. Why do we have to watch it?' And I said, 'Watching it is the point! Not cutting away is the point.
"You have to sit in your discomfort — you can only understand it if you sit with it.'"
As for Keoghan's unshackled performance, the filmmaker described it as "the most extraordinary thing I'd ever seen".
Speaking previously to Digital Spy about the graveyard scene, Keoghan explained he felt its extreme nature and intensity was "required" to capture the depth of Oliver's "next level" obsession with Felix.
"I just wanted to see... you know, an action happened, what I'd do as Oliver. It was interesting to discover that," he told us.
Saltburn is in cinemas now and also streaming on Prime Video.
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