Emerald Fennell‘s psychological thriller Saltburn (2023) was released theatrically in November 2023. Saltburn is Emerald Fennell‘s sophomore directorial feature film, following her debut with Promising Young Woman (2020). Since its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in August 2023, Saltburn has enjoyed positive reviews from critics and audiences.
Saltburn is set in mid-2000s England. Its plot centers around a young Oxford University student on scholarship, who obsesses and befriends a fellow wealthy schoolmate. Not everything seems as it should after he’s invited to the wealthy schoolmate’s sprawling family estate. To help bring Emerald Fennell’s screenplay and direction to life, these are the top cast of Saltburn (2023) and where you may know them from.
Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick
Academy Awards nominee Barry Keoghan leads the cast of Saltburn (2023). Keoghan plays the film’s main protagonist, Oliver Quick. The character is introduced as a new student of Oxford University on scholarship. As a result of Quick’s perceived family’s poverty, he’s ostracized by his fellow schoolmates. However, he’s befriended by the University’s popular, wealthy student, Felix Catton.
After hearing of his father’s death, Catton invites Quick to invite him to spend the summer at his family’s estate. Although welcomed by most of Cotton’s family, Quick’s dark secrets soon come to light. The Irish actor Barry Keoghan is one of the fastest-rising actors in Hollywood, after his breakout role in Christopher Nolan‘s Dunkirk (2017). Keoghan also has notable performances in Calm With Horses (2019), Eternals (2021), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022).
Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton
Australian actor Jacob Elordi plays the wealthy aristocrat Oxford University student, Felix Catton. Catton is drawn to Oliver Quick after hearing tales of Quick’s mental health challenges and his parent’s substance abuse. Although he distances himself from Quick for a while, he draws closer after the death of Quick’s father. Jacob Elordi is known for his role in The Kissing Booth film trilogy, Euphoria, and playing Elvis Presley in the biopic, Priscilla (2023).
Rosamund Pike as Lady Elsbeth Catton
Lady Elsbeth Catton is the matriarch of the Catton family. She’s the mother of Felix Catton and Venetia Catton. Lady Elsbeth Catton welcomes the idea of Oliver Quick spending summer at their estate, Saltburn. She almost immediately bonds with Quick and considers him a better guest than the last person her son brought home. Academy Award-nominated British actress Rosamund Pike plays the character of Elsbeth Catton in Saltburn (2023). Rosamund Pike has starred in several popular and successful films. She played Miranda Frost in Die Another Day (2002), Jane Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005), and Dr. Samantha Grimm in Doom (2005). Pike’s other prominent films include An Education (2009), Johnny English Reborn (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), Jack Reacher, Gone Girl (2014), A United Kingdom (2016), The Man with the Iron Heart (2017), and Entebbe (2018).
Richard E. Grant as Sir James Catton
English actor Richard E. Grant was cast as the patriarch of the Cotton family, James Catton, in Saltburn. The character is Felix’s father and husband to Lady Elsbeth Catton. Like his wife, he welcomed Oliver Quick to spend summer at his home. The Academy Award-nominated actor is known for his performances in notable films like Warlock (1989), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), The Iron Lady (2011), Logan (2017), The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) and its sequel, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He also played Classic Loki in the television series Loki (2021).
Alison Oliver as Venetia Catton
Venetia Catton completes the Catton family as Felix’s only sibling and sister. She’s introduced in the film after Oliver Quick arrives in Saltburn. Although initially attracted to him, they grow apart as events unfold in the film. Irish actress Alison Oliver plays the character of Venetia. Interestingly, Saltburn (2023) is Alison Oliver’s feature film debut. Irish television audiences will recognize her for playing Frances Flynn in Conversations with Friends (2022).
Carey Mulligan as Pamela
Saltburn (2023) is the third time English actress Carey Mulligan is co-starring with Rosamund Pike. They starred together in Pride & Prejudice (2005) and An Education (2009). Mulligan’s character is Lady Elsbeth Catton’s close friend, Pamela, often called “Poor Dear.” Besides her performances in Pride & Prejudice and An Education, the Academy Award-nominated actress is also known for her roles in Never Let Me Go (2010), Shame (2011), The Great Gatsby (2013), Mudbound (2017), and in Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2020). Carey Mulligan also starred alongside Bradley Cooper in the 2023 biographical drama Maestro.
Archie Madekwe as Farleigh Start
Archie Madekwe is a British actor known for his roles in Midsommar (2019) and Gran Turismo (2023). He played Kofun in the Apple TV+ science fiction drama See (2019–2022), appearing in all episodes. In Saltburn (2023), Madekwe plays Farleigh Start, a character introduced as Felix Catton’s American cousin. Like Felix, Farleigh is also a student at Oxford University and a fellow schoolmate of Oliver Quick. Although Felix grew closer to Oliver Quick, Farleigh joined other students in avoiding Quick at school. Farleigh, who’s also at Saltburn for the summer, isn’t excited to have Quick over at the estate.