Emerald Fennell’s twisted social satire Saltburn casts Rosamund Pike as Elspeth Catton, a wealthy onetime model with Bohemian chic style and a sharp tongue. Since the film’s release, some of Elspeth’s most memorable lines have gone viral in the same way as star Barry Keoghan‘s more, ahem, revealing scenes. As it turns out, it’s all had an impact of Pike, a veteran star who has previously generated awards season attention for turns in Gone Girl, A Private War and I Care a Lot, to name a few.
“The way that Saltburn has caught the public’s attention, I felt enticed into leaning into that for how I dress during this little bit of time [during awards season],” Pike told The Hollywood Reporter while walking the red carpet at Saturday’s BAFTA Tea at The Maybourne in Beverly Hills. At the particular moment, she was outfitted in a pale green sheath dress by Simone Rocha with faux flowers in the pockets, a whimsical choice that one could imagine Elspeth wearing well while walking around the Saltburn castle.
“I don’t want to dress all in black. I want to wear color. I want to lean into some of the glamour that the film unleashed in the world, even if it’s risky,” Pike continued. On that note, the actress revealed that she feels “safe in being more extreme,” like she did recently at the Golden Globes by wearing a strapless black lace, tea-length dress by Dior paired with a dramatic veil.
“Somebody asked me, ‘How do you dare wear that?’ Well, I feel safer being more daring,” said Pike, who also told Variety that the choice also helped cover a recent skiing accident. But she was quick to say that when she dresses up in couture looks, it’s not as if she’s playing a character but relaying a message. “There’s a story to tell, if that makes sense. It’s not another character but there can be a story for the dress or a story behind the idea. A dress is a wonderful thing to wear, especially with the artistry that goes into creating it.”
Take for example, the rose covered gown she wore to the Governor’s Awards last week. “It’s a bed of roses and the dress accompanied me on the plane, it had to be hand carried. I even wrote to [designer Erdem Moralıoğlu] and said, ‘Hey, you’re sitting next to me on the plane. I’ve got you right beside me.’ The dress felt like it had a personality.” Elspeth would most certainly agree.
“Simone has played with all these beautiful fabric roses that are sort of built into the layers of the dress. I just thought, well, it’s the BAFTA Tea Party like an English rose garden, it will be perfect.”
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for BAFTA
Emma McIntyre/WireImage
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Amy Sussman/WireImage