Long before her box office success with ‘Wuthering Heights’, director Emerald Fennell dominated headlines following the release of her controversial thriller-comedy, Saltburn. Although the film, which stars Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, was largely slated by critics, it found a huge fanbase on social media where many of the key moments were meme-ified and thoroughly dissected – from the shocking grave scene, to the hidden meaning behind the awkward, eggy breakfast.
But, if there’s one scene that everyone will recognise from Saltburn, it’s Barry Keoghan lapping up Jacob Elordi’s bathwater. In fact, it became such a cultural moment that Etsy candles were made in the substance’s honour. Although Barry didn’t share details about it at the time, production designer Suzie Davies told Business Insider about how she created the concoction that Barry is seen slurping in the now iconic scene. In the interview in 2024, she stated that the solution used to act as Felix Catton’s semen-infused bathwater was ‘yoghurt and a bit of milk and some water’.
Now, Barry has finally confirmed that he was indeed sipping on a dairy-heavy mixture during an appearance on Hits Radio Breakfast. Although he was there to discuss his role in the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, when host Will Best joked that he’d watched the film in the bath to get the full ‘Barry Keoghan experience’, Barry confirmed what was actually in the bath during the Saltburn scene, replying: “Just lovely milk by the way, it was just full fat milk.”
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At the time of the film’s release, Suzie Davies also added that Barry was so committed to getting the scene right that he ‘did it four times’. She explained: “[He] really went for it. Every one he did was a different kind of slurp. Often, when you film things like that, there are 20 people in the room. It’s quite tense. But the cast can bring something that’s so extraordinary that you can hear a pin drop. So when Barry was doing his stuff, it was amazing. He had no inhibitions.”
Well, the more you know.