On my screen: ‘Saltburn’ director Emerald Fennell on her desire to play a supervillain, the most fun she’s had on set and her desire to remake ‘Jurassic Park’ as an erotic love story

After her win for Best Original Screenplay for Promising young woman, Salt burns, Emerald Fennell’s second feature, presents a gothic tale of obsession and excess, starring Barry Keoghan as Oliver, a socially upwardly mobile Oxford student who becomes obsessed with the aristocratic Felix (Jacob Elordi). The multi-hyphenate Fennell also appears when the pregnant Midge doll enters Barbie and co-wrote the upcoming John Wick spin-off ballerina. Here she agrees to revisit some of her fondest memories, or, as she puts it, “poke around in these skeletons.”

Best advice I have ever received

After the incredible surprise and joy of winning an Oscar two years ago, I stood in line at the Porta-Potty because it was Corona times and it looked like a wedding. Frances McDormand was behind me in line and I held the Oscar in my hand in total shock. She saw me, leaned over and said, “Do you want my advice?” And I said, “Yes, please.” And she said, “Ken’s doll clothes fit him just right.” I thought, “Oh.” And right in the moment when I was so shocked, her humor alone calmed me. And it was the best advice I ever had.

The part I’ve always wanted

I guess it has to be a supervillain, right? It’s sad that they did just that The little mermaid because Ursula, the sea witch, is my inspiration and my muse. I have always loved her. I always felt she deserved her own prequel if she was misunderstood. She just goes to the clubs in that iconic outfit, puts souls in little bottles and then harvests them.

My dream project

I really feel like I was so lucky. I was already able to realize my dream projects. But it is my favorite film of all time Jurassic Park, so I’d like to join the dinosaurs. First of all, it is very erotic. I think that in their time together humans and dinosaurs have reached the stage where things get pretty exciting. So there’s a marriage between a man and a velociraptor and it’s basically a domestic drama.

My biggest challenge so far

I think with you Promising young woman, it was simply the best time of my life. We had so little time, 23 days to be exact, and I was so pregnant. It was a ticking clock, not only because we had a limited budget and time, but I mean because I gave birth three weeks after principal photography was completed. It was definitely a bit of a balancing act.

The character most like me

Unfortunately, they all look like me. They look a bit like spider eggs. They live in your brain and then they come out and great actors come in and make them even more interesting. Although I really feel like Oliver these days [in Saltburn]. His ambition and desire is a pit of want, and I can really relate to that [laughs].

The movies that make me cry

It’s a wonderful life. Right at the beginning, Mr. Gower accidentally pours poison into one of the bottles in the apothecary and then slaps young George Bailey for not delivering the medicine. I cried throughout the whole movie, it’s so beautiful. There is also one of my favorite things in the world, it is this [parallel universe] Where he didn’t exist, his wife is just an ordinary librarian who never married. Just as everyone is lying dead or drunk in the street, their lives have been destroyed, and her “terrible curse” is that she only wears a brown coat and glasses and is a librarian, which is as funny as the worst fate since 25 years . -old woman

The most fun I’ve ever had on set

I mean, I think I look at Carey [Mulligan] and Bo Burnham dancing to “Stars Are Blind” by Paris Hilton was one of my favorite days ever. i have to say Barbie is pretty spectacular. It was so touching and amazing to go to Barbie Land and see how my entire childhood was built with so much dedication and care.

My secret pleasure

I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. I love reality TV, so of course I’m very interested in #Scandoval. I will be watching every replay of this 90 day fiance, and I’m equally invested in both. British reality shows tend to be less glamorous. We have less fading. I just love watching beautiful women with flawless hair tear each other to shreds. That’s all I want.

Who will play me in my biopic?

Oh God. Well, if it’s a biopic, I’ll just pick Margot Robbie and make everyone go, “Wow, she was so much more beautiful than we remembered.” I’ll just give myself a boost. Margot is such a great actress and I will just make sure to see her in slow motion with a wind machine in every scene. It recreates every moment of my life, but she looks perfect in it and is perfect.

The first time I experienced extreme fandom

Someone got a tattoo of my character, Nurse Patsy Mount Call the midwife. I remember thinking very strongly, “Wow, this is exciting and cool and awesome.” Again, they gave me a nice glow, which I really appreciated. I looked like a million bucks.

My karaoke playlist

It used to be “Think Twice” by Céline Dion, which was a big hit in England. And when I did it in America, I realized there was none in America. So it was crickets and I’m not a good singer. Apparently attacking Celine Dion if you’re not a good singer is a joke in itself. And then singing in silence at an event with people you don’t know that well was quite difficult. So now I sing the Bond theme “Golden Eye” by Tina Turner. It’s a meaningful song. It really takes you on a journey. It’s also very much out of my reach, which is minimal, but I think it just helps. And depending on the room, I like to do Enya. An erotic Enya routine.

The song I always have to dance to

I’m pretty sure we played “Murder on the Dance Floor”. [by Sophie Ellis-Bextor] at our wedding. There is never a time when I don’t listen to this song and dance to it. It’s all day, every day. When I wrote it in Salt burns, it would be a step instead of a dance. But we realized that it would not bring the same joy and the same joyous evil. So it had to be a dance [for Barry Keoghan]. These days I dance a little every time I hear it, which is all the time because it’s usually right before I play it for a Q&A session.