Jacob Elordi criticizes prudish reactions to 'Saltburn' scene
Actor Jacob Elordi spoke out about the public's strong response to the infamous bathtub scene in Emerald Fennell's 2023 film Saltburn. The moment, featuring Barry Keoghan and Elordi, sparked widespread discussion and even led to the creation of a viral novelty candle.
"There’s more alarming things in the top 10 streamed remakes of crime documentaries on every streaming platform."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Awardist podcast, the Frankenstein star commented that the controversy revealed the audience’s conservative attitude toward sex in cinema. He contrasted the scene’s reception with people's readiness to accept much more violent or explicit material elsewhere.
"I actually think it shows me just how prudish we are. When I watch that, I just think there’s far more extreme things in cinema that I’ve seen, far more graphic."
Elordi suggested that audiences are often comfortable consuming distressing violence but react disproportionately to depictions of sexuality, which he finds both ironic and revealing.
Author’s summary
Jacob Elordi criticized viewers’ prudish attitudes toward sex on film, arguing that modern audiences accept harsher violence while overreacting to intimate scenes.