Barry Keoghan's new film references his famous Saltburn nude dance

Everyone loves a good reference, and Barry Keoghan paid a cheeky nod to his famous Saltburn nude dance in his latest film Bird.

The Irish actor gained attention as the lead character, Oliver, in the dark comedy directed by Emerald Fennell released at the end of 2023 particularly, with the final scene that saw Oliver dancing in the nude around the Saltburn estate he recently inherited to the tune of Sophie Ellis Bextor's 2002 hit Murder on the Dancefloor.

The dance inspired a TikTok trend and the film's popularity caused Murder on the Dancefloorto rise back up the charts again.

Following this, Keoghan's latest film is a drama, Bird, written and directed by Andrea Arnold which premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2024.

In the film, there is a nod to Saltburn where Keoghan's character Bug describes Murder on the Dancefloor as a "bad song," according to Deadline.

When asked by the outlet if he had warned Ellis-Bextor of the reference, Keoghan admitted he hadn't told the singer.

“That wasn’t my idea, by the way,” the Oscar nominee said.. “But we love a cross-universe in this world, don’t we? And we love crossing references.”

“But I think it’s a nice [reference],” Keoghan continued.

“It breaks the fourth wall in a way, you know what I mean? And the fourth wall is broken a lot in the movie as well, which I’ve not really seen before. And it feels right. I think it fits.”

Elsewhere, it's not the first time Keoghan has referenced his Saltburn dance as he did so by making a nude appearance on a Vanity Fair cover.

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