Saltburn’s Archie Madekwe addresses his viral karaoke scene from the hit film. Madekwe plays Farleigh Start, friend to the Catton family who is visiting the Saltburn estate for the summer. Saltburn is getting largely positive reviews, and features a number of notable scenes that have taken off online.
In a new TikTok from IndieWire, Madekwe discusses his viral karaoke scene. According to the actor, his friends are “constantly sending [him] TikToks” of him in Saltburn and edits of the karaoke scene. As a result, Madekwe has been asked whether he would release a full single of him singing the song “Rent.”
Madekwe admitted that, despite the demands from fans, he would not release a full single of the song. Nonetheless, the actor is humbled and pleasantly surprised by all the attention Saltburn — and by extension his performance — have been receiving.
Saltburn’s Karaoke Scene Proves Why Farleigh Is a Great Character
The scene in question occurs about halfway through Saltburn, when Farleigh, Oliver, and other guests at the Saltburn estate are having a carefree karaoke night. Farleigh pressures Oliver, whom he believes to be of lower class economic status, to sing the song “Rent” by the Pet Shop Boys. Not only does Oliver not know the song well, but its lyrics feature lines that seem to call out Oliver for his ostensible economic disadvantages.
While this moment is no honorable one for Farleigh, it shows why his character is so essential in Saltburn. Farleigh is pretty wary of Oliver throughout, but as a means of showing this, he goes out of his way to make a fool out of Oliver. At the time, this turns audiences against Farleigh and creates even more sympathy towards Oliver.
Saltburn’s 10 Biggest Clues To Oliver’s Real Plans & Deceptions
Saltburn’s ending is one of the wildest parts of the movie, but Oliver’s true plans are subtly set up over 10 times throughout the film.
However, this scene is brilliantly twisted in retrospect after Saltburn‘s shocking ending reveals that Oliver had been lying and manipulating everyone all along. While public humiliation is still not a great approach by Farleigh, he faces unfair consequences later on when he is ousted prematurely from the Saltburn estate after the Catton parents believe that Farleigh encouraged their deceased son Felix to do lines of cocaine and then drink. The biting nature of the Saltburn karaoke scene only adds to Farleigh’s complexity, as, while still harsh, Farleigh turned out to be right in his suspicions towards Oliver.
Saltburn
Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, Saltburn is a 2023 comedy-thriller film. When Oxford student Oliver Quick is invited to his friend Felix’s family’s wealthy estate, Saltburn, for a summer vacation, he is drawn into the world of eccentric characters and increasingly chaotic events as his obsession with Felix comes to a head.
