Sophie Ellis-Bextor saw Saltburn nude scene for first time with son and mother
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” is back in the UK Top 10 following its unforgettable inclusion on the soundtrack for Saltburn – and yes, the singer has watched the nude scene which accompanies it.
Emerald Fennell’s psychological thriller made clever use of the pop disco track for a full-frontal nude scene (if you know, you know), quickly gathering the film immense notoriety.
Now, speaking to PinkNews, Sophie has revealed that she actually watched the Saltburn nude scene for the first time with her 19-year-old son and mother.
“So I knew probably the key elements, which was that it was the whole song and without any clothes!”, the popstar revealed.
“I knew it was Emerald and I’d seen Promising Young Woman so I knew she was really talented and I thought ‘I think she can handle making that great’ and I thought ‘I really want to see it!’.”
“Then I saw a screening with my 19-year-old son and my mum and my husband and my brother, we all went together at like 10am on a weekday morning to watch it. My poor son was sat between me and his grandma, but actually he coped really well and he absolutely loved it – he was like ‘That’s in my top 10 films of all time’.
“I think I was more worried for him, so there were a couple of moments where I was a bit like, I remember putting my head in my hands a couple of times and went ‘God, this must be awkward for him’, but he was actually fine, I think it was more for me.”
Her first impression of Barry Keoghan’s performance was that it was “brilliant,” and the pair have now formed a bond following the film’s release.
“I think Barry did a brilliant job… I have subsequently met him and he said that he was never worried about the nudity, it was the dancing that fazed him, and I think that’s probably quite a good way round, actually,” she added.
The film has allowed Ellis-Bextor a moment to reflect on her relationship with the song and how she feels about it skyrocketing back into the charts more than 20 years after it first peaked at number two.
She’s also since joined in on the fandom fun on TikTok, posting a video of her dressed up in imitation of the style of one of the film’s lavish parties and playfully taking part in a challenge to decipher her Saltburn character.
“I still really have lots of fond memories about recording and singing “Murder” the first time around and doing a video, and then it taking me to all these places I’d never been to before,” the singer added.
It isn’t just the song’s revival through Saltburn that’s contributed towards its enduring popularity, though. Last summer, Sophie revisited it at festivals across the UK, including through a slot at the iconic Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight Festival.
“We’ve had a real adventure, culminating in the UK Kitchen Disco Tour which was just so much fun and really glorious, so I’ve been having lots of lovely times with it anyway, so we’re already on good terms.
“Even if nothing had happened with the soundtrack outside the movie and all it was, was me watching that final scene, I’d be really happy. That’s really good fun on its own.”
