Rosamund Pike should be Oscar bound for her salty turn in ‘Saltburn’

Since her breakout Oscar-nominated role in David Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” Rosamund Pike has been on the brink of returning to “the club.” She has proven herself to be one of the most consistently compelling actors working today with highly acclaimed lead performances in films such as “A Private War,” “Radioactive,” and “I Care A Lot.” This is along with the versatility of her work in television. Pike stars in the Amazon viewership juggernaut “The Wheel of Time” and, on the other side, won an Emmy for her quiet portrait of one half of a marriage-in-crisis in Stephen Frears’ short-form series, “State of the Union”.

For her film work, Pike currently boasts that Oscar bid for 2014’s “Gone Girl, a Golden Globe nomination for 2018’s “A Private War” and a Globe won on the comedy side for 2020’s “I Care A Lot.” Many believe if the voting for the BAFTA long lists was pushed back a couple weeks, Pike could’ve gained some steam for her, “exquisitely nasty” turn in that late-breaking pitch-black Netflix satire, and made a play for the Oscar five (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian).

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So it’s about time Pike returned to the Oscars. And there seems no role more fitting than Elspeth Catton in Emerald Fennell’s pulverising class scandal and ode to toxic obsession, “Saltburn.” The role couldn’t have played more to Pike’s strengths if she’d written it herself. Critics raved about her performance:

“Rosamund Pike is Saltburn’s secret weapon — her razor-sharp wit transforms chilly family matriarch Elspeth into a terrifyingly delicious satire of the idle rich. She cuts through her scenes with the precision of an ice pick, once again proving her tremendous skill and deceptively clever approach to her work.” – Entertainment Weekly

“Rosamund Pike [gives] an award-worthy performance that elevates and enhances every scene she’s in” – Observer

“Pike delivers a comedic masterclass while somehow bringing genuine depth to a character that is anything but grounded” – The Playlist

“Pike is the absolute highlight – luminously awful, every sentence dripped with judgement.” – The Independent

“Pike steals the show, bringing both poignancy and deadpan comedy to her character’s blithe stupidity.” – BBC

No surprise then that she reaped a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globes nomination for her portrayal of the Saltburn matriarch. And she was cited by critics’ groups in Las Vegas, North Texas, Phoenix, London, and Sydney. And she may well have a hometown advantage at the BAFTAs.

Now, while the voter overlap with these bodies isn’t significant (the BAFTA nomination process now involves an exclusive jury as opposed to the entire body), more nominations means more exposure. And more exposure creates more buzz. Two years ago, Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”) parlayed her BAFTA bid and critics citations into an Oscar nomination. Look for Pike to do the same this year.

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