Riley Keough Talks About Her Role as Barry Keoghan’s Sister in ‘Butterfly Jam’ and Their Shared Connections
The film “Butterfly Jam” premiered at the Cannes Director’s Fortnight on Wednesday, featuring Zalya, portrayed by Riley Keough, and her brother Azik, played by Barry Keoghan. Azik is depicted as a chaotic chef navigating the challenges of working at Zalya’s café in New Jersey and supporting his son Pyteh, portrayed by newcomer Talha Akdogan, who aspires to become a wrestler. Alongside his best friend Marat, played by Harry Melling, Azik faces a pivotal turn of events that leads Pyteh to form a bond with fellow wrestler Alika, played by Jaliyah Richards.
Keough expressed her enthusiasm for collaborating with director Kantemir Balagov, citing her admiration for his previous film, Beanpole. “It was just such a beautiful film,” she remarked. “And we just had a really good chat, honestly, and I wanted to work with him. That was kind of it for me.”
The challenge of acting in the Kabardian language, spoken within the Circassian community, added complexity to Keough’s role. “The dialect was tricky because we all kind of did our own thing a little bit, because we didn’t really have time together before we were shooting,” she noted. “It was sort of like a little bit of Jersey, a little bit of… I think it was a little different for everyone.”
‘Butterfly Jam’
Cannes Film Festival
In his role as Marat, Melling faced a range of emotional challenges. “His entrance into the movie, without giving too much away, is he’s in this weird kind of role-play situation,” he explained. “It is a very strange way of meeting a character, but at the same time, that’s what I found so fascinating about someone like Marat, someone who’s so uncomfortable in so many ways.”
The actor also collaborated closely with Keoghan in a particularly intense scene that significantly alters the trajectory of their characters. “I think we did it with as much care as we could,” Melling noted. “Working with Barry is wonderful. He’s so free, and that’s a lovely place to start when you’re working with someone who’s so up for finding it in the moment.”
For those interested in further insights, the full conversation is accessible via the accompanying video.
