Between introducing himself to English-language moviegoers with The Lobster and sweeping Oscars nominations with The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos directed The Killing of a Sacred Deer, one of the darkest and most disturbing psychological thrillers in recent memory. Colin Farrell stars as a heart surgeon, while Barry Keoghan co-stars as the grieving son who wants revenge for his father’s botched operation.
The film didn’t make a huge splash at the box office — movies that aren’t for the faint of heart rarely do — but it was praised by critics and is destined to become a cult classic. Here are 10 interesting details from the making of The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Reading The Script Made Colin Farrell Feel Sick
Before playing the lead role of Steven in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Colin Farrell worked with Yorgos Lanthimos on The Lobster. The actor has said that when he first read the script for what would become his second collaboration with Lanthimos, he felt nauseous because of the disturbing, heavy subject matter.
Despite The Film Taking Place In Ohio, Only One Of The Lead Actors Is American
The movie is set in Ohio and it was shot in Cincinnati, but there’s only one American actor in the main cast. Sunny Suljic, who played Bob, is the only American lead actor in the film. Nicole Kidman is Australian, both Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan (who played Martin) are Irish, and Raffey Cassidy (who played Kim) is British.
Nicole Kidman Was Previously Considered For The Lobster
After the release of Dogtooth, Nicole Kidman became interested in working with Yorgos Lanthimos. Lanthimos has specific requirements for the actors who want to work with him, and he was satisfied that Kidman did her homework before meeting with him.
Kidman was under consideration for a role in Lanthimos’ previous film, The Lobster, but those talks didn’t go anywhere. When he was working on The Killing of a Sacred Deer a couple of years later, he was able to get her in a lead role.
Yorgos Lanthimos Didn’t Write Steven With Colin Farrell In Mind
Since The Killing of a Sacred Deer came right after The Lobster, one would be forgiven for assuming that Yorgos Lanthimos wrote the lead role specifically to reteam with his Lobster star, Colin Farrell. However, the director insists that he didn’t have Farrell in mind for the role of Steven, as he doesn’t like to think about casting while he’s writing.
But after working so well with Farrell on The Lobster, it was a no-brainer for Lanthimos to cast him in The Killing of a Sacred Deer when the time was right to think about actors.
The Title Came From The Tragedy Of Ipheginia
The title The Killing of a Sacred Deer is certainly a curious one, especially since there’s no scene featuring a deer being killed. It’s actually taken from the ending of the tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides.
There’s a scene in which Steven visits his kids’ school and the principal tells him that Kim got an A+ on her essay about the Tragedy of Ipheginia, hinting at the influences behind the film.
There’s A 10-Year Age Gap Between Barry Keoghan And Raffey Cassidy
Despite playing a high school student in the movie, Barry Keoghan was in his early 20s when he filmed The Killing of a Sacred Deer. There is only supposed to be a two-year age gap between Martin and Kim, but Raffey Cassidy, who played Kim, is actually 10 years younger than Keoghan.
The Heart Surgery In The Film Was Real
The opening of The Killing of a Sacred Deer is enough to make a lot of viewers squeamish, as the film begins with a graphic depiction of heart surgery. Yorgos Lanthimos said that it just made sense to open a film about a heart surgeon with the image of a heart.
In order to capture realistic heart surgery, Lanthimos and his crew filmed a real quadruple bypass. Colin Farrell attended the surgery.
Most Of The Cast Members Have Appeared In Batman Movies
Although the arthouse style of The Killing of a Sacred Deer is as far from a superhero movie as possible, many of the cast members from this film have appeared in Batman movies in the past.
Alicia Silverstone played Batgirl in Batman & Robin (and has said that she’d be happy to reprise her role), Nicole Kidman played Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, and Barry Keoghan played Robin in an unofficial independent production. Plus, Colin Farrell will play the Penguin in Matt Reeves’ upcoming reboot The Batman.
Alicia Silverstone Got Cast Because Yorgos Lanthimos Was A Big Clueless Fan As A Teenager
When Yorgos Lanthimos was a kid, he watched Clueless hundreds of times. So, naturally, he’s a big Alicia Silverstone fan. Francine Maisler, the casting director, brought up Silverstone’s name to play Martin’s mother because she’d seen her perform in a play, and Lanthimos jumped at the opportunity to cast her.
Colin Farrell And Nicole Kidman Made Another Movie Together Right After They Finished Filming This One
Just a few weeks after filming wrapped on The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman started shooting another movie together: The Beguiled. Sofia Coppola directed the film, a remake of the Clint Eastwood thriller of the same name.
Both Farrell/Kidman collaborations would go on to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and they both won other awards at the festival.