(L to R) Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in ‘Savage House.’

Opening in theaters on June 5th is the new dark comedy ‘Savage House’, which written and directed by Peter Glanz (‘Captain America: Brave New World’) and stars Richard E. Grant (‘Saltburn’), and Claire Foy (‘The Crown’).

“Polite society has never been so Savage.”

Release Date: Jun 5, 2026

Run Time: 1 hr 54 min

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy about their work on ‘Savage House’, their first reactions to the screenplay, their approach to playing their characters, working together, and the costumes helped inform their performances.

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Claire Foy stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Moviefone: To begin with, Claire, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of your character that you were excited to explore on screen?

Claire Foy: I loved reading the script. I laughed the whole time. It reads beautifully, the script that Peter Glanz wrote. You could clearly follow the story and all the characters are so distinct. I just absolutely loved reading it. I think I just loved that she’s out there and she’s ruled by a set of values that I don’t often get to play. She really loves her husband, but she has a different north star, and I just really loved it. I thought she would be fun to play, and she was.

Richard E. Grant stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Richard, can you talk about your approach to playing your character?

Richard E. Grant: You must be unapologetic and not show any restraint because he’s a man that has no restraint and no boundaries. He’s absolutely led by his appetites, both sexual and wanting to eat everything in his sight. So that means that you must step up to the plate, and his clothes are extravagant, his manner is, and I think you can’t go at that in any half-hearted way because otherwise you would fail. He’s not timorous in any way.

(L to R) Richard E. Grant, Kíla Lord Cassidy and Claire Foy in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Richard, Sir Chauncey Savage is obsessed with being accepted by the upper class, which drives him mad. What was it like playing a character like that?

REG: Well, my background is that I grew up in a former British colony in Southeast Africa. So, coming into England at the age of 25, I’ve always felt like an outsider because the English are brilliant at undermining in the subtlest way that you are not quite in the draw that you think you are. So, it informs all the tragedy and the comedy of British life and the class system, which despite some people saying that it doesn’t exist anymore, my understanding of it is, it absolutely exists. Like Bernard Shaw said, “One Englishman opens his mouth and another one is instantly made an enemy,” because you can find out where somebody went to school, where they live, what their economic status is, simply by the way they speak, never mind what they look like. So, he’s an outsider desperate to crampon his way into this world that he’s never going to be accepted in. It leads to extreme behavior, and he becomes unraveled and unhinged as a result.

Richard E. Grant stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Richard, could you relate to the character in terms of being an outsider?

REG: I do entirely. He suffers from imposter syndrome, and that is part of the DNA of almost every actor I’ve ever come across. That you feel that somebody at some point is going to go, “That’s not real. That’s not believable.” So that is something that every actor must grapple with, it’s part of the nerves that you have going into any situation.

(L to R) Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Claire, can you talk about Lady Savage and Sir Chauncey’s marriage and why do you think she loves him?

CF: We would have conversations about the dynamics of their relationship. I think some people struggled to understand that they have a 13-year-old daughter, they’re both having affairs with other people and they get on each other’s nerves, they find each other frustrating. But I never really had an issue with the fact that that love is there. They’re totally dedicated to one another. There’s sort of a commitment to one another that is beyond the here and now. It’s like that they’re dedicated to each other because they have a kindred spirit in each other in a way. I think she admires his spontaneity, his ambition, and his love of fun. At that period there would have been a particular type of man from a particular type of family that would have been a prospect for her. Instead, she met an absolute renegade who just wanted to do what he wanted to do and wanted her to be a companion and an equal in a way, and I loved that. I loved that love comes in many forms and I think it’s really tender and sort of sweet whilst also being absolutely nuts and deranged.

(L to R) Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Claire, had you ever met Richard before and what was it like working with him on this project?

CF: So, we met once in Santa Barbara, I think it was. I remember finding him, he was the person I wanted to sit next to and talk to. ‘Jack & Sarah’ is one of my favorite films and so I was excited. I think it’s just an opportunity to see someone that you really admire and that you find exciting. I find Richard to be an exciting actor and he doesn’t pull any punches and he takes risks and is brave. I just really admire that. I wanted to suck a bit of it up if I can. Leech some of it off him, as it were.

(L to R) Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Richard, what was your experience like working with Claire?

REG: I would say the same a hundred-fold back at Claire Foy. Absolutely thrilled. It was the first thing I said to Peter Glanz, the writer and director. I said, “Who’s going to play Lady Savage?” He said, “We’re hoping to get Claire Foy.” And I said, “Yes, please.” So, when she accepted, I thought, this is a real bonus.

(L to R) Richard E. Grant and Jack Farthing star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

MF: Finally, Richard, can you talk about how the costumes, make-up, and set design of the movie helped inform your performance?

REG: Hugely, because male fashion in the 18th century, they were the peacocks of their time and so having these enormous wigs and men wore makeup and beauty spots to cover syphilis or pocks or whatever they had, it was just part and parcel of it. So, presentation is a huge part of it and expressing how wealthy you are or how flamboyant you are. So those things help you enormously jump into the time machine of going back 280 years.

‘Savage House’ opens in theaters on June 5th.

What is the plot of ‘Savage House’?

Against the backdrop of 18th century England, a massive pox outbreak, and Jacobite uprising – Sir Chauncey Savage (Richard E. Grant) and Lady Savage (Claire Foy) blindly pursue a better life. It’s not without a tinge of irony that their family name is the Savages, for this is a Savage House indeed, filled with duels, decadence, and bloodshed.

Who is in the cast of ‘Savage House’?

Claire Foy stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Savage House.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

List of Movies & TV Shows Featuring Claire Foy:

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