“It was exciting to play a woman who is perceived as weak but is given an opportunity to show the leader that is in her”: Dolly de Leon on starring in Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness

Far and away this writer’s film of the year, Triangle of Sadness is now landing in UK cinemas after an impressive run on the festival circuit that included clinching the Palme D’Or in Cannes. With vicious and hilarious precision, Ruben Östlund (The Square) takes aim at the rich and entitled, subjecting his ultra-loaded characters to untold humiliation with bold and brazen abandon.

Split into three acts, the narrative first presents the characters of Carl and Yaya (Harris Dickinson and the late Charlbi Dean), an influencer/model couple navigating life under scrutiny at catwalk auditions (viewers will no doubt find themselves inspecting their own triangles of sadness) and arguing over who should pick up the bill for their extravagant lifestyle choices. Once they set sail on a luxury yacht trip – a freebie in exchange for relentless social media posting – we then meet a smattering of other obnoxious members of the financial elite. All is turned on its head, however, when things start to go awry and the billionaire guests are left to fend for themselves. Highlights include The Shining-like scenes involving vomit and diarrhoea, Woody Harrelson’s drunken ship captain embroiled in a battle of wits between socialist and capitalist ideals with a Russian billionaire, and a lowly cleaner emerging as the most powerful individual among them. Call it comedy, call it satire, call it “eat the rich” made manifest, packaged in a glossy veneer suitable for mainstream consumption – as the cost of living crisis tightens its grip, this film will no doubt take on increased resonance as a form of cathartic retribution for the injustice of the capitalist system. 

The Upcoming had the privilege of sitting down for an in-depth chat with the breakout star of the movie, Dolly de Leon, during the London Film Festival. She spoke about how she saw her character of Abigail and developed her own backstory for her, what it was like working with Östlund and her fellow cast, particularly Dean, and shooting some of the more extreme scenes. We also discussed the joy in taking aim at the rich through satire, and the importance of a Filipina actress such as herself nabbing such a high-profile role.

Sarah Bradbury

Triangle of Sadness is released nationwide on 28^th October 2022. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for Triangle of Sadness here: