The two movies that made Riley Keough want to act: “A big concept for a kid”
Being the granddaughter of Elvis Presley certainly gave her more than a few advantages starting out, but Riley Keough has put in the work to be one of the best actors working today. Not only is her love of cinema unquestionable, but it started off early.
Although it’s easy to criticise any actors with familial ties to the industry as being a “nepo baby”, it’s equally challenging to argue that talent doesn’t exist. Riley Keough could have very easily coasted on her grandfather’s name, but she’s taken great efforts to work on experimental projects and give unique performances.
Steven Soderbergh’s independent character study Magic Mike, George Miller’s action masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road, Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age drama American Honey, Lars von Trier’s psychological black comedy The House That Jack Built, and the Emmy-nominated Prime Video series Daisy Jones and the Six are just a few of the great projects that she’s been involved in.
Even if she grew up with a family that already had a storied history in the entertainment industry, Keough told The Guardian that her obsession with movie stars didn’t begin until she was a tween. The film that opened up her mind to the possibilities of storytelling was Moulin Rouge!, the jukebox musical from director Baz Luhrmann.
“I was 12, and I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be Nicole Kidman, she made me feel so sad!’” Keough said. “I remember thinking how fulfilling it would be to do that, which is a big concept for a kid.”
Keough is right to note the “big concept” of Moulin Rouge!, in which Kidman plays a cabaret actor who falls in love with a penniless writer, played by Ewan McGregor. By merging the flamboyant style of early 20th-century Bohemian art with contemporary pop music, Moulin Rouge! became an extraordinary sensation that earned several Oscar nominations and eventually inspired a Broadway adaptation.
Keough’s relationship with the film may have gone even deeper because of the ways in which its director has honoured her family. Although the Presley estate had been notoriously selective in licensing life rights for a potential film adaptation, Luhrmann was granted the authority to make the definitive biopic Elvis, which utilised a similarly idiosyncratic style as Moulin Rouge!, and beyond the fact that it was a massive hit and Oscar contender, Elvis seemed to satisfy Keough and her family by shining a spotlight on the difficulties that her grandfather faced during the later stages of his career.
Moulin Rouge! may be one of the most influential films of the 21st century, but the other title Keough cited as being a major inspiration was much more obscure, citing The Secret Lives of Altar Boys, a coming-of-age dramedy based on a graphic novel, as one of her most beloved films, and especially called out the great lead performance by Emile Hirsch.
While it was by no means a massive hit when it was first released, The Secret Lives of Altar Boys embodied the feelings of alienation and loneliness felt by many adolescents at the beginning of the new decade, and even if Keough was quick to praise Hirsch, the performance from The Secret Lives of Altar Boys that has gone on to have the most influence is that of Kieran Culkin, whose career has been on a hot streak recently thanks to Succession and A Real Pain.
