Triangle of Sadness: Dolly De Leon recalls thoughtful advice from late co-star Charlbi Dean

Dean passed away suddenly this August, at the age of 32

Dolly De Leon has called her co-star Charlbi Dean “one of the main reasons” that filming Triangle of Sadness “was so great”.

Dean, a South African model and actor, died in August at the age of 32 following a sudden illness.

In an interview with the Guardian released on Thursday (20 October), De Leon spoke glowingly of Dean, who plays a wealthy yacht guest in the satirical film. De Leon, 53, plays a domestic worker on the same yacht.

“The great thing about Charlbi is she sees what’s in people’s hearts. She’s kind to everyone. It comes naturally to her. She’s sort of otherworldly. She’s one of the main reasons why the filming experience was so great,” De Leon said.

Triangle of Sadness, about a group of individuals who band together after their yacht is ambushed by pirates, won the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and received an eight-minute standing ovation following its screening there.

Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, who directed Triangle of Sadness, previously spoke warmly of Dean in an Instagram tribute to the actor. “Charlbi had a care and sensitivity that lifted her colleagues and the entire film crew,” he said. “The thought that she will not be by our side in the future makes me very sad.”

Harris Dickinson also opened up about how her death “took [him] a while to comprehend”.

For De Leon, Dean’s thoughtfulness had been evident on the film festival circuit, as well as on the sset.

“In Cannes, I told her it was nice she had her fiance with her, and she said, ‘You should have brought someone.’ But I didn’t know I could. She looked at me and said, ‘Dolly, you need to get an agent and a manager, they will sort everything for you,’” De Leon relayed to her Guardian interviewer, Ryan Gilbey.

Charlbi Dean and Harris Dickinson in ‘Triangle of Sadness’ (Neon)

“Imagine, Ryan, at my age, I didn’t know any of this! And I’ve been acting for over 30 years.”

De Leon also spoke of her late co-star’s dynamism: “From day one, she hugged me like we were old friends.”

Triangle of Sadness will be released in the UK on 28 October. It arrived in US cinemas on 7 October.