Barry Keoghan: 17 Facts About The Saltburn Star

The following article includes mention of addiction.

If you've been keeping up with the cultural zeitgeist, you'll have undoubtedly heard of "Saltburn" star Barry Keoghan. After professionally acting since 2010, the Irish actor first made a splash playing the kind-hearted young civilian, George, in Christopher Nolan's epic 2017 feature "Dunkirk," sharing memorable scenes with the likes of Mark Rylance ("Bridge of Spies") and Cillian Murphy ("Peaky Blinders"). He told reporters at the film's premiere that the experience of starring in the film was truly extraordinary.

Following his success in the war epic, Keoghan starred in several other blockbuster films, like "Eternals" and "The Batman." He also delivered a notably chilling, albeit convincing, portrayal of a psychopath in 2017's "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" alongside Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. And of course, his turn as Oliver Quick in "Saltburn" alongside Jacob Elordi's Felix Catton has got the whole internet talking — especially after the final scene which saw him dancing through the mansion in all his natural glory.

It seems as if Keoghan can do no wrong, dancing his way from one epic film to another, but how much do we actually know about the actor? From his childhood in Dublin's inner city to his first acting role to his relationship status to his bold career aspirations, here are some not commonly known facts about Keoghan.

Dublin-born actor Barry Keoghan had something of a tumultuous childhood. From an early age, he was exposed to the harsh realities of his city's drug problem and, sadly, when he was only 12 years old, his mother, Debbie, died of a heroin overdose. "Back then, when [heroin] caught a lot of families, it was worse," he reflected to The Irish Times. It was a new drug. It was a new thing and people didn't know the effects."

In the early years of his career, Barry shied away from discussing his family history, but in a 2018 interview with i-D, he shared details of his backstory, acknowledging that where he comes from is an important part of his trajectory. "I come from a different world. Her death shaped who I am, definitely," he explained. And though her death happened before his acting career took off, he still feels her presence, even if he can't celebrate his biggest accomplishments with her. "I believe she's here with me through this journey, the good times and the bad," he told "Living with Lucy" (via the Irish Mirror).

Dealing with this loss so early in his life also influenced the types of characters he seeks to play. "Like every actor, I want to express my pain," he admitted to the Independent, adding that he doesn't identify with "happy-go-lucky characters." "I want to play someone with a bit more of an edge; someone who challenges people, and that doesn't have it all easy."

The reality of his mother's addiction meant that there were times when she was sick and couldn't care for her sons, Barry and Eric Keoghan. With no father in the picture, Barry and Eric ended up spending seven years in 13 different foster homes before their mother's death. Barry recalled the foster families being kind to him and his brother, but every time the boys got attached, they would be moved on.

Two years before Debbie's death, Barry and Eric found a permanent home when they moved in with their maternal grandmother. Unfortunately, they were mostly estranged from their mom by the end of her life. The actor opened up to The Guardian about how it was a horrific time for them when she died and noted that he and Eric only got through it because they had each other. "My mother dying of drugs is not easy for any kid. Anyone dying is not easy, but certainly not a mother. Me and my brother, we stuck together."

Barry and Eric's bond has remained strong over the years, and the actor often praises his brother for being his biggest supporter. Eric has no doubt inspired his older brother with the personal film Barry told GQ he wants to make about their upbringing, called "The Cut Man."

Barry Keoghan started his amateur boxing career back in high school, and it's something he has continued to be passionate about. "[I do] as much boxing as I can, really. I love a bit of paddle work, a bit of sparring. Training's brilliant ... It's brilliant for the mental health. And, you know, I train a lot for that reason," Keoghan explained in a 2021 interview with Off the Ball. While the actor noted that boxing helps him look and feel good in his everyday life, it's also a particularly great form of training when he's trying to get into shape for film roles, too.

Since he has become a successful actor, Keoghan and his childhood pal — boxing Olympic gold medalist Kellie Harrington — want to give back to the place they grew up and create a boxing and drama program for inner-city kids in Dublin, the actor revealed on "The Ryan Tubridy Show." Having grown up in the innermost district of Ireland's capital, Keoghan can relate to the next generation and he wants to do his bit to spur them forward and give them some hope and inspiration for their futures.

Barry Keoghan's first acting credit was in the gangster film "Between the Canals," which was written and directed by the award-winning Irish filmmaker Mark O'Connor. However, Keoghan wasn't actively pursuing auditions when stumbled across the open call for actors. "I saw it in a window — an open invitation, street cast, and I saw there was time off school. It was a small movie. But I was like, 'I can do this!'" he told i-D.

Prior to "Between the Canals," Keoghan's acting experience was pretty limited. As he told Dazed, "I'd acted in school — just Christmas plays, a bit of messing around on stage." However, he took the audition seriously and left his first meeting with O'Connor with the part. Pre-production on the movie took a few months because of financial constraints, but once O'Connor had the go ahead, Keoghan took to the silver screen for the very first time as Aido.

Knowing that he wanted to pursue acting, Barry Keoghan decided formal education wasn't for him. In the U.K. and Ireland, kids attend high school from the age of 11 until 16, before moving on to college or employment. He opted to finish his education at 16, a move which he told Dazed was pretty typical for kids growing up in Dublin's inner city, regardless of their career aspirations.

What wasn't typical, or so he felt at the time, was Keoghan's desire to become a professional actor, telling i-D that a lot of his friends made fun of him for it. Thankfully, his brother, Eric, was always on hand to offer his support. "[He] never took the piss out of me ... Once you get the seal of approval from your brother, you just know," he explained to The Guardian.

Keoghan swiftly found success after starring in 2011's "Between the Canals" when the director, Mark O'Connor, then cast him in 2012's "Stalker." He then bagged a series of small Irish roles before moving on to bigger Hollywood roles. But this on-the-job training wasn't the only thing that prepared him for his high-flying career. Keoghan made the unexpected choice to return to school. He was one of the first students to attend the National Screen Acting School of Ireland in Dublin. The college — which trained actors like Brian Gleeson and Jack Reynor — is better known by the moniker Bow Street Academy and became renowned as one of Ireland's best acting institutions.

"I always said, I want to work with good indie filmmakers, and if a blockbuster comes up and the filmmaker is great, I'll do that. And then I get the best of all that! It's Chris Nolan! The best director who also makes big films," Barry Keoghan gushed to The Ringer in 2017, a few months after "Dunkirk" was released. The Irish actor played the good-hearted young lad, George, who stowed away aboard a little boat headed for Dunkirk all because he wanted to do his bit for the war effort. He's undoubtedly one of the bravest civilian heroes in the film, and thanks to Keoghan's acting chops, the audience feels genuine sadness when — spoiler alert — George dies.

"Dunkirk" was one of Keoghan's breakout role, as it was for many other actors like Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, and Tom Glynn-Carney, because writer-director Christopher Nolan wanted to bring in some relatively unknown performers. That meant he cast the net wide during the audition process, so all Keoghan had to do was send in a self tape. As he told The Hollywood Reporter, to get into the scene, he pretended a household item was a gun for the tryout. "I took the batteries out [of a remote control] like I was taking bullets out," he explained. After nabbing the part of George in "Dunkirk," Keoghan went on to score other notable roles, appearing in "Chernobyl" alongside Stellan Skarsgård and "Calm With Horses" beside Cosmo Jarvis.

Barry Keoghan's second big film of 2017 was "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." The role, which saw him playing a certified psychopath, couldn't have been further from the character he played in "Dunkirk," but it was the perfect opportunity for Keoghan to show his range. "I want people to go, 'F***, that's him? He's completely different,'" Keoghan said in an interview with The Ringer. If you've watched the film, you'll know there's a particularly memorable scene where Keoghan's character Martin intensely eats a plateful of spaghetti in front of Nicole Kidman's character Anna. She sits quietly (and uncomfortably) opposite him and pleads with him not to hurt her children — it's quite dark.

Playing a completely different type of character wasn't the only appeal of this feature. Keoghan also explained to Dazed that he learned so much from Yorgos Lanthimos' direction. "It was very, very refreshing to go into a movie and not have this whole backstory. "Yorgos was like, 'Know your lines and don't attach emotion to them.'" Keoghan told Vulture that the experience of working with Lanthimos and Christopher Nolan was not that different, however the end result was very different. The film also marked a change in tone for the actor, who said he wanted to transition into more adult roles, playing someone his own age (20s rather than teens) going forward.

Barry Keoghan won a few smaller independent awards early on his career — notably winning best actor in a supporting role at the Irish Film and Television Awards for his role in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" — but "The Banshees of Inisherin" catapulted him to another level. Playing Dominic in the 2022 Irish black tragicomedy led to an Academy Award nomination for best performance by an actor in a supporting role and a BAFTA win in the same category during the 2023 award season.

The movie didn't just mark Keoghan's first major critical success, but also when he started to be known for pushing boundaries with each role he chose. Afterward, he told Vanity Fair: "I do look at the roles I play and how I can challenge myself in every role. And I do want people to see range and that I can go through other places rather than the sinister parts that I've played before."

When it came to playing Dominic, Keoghan said the role gave him the opportunity to play a layered character. "This was a chance to show that I can come across sinister with a bit of naivety, with a bit of pure soul and honesty," he explained. "I really did want to push it and bring people into that world of, I can make you feel as well, rather than make you hate me and be sinister and with an absolute, evil demeanor."

Production on "The Banshees of Inisherin" didn't come without its complications. Right before filming was about to begin, Barry Keoghan contracted necrotizing fasciitis, which is better known as "the flesh eating disease." 

The infection progressed quickly, and Keoghan was hospitalized. He didn't reveal how he contracted the deadly disease, which was concentrated in one of his arms, but Keoghan recalled to GQ that there was a serious discussion about having to amputate it. The situation got worse before it got better and Keoghan recalled asking the doctors, "I'm not gonna die, right?" and the response being, "Well, we don't know." 

Writer-director Martin McDonagh visited the actor in hospital and told the outlet he was downplaying the situation despite being on a lot of medication. "We were only about four days out from shooting, and his arm was puffed up. But he was like, 'Yeah, no, I'm going to be fine — I'll see you on Tuesday.' I went to the hospital thinking, 'S*** — is he going to die?' Let alone, is he going to make the movie. But I came out of there energized and looking forward to it," the Irish playwright added.

In the span of 12 months, Irish star Barry Keoghan appeared in theaters in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe. The latter was achieved thanks to his role as The Joker in "The Batman." He may have only had a brief cameo in the film, but thanks to a five-minute deleted scene released on YouTube, fans know what to expect from Keoghan in the next installment of "The Batman" franchise. "Honestly, I am stuck for words but I am very, very BLESSED to play this role after the AMAZING AMAZING Actors before me. Here's my version," Keoghan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside the deleted scene.

Keoghan seemingly manifested his role as The Joker during an interview with Vulture back in 2017. He proudly stated that he was very much open to diving into Gotham's superhero world, even suggesting that he could be Robin to Ben Affleck's Batman. Who could have known he would end up playing such an iconic villain instead? Certainly not Keoghan, as he didn't even audition to play Batman's most notorious adversary. The actor revealed to Esquire that he actually sent in a self-tape hoping to bag the role of The Riddler, which ultimately went to Paul Dano. But, sometimes things just have a way of working out for the best, as there's a chance they could make an entertaining evil duo in the 2025 sequel.

In 2021, Barry Keoghan began publicly dating Alyson Sandro, and the pair solidified their relationship status when they made their red carpet debut at the "Eternals" premiere in October 2021. The couple announced in March 2022 the exciting news that they were expecting a baby boy.

Keoghan and Sandro welcomed their son, Brando Keoghan, in August 2022. The actor, who was filming "Saltburn" at the time, revealed to GQ that he was given the day off to be at the birth. "Day off, and straight on to night shoots and night feedings — boom!" It's clear that he's taken to being a dad. "Y'know, it's crazy, but when he looks at you, you feel like the most important person in the world. That's the effect he has on me," he gushed. "He smiles at you and you're like, Wow. You're smiling at me like that? I don't deserve that, but anyways, thanks." And he can't stop enthusing about his little boy, telling his "Saltburn" co-star Jacob Elordi during their video for British Vogue that having Brando was his "I've made it moment."

As of January 2024, Keoghan's relationship status with Brando's mum Sandro is unclear. Although the actor has sparked romance rumors with musician-slash-actor Sabrina Carpenter and GQ seemingly confirmed his split with Sandro, Keoghan himself has not confirmed the split. When the topic came up, he praised Sandro's efforts as a mum and changed the subject. "She's done a great job, and she's an incredible mother," he said.

Barry Keoghan received a life-changing diagnosis when he was in his late 20s. In 2022, he told Pippa O'Connor on the "Mamia & Me" podcast that he found out two years earlier, despite noticing the signs much earlier in his life. "I knew I had it growing up ... just the distraction side of things and zoning in and wherever," he recalled. "I started taking medication there recently, as well, for it." He added that the medication not something he strictly takes every day.

Keoghan also believed that having ADHD may have unknowingly pushed him toward his acting career because, while he was easily distracted from or struggled to focus on activities like reading, he found he was able to immerse himself in movies. His favorites were anything starring Paul Newman, but "Cool Hand Luke" was his all-time favorite and the one he continues to rewatch when he's having a hard time. Keoghan went to extreme lengths to pursue his love of cinema, admitting to The Guardian that he and his friends would often sneak into the local cinema for free before they were barred.

What do you do after you've already made waves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe? You set your sights on playing the super spy 007, of course. With speculation mounting over which actor will have the honor of playing James Bond after Daniel Craig, Barry Keoghan has decided to throw his hat in the ring too.

It all began with some pictures Keoghan posted on social media. In the three shots, Keoghan can be seen enjoying a holiday vacation in a remarkably Bond-esque style, but it was the caption, "Bond who?" which sparked the question of whether Keoghan was keen to step into the British spy's shoes, or bathing suit should we say.

He later addressed the photos and speculation on "The Ryan Tubridy Show." "Ah look, I was having a bit of craic [fun]. You know, you just throw your hat in the ring for it and see what happens," he explained. "But I am curious to see where they go with Bond ... Even to play the villain. That would be quite cool. But maybe Bond actually, you know what, maybe Bond," he added. Well, who knows what's next for Bond? We reckon he has as good a shot as anyone else.

Barry Keoghan has amassed a net worth of $4 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. His biggest paychecks likely come from his most notble works — "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," "Eternals," "The Banshees of Inisherin," and "Saltburn." Details of most of his earnings from these roles have been kept under wraps, but we do know Keoghan and his leading co-stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson were reportedly each paid $3 million on "The Banshees of Inisherin."

While a percentage of his salary certainly goes toward paying his team, with these successful roles under his belt, Keoghan will now have a multi-million dollar movie quote, which works like a base salary and his offers won't tend to go lower than this. Of course, he may choose to accept less money for a smaller budget or independent film; after all, there's no guessing what Keoghan will do next as he certainly likes to surprise his audience.

Whatever the role, and however much he earns, fans of the Irish actor can rest assured that he won't ever let the fame go to his head. He credits his grandmother (who he calls Nanny) with keeping him grounded. "I'll come home off a film set where I'm getting pampered, and I'll get a slap in the head if I don't make my bed. That's what I love about her," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Barry Keoghan is primarily known for being a feature film actor, but he has also racked up a few TV credits throughout his career. One of his most memorable small screen appearances was in Season 5 of the Netflix crime drama, "Top Boy," which saw Keoghan play Jonny, one half of an intimidating gangster duo from Dublin. He was paired up with Brian Gleeson, who played Jonny's uncle and criminal partner, Tadgh.

The Irish stars appeared in three episodes of the fifth season after Keoghan made it clear to "Top Boy" writer and creator Ronan Bennett that he was a huge fan of the show. Executive producer Charles Steel told the Irish Mirror that this was how the "Saltburn" star got his foot in the door. When Keoghan asked if there might be an opportunity to appear in the show, Bennett apparently jumped at the chance. "I think, given the quality of actor that Barry is, Ronan and ourselves just saw a great opportunity to create a character with him and I think Brian came following that," Steel explained. "In terms of cementing an Irish character and an Irish storyline ... it was very much built around and for Barry."

If you didn't know Barry Keoghan's name before "Saltburn," you'll definitely know it after watching the 2023 film. Signing on to the project was clearly the right move for Keoghan, who was sold on playing lead Oliver Quick before he even read the script. Although writer-director Emerald Fennell initially pictured Timothée Chalamet in the role, with some encouragement from Jacob Elordi, she reached out to Keoghan. He knew instantly that he wanted to be a part of the project, and admitted to Elordi that he was a part of the reason during their conversation for Vogue.

When he finally did read the script, Keoghan was over the moon. "When I was reading that, it was a realization of, 'I've probably signed on to one of the best things I've ever signed onto.' It was jaw-dropping, it was beautiful. There's so much stuff there that I had to read over again. I was just like, 'This is a proper showcase for an actor,'" he said in another interview with Vogue.

Keoghan, who described himself as a method actor, said he was completely immersed in the character of Oliver, and this helped him film some of the more difficult and dark scenes as he truly felt like he was going through the same emotions. "I wanted to go on that journey as well. I wanted to see what the next step was," he explained.

Barry Keoghan plans to have a very long and successful career in the entertainment industry. He explained that he believes, in part, that his success thus far is thanks to the law of attraction — something he admittedly puts a lot of stock into. "I've gotten really into (new-age philosophy) the law of attraction; I watched a documentary and read a bit (about it)," he said in Dazed.

Keoghan has been manifesting his acting career goals since before he signed with his agents and holds his filmography as proof that his plan is coming together. When he has a goal to achieve, he goes after it and he has already achieved a substantial amount. So how exactly does he do it? Well, it's pretty simple; He sends his goals out into the universe by putting them on paper. "I write everything down," Keoghan explained to The Ringer. "Directors, movies I want to do, that I want to produce, direct, start my own company, start my own boxing club." While he has already ticked off some pretty big names like Christopher Nolan, Chloe Zhao, Matt Reeves, and Yorgos Lanthimos, Keoghan still hopes to work with Greta Gerwig and Steven Spielberg. As he looks toward the future, Keoghan is continuing to focus his energy on the law of attraction and if his success so far is an indicator, he's going to be busy.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).