Why Barry’s learned to box clever
BARRY KEOGHAN, who has garnered award-season attention for his scenestealing performances in Dunkirk and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, showed me his bruised knuckles.
A bantamweight, he likes the occasional bout when he’s home in Dublin, or in County Kerry with his girlfriend, Shona Guerin.
But what if he gets socked in the face when he’s got a film on the go?!
‘That’s the thing. I can’t be hit. But I’m not going to make a career out of it,’ he told me.
Nicole Kidman, who stars in The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, which was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (who also made the controversial film The Lobster) told me she worries every time Keoghan gets in the ring.
Keoghan smiles when he hears this. ‘I really mean this: they were like a mother and father on set,’ the 25-year-old said of Kidman and Colin Farrell, who play the adults in the family targeted by Keoghan’s character, Martin.
But growing up in Dublin, he found boxing handy. ‘You have to look after yourself. Everyone was in the boxing or the football club. The discipline is good for you.’
Keoghan learned all about discipline when he and his brother went through a series of foster homes as their mother battled heroin addiction.
‘We went through different homes and we’d see our mother at the weekends. Our nan fought for us, and finally took us in when I was ten or 11,’ he said.
His mother lost her battle. ‘Heroin hit the inner city like everywhere. I lost my uncle to it. And my mother. She was 30.’
Tragedy made him ‘bulletproof’, but acting offered a lifeline.
‘I find it fun — and you get paid for it! — but I think I got into acting so I’m not always talking about myself. I can use the characters I play as a way of dealing with all my s***.’
Keoghan said he wanted to work with Lanthimos after seeing The Lobster.
‘He’s not like any other director. He doesn’t get into you about story, and as an actor you do like to know: “Why am I doing this? And what’s my motive?” He’ll shut you down if you do ask, although not in a rude way.’
He described his character, Martin, as a gift of a part. ‘Martin’s a clever little lad. He gives the impression that he’s a sweet boy, but he’s got it all plotted out.’
It’s a deliciously dangerous piece of filmmaking, and I’m a fan. But Keoghan’s girlfriend went to the London Film Festival screening and texted him afterwards: ‘Ten out of ten ... but what the f***?!’