After he spent his childhood in 13 foster homes, nobody would have bet that Barry Keoghan would become an Academy Award nominee and a pop culture sensation.
But the Irish performer never gave up on his acting dreams.
And, while Barry reaches all his goals, the actor is giving his young son the one thing he never had: a stable family.
Barry Keoghan was born in Ireland in 1992.
The actor’s father was absent, and his mother battled substance addiction when he was a child, so he and his brother were sent to foster homes and were usually moved from one to another.
This was a very unstable environment, with Barry visiting 13 different homes during his childhood.
The actor has explained that all the different families were good to him and his brother.
However, being moved so often meant that they were usually taken out of a family once they had finally gotten attached.
Keoghan and his brother were kept together through this whole period.
The actor has made it clear that he never had a bad experience with the social workers or the families that took them, but that it's “a bad experience in itself.
It’s not ever nice, kids being taken from their parents,” Barry explained.
The “Banshees of Inisherin” star has confessed that the different homes merge in his head.
Although Barry’s mother wasn’t able to care for him or his brother Eric, she would visit her children every Saturday.
When Keoghan was 10, he and his brother were taken in by their maternal grandmother. It seemed like the family was finally reunited.
That is, until tragedy struck 2 years later when the actor’s mom died.
Barry still remembers the day his aunt and grandma gave him the bad news, saying, “It was the worst day of my life.”
However, he didn’t let the experience wreck him.
Losing his mother was still tough for the actor because, at that time, grieving was often perceived as a “sign of weakness.”
For this reason, Barry and his brother turned down going to therapy when it was offered to them.
The star has described how people went through difficult times back then, saying,
However, that could only get you so far because “you have to go home and sit with yourself. It’s still with us,” Barry continued.
When Keoghan was older, he moved to London to pursue acting. It was then that he decided to work through his difficult past and started going to therapy.
The actor explained this step was very important because “we can’t figure all this out ourselves.”
Although his childhood was difficult, there was one thing that kept Barry motivated and inspired him to move through his struggles: his love for acting.
Once he reunited with his grandmother, Keoghan started watching films starring James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Paul Newman.
He was fascinated by what he saw onscreen and started putting on accents and doing impressions.
Keoghan even started playing different characters when he went to the shops!
When Barry expressed his desire to become a performer, many doubted him.
The actor has explained that, when someone had a big dream in his home environment, the attitude was always along the lines of “get with the script. It’s not gonna happen.”
But Barry didn’t give up. Tragic events and hardship made him more determined since he figured out that there was nothing else to lose.
When Keoghan was 16, he saw an open casting call in a shop window. He attended the audition, which led to a role in the crime drama “Between the Canals.”
The director revealed that Barry used to call him every few weeks until he finally cast him in the film. Persistent, ha?
The actor’s role was very small, and he only got paid 120 euros. What a humble start to what would become an amazing career!
After this job, Keoghan began to study acting at The Factory, a school in Dublin. At that time, he barely had enough money to pay for the bus to get there.
The actor continued getting roles in both independent and big-time critically acclaimed movies, like “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” and “Dunkirk.”
At one point, the performer learned that there was going to be another “Batman” movie.
Keoghan realized he wanted to be a part of it and recorded an unsolicited audition, which he uploaded on the Internet.
When Barry met the movie’s producer, he found out that the role he was hoping to get, the Riddler, had already been filled.
Still, the Irishman didn’t give up and asked the producer to watch his audition tape anyway. For months, nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, the actor was having dinner with a friend when he got a call from his agent.
He was told that the producers had seen the tape and wanted him to play the Joker.
The young star was ecstatic, but at this point, he couldn’t tell anyone!
Barry only appears in “The Batman’s” final moments. However, a deleted scene where he is featured has millions of views on YouTube.
Although Keoghan’s role was small, it became a part of pop culture. In fact, the actor was very excited when he found out that he was fourth in a list that rated all the jokers.
It’s clear that the performer has no problem going after what he wants.
One could say he even manifested his role in the movie “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
Before he had even met Martin McDonagh, the movie’s writer and director, Keoghan had a picture of him as the background image on his phone.
Wooow! Barry’s friends didn't understand what he was doing.
At one point, one of his mates asked him why he had a picture of Sting on his phone!
Well, whatever Keoghan did, it worked, because in March 2020 he received a call from his friend, actor Colin Farrell, who told him Barry McDonagh had written a part for him in his new film.
Then, Martin emailed the actor and asked to meet him. Keoghan was so excited that he said yes to the role right away without even reading the script.
Filming was delayed because of the pandemic, which gave the performer more time to prepare his role.
Barry also missed the rehearsal process because he was ill, which ironically proved to be beneficial for his performance.
Barry decided to be spontaneous and try out different versions of the character on set. He also developed his character’s physicality, which included a lot of nervous twitches, before shooting.
The director loved it, which encouraged Keoghan to try out even more stuff. Talk about a successful collaboration!
The star hasn’t only achieved his dreams when it comes to work, he has also been able to build a stable home to come back to.
Barry reportedly began dating his girlfriend, orthodontist Alyson Sandro, in February 2021.
In October of that year, they made their romance red-carpet official when they attended the premiere of The Eternals together.
In March 2022, Barry announced that they were expecting a baby. Only a few months later, the actor posted on Instagram that his son had been born.
“Welcome to the pack,” he wrote.
The boy is called Brando, like Marlon Brando, the star’s inspiration in those difficult childhood times.
Keoghan has opened up about fatherhood in an interview with British GQ, saying, “It’s indescribable,” and “It’s a love I’ve not felt before.”
We are so glad he finally found everything he deserves!
When Barry was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, he celebrated with an Instagram post.
The star mentioned his son again, saying, “That one's for you, Brando. Daddy Loves you.”
Keoghan hopes his difficult past can inspire others and make them realize no dream is impossible no matter where you come from.
Barry urges young people to use whatever they’re into as inspiration and as a way of overcoming their struggles.
The actor still keeps a memento of his past: a stuffed dalmatian toy that once belonged to his mother.
We are so happy that the actor finally has the stability and home he deserves.
Here at Rumour Juice, we congratulate Barry on his achievements and amazing mindset;
and hope he can continue inspiring us for many years to come.