It will be a rawness that stands above everything. This film was the best acting school I could imagine, says Keoghan to TT at a beach restaurant during the film festival in Cannes.
In "Bird" we meet twelve-year-old Bailey who lives with her kind but also slightly unreliable dad Bug (Barry Keoghan). He falls in love with a single mother and it creates conflicts between father and daughter. Therefore, Bailey seeks new ways to tackle life.
Main role in "Saltburn"
Barry Keoghan got his breakthrough in "The Banshees of Inisherin" and has since made several notable roles, including in Emerald Fennell's "Saltburn".
It has become a lot lately, but I feel it would be better with a little less. I choose what speaks to me, he says.
Keoghan was on his way to make a big role in "Gladiator 2", but turned it down to do "Bird" instead.
I wanted to work with Andrea. I understood that it would give me the opportunity to be pure, to avoid being on my guard. She has an unorthodox way of working.
"Not me"
In the film, he really got to show what he could do, he says. And therefore, the result became more successful than otherwise.
I did this character so well. And he has stayed with me, more than what other roles have done, he says and continues:
Many want to give me roles where I should be the bad guy. But that's not me. I have a lot coming that shows it.
He pours praise over Andrea Arnold.
She has no script. But she has a vision and energy, she is raw and she is real.
"Get to learn"
For the role as a young dad, he was inspired by his own young relatives. He has children himself but doesn't think he has any clear answers on how to be a parent:
There I get to learn as time goes by.
In just a few years, Barry Keoghan has become a very popular and sought-after young actor. He is ambivalent to the attention – he likes to get good reviews for what he does, but is not as positive about being recognized on the street.
Everyone has an iPhone nowadays and takes pictures. The internet is a terrible place.
Age: 32 years.
Lives: In Dundee, Scotland.
Family: A son with ex-girlfriend Alyson Sandro.
Occupation: Actor.
Previous roles in selection: "71", "Chernobyl", "The Green Knight", "The Killing of a Sacred Deer", "Dunkirk", "Eternals", "The Banshees of Inisherin", "Saltburn".
Currently with: "Bird" which gets its Swedish cinema premiere on 28/3.
