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Whether you're watching him in a solemn war flick or an unpredictable thriller, it's no secret that Barry Keoghan always delivers in his movies. The BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated Irish actor has all but thrown the traditional "leading man" playbook out the window, opting instead to play characters more messy and unpredictable than you might assume he'd be into.
To be fair, it's totally worked for him so far, with tons of hits under his belt: "Dunkirk" and "The Batman" to name a few. But one of his next projects may be one of his most ambitious yet: taking on the role of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes' upcoming biopics, the first of which is arriving this April.
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
"The Banshees of Inisherin" begins with one simple question: What happens when someone you love decides they’re done with you?
Set on an Irish island in the 1920s, the film follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) after Colm abruptly cuts off all contact. While not the star of the film, Keoghan plays Dominic, the troubled son of a local man who's endured abuse at the hands of his father, and he's a standout character. It's an excellent showcase of his acting chops.
He's also integral to the plot. While under Pádraic's care, Dominic works to repair the broken friendship between the two men. But unfortunately, the embattled bond doesn't seem like it can be saved despite Dominic's best efforts.
Buy or rent "The Banshees of Inisherin" from Amazon, Apple TV or Fandango at Home
‘Saltburn’
Barry Keoghan smolders as Oliver in "Saltburn." A seemingly socially invisible student at the University of Oxford, he quickly becomes mesmerized and eventually obsessed with classmate Felix (Jacob Elordi). Felix seems to have it all: looks, status, and money. So when Oliver is invited to spend the summer at Felix’s sprawling family estate, he can't say no.
Once Oliver is at Saltburn, Felix's family estate, that's when Keoghan's performance really goes off the deep end. This thriller finds the actor at his best while playing a vulnerable yet deeply unsettling role where he can showcase a range of difficult emotions without batting an eye. One moment, he's quiet and kind, the next, he's doing unmentionable things with bathwater. "Saltburn" is already an unpredictable thriller, and Keoghan truly makes it his own time and time again.
Stream “Saltburn” on Prime Video
‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’
If you want to understand Barry Keoghan's reputation for what’s been coined as "discomfort cinema," then this Yorgos Lanthimos film is mandatory viewing. In "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," he plays a mysterious teenager who inserts himself into a surgeon's family with a supernatural ultimatum.
Keoghan is terrifying as Martin, as he insinuates himself into the Murphy family little by little. Things really take a turn, though, when he threatens the family unit with a forced choice: Choose a member of the family to die.
This, according to Martin, is to "balance" things for his deceased father, on whom the Murphy father operated. If they fail to choose a sacrifice, everyone in the family will die of paralysis in days. While “Saltburn” found Keoghan in an ultimately over-charismatic role, this one makes him a deadpan, clinical killer who’s hard to stomach with motives even more difficult to swallow, and that's perhaps all the more terrifying.
Stream “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” on HBO Max
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