Barry Keoghan

Summary

Podcast Summary: This Life of Mine with James Corden – Barry Keoghan

Date: March 3, 2026
Podcast: This Life of Mine with James Corden (Lemonada Media)
Guest: Barry Keoghan

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Overview

In this rich and heartfelt conversation, James Corden sits down with acclaimed Irish actor Barry Keoghan, delving into the pivotal people, places, possessions, music, and memories that shaped his life. From an unstable childhood in Dublin and foster care, to finding solace in classic films, forging close friendships, and rising to stardom in movies like The Banshees of Inisherin and Saltburn, Keoghan shares stories imbued with vulnerability, humor, and deep self-reflection. The episode is anchored by Keoghan’s emotional recollections and insights on art, identity, and resilience, painting a vivid portrait of a complex, driven, and deeply human performer.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meeting and First Impressions

• James and Barry’s Past Encounter:
  The conversation kicks off warmly as the pair recall meeting at a “crazy party” in New York, with James noting, “I thought if we’d have gone to school together, I think we’d have been mates, would have been in trouble. We would have got kicked out.” (04:15)
• Barry on Starstruck Moments:
  Barry reminisces about meeting The Rock for the first time and being awestruck.

  "I remember the first time and I couldn't like look at him. First of all, he's so tall. But he was like, relax, it's all good. I was like, no, this is not real.” (04:38)
  He jokes that he still has The Rock’s emoji beside his number. (04:51)

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2. The Power of Cinema and Early Inspiration

Keoghan's Chosen Film: Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman)

• Barry describes Cool Hand Luke as his emotional lifeline during tough times:

  "When there's these movies that you watch, when you're going through a hard time or, you know, you just kind of want to be alone and you throw it on for ambience. And Cool Hand Luke is that movie." (05:23)

• Early Film Love:
  Barry grew up watching classic films with his grandmother after she went to bed. He was “fascinated with their behaviors back then, how, you know, they exchanged and dialogue. And it was different.” (06:10)

• On Paul Newman:

  “It's in the title there, the cool kind of composer he has throughout the film. There's this sort of no breaking about him.” (08:01)

Memorable Moment: Icing His Face

• Barry recounts how, during Dunkirk, he began the ritual of dunking his face in ice to reduce puffiness, a tradition he’s kept since.

  “I love the old school kind of tradition of dunking your face.” (07:57)

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3. Childhood, Foster Care, and Family

• Living with His Granny:
  Barry opens up about being taken in by his grandmother and aunt after years in and out of foster care due to his mother’s heroin addiction.

  "It was a whole process, man, that we didn't know about until I got a bit older." (10:53)

• Lingering Effects:

  “Trust issues, you know, you don't trust the process of anything. You have a problem with attachment and abandonment. All of these things that I've been working on for many years with several therapists.” (11:39)

• Role of Film as Escape and Blueprint:
  As a child missing parental role models, Barry sought father figures in classic film icons and later, in real life (Colin Farrell, etc.).

  “I was looking for traits of being a man.” (13:09)

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4. Discovery of Acting

• First Stage Experience:
  A school play (“My Babysitter is an Alien”) led to his first rush of confidence:

  “I said something, my first line, and everyone started laughing. I was like, oh, wow, people like me, that sort of thing.” (14:11)

• Struggles with School Support: Barry laments how schools sometimes inhibit potential:

  “Nurture that, correct what I'm saying?” (14:39)

• Early Roles and Daring Attitude:

  “I don't want a plan B if I have a plan B, I don't have a plan A.” (15:45) He got his first TV series while still a teen.

• Getting Started on Films: Barry’s first film role ("Between the Canals") came after he responded to an open casting in his community, largely motivated by the €120 fee and a chance to skip school.

  “I took the number and rang up my granny's phone because I didn't have a phone then. … And that was it. It was just easy. … It felt effortless.” (16:56)

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5. Instinct, Craft, and Staying Authentic

• On Instinct vs. Technique: Keoghan discusses protecting his intuitive, organic approach to acting.

  “I love watching [actors who’ve never acted]. I'm like, I hope they stay like that. But they read articles, they … get this pressure of shit, I should know how to act. And they ruin it. … They take away all of that instinctive behavior and it just makes them like everyone else.” (20:25)

• Still Learning – No Ego:
  Keoghan has enrolled in acting classes in LA, even after major industry success, inspired by Mark Ruffalo.

  "There’s real honor in that, though, Barry.” – James (21:35)
  “I want to keep learning. I want to keep watching and observing in that class.” (21:37)

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6. Place: Achill Island, County Mayo

• Filming Banshees of Inisherin: Achill Island holds special significance—Keoghan lived with Colin Farrell (“He actually described me as a raccoon...”) and felt a transcendence outside of regular time.

  “I felt like it was the only place that existed at that time.” (23:20)

• Personal Growth:
  He was diagnosed with ADHD there and describes it as “a real turning point.” (23:33)

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7. Roles and Themes – The Outsider

• Dominic (Banshees) and Oliver (Saltburn): James notes the thread between Keoghan’s iconic characters as “outsiders, victims of their own loneliness.”
  Barry embraces these roles, both for their difference and the chance to show range:

  “Banshees was a chance to be that naive…And then I looked at Saltburn, which was a bit more of a nasty demeanor … I wanted to show range.” (24:28)

• Preparing for Roles:
  Keoghan recounts immersing in communities to build characters (e.g., spending two weeks in rural Ireland for the film Stay):

  “From that moment, I've always done the research and kind of a camp before a role to get into character.” (25:25)

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8. Important Person: Michael Bossman

• Who is Michael Bossman?
  Barry’s best friend and trainer, “the lad is in impeccable shape,” who has supported him personally and professionally.

  “He just has a heart of gold and he's been on a lot of movies with me … He's just one of these people that has an essence and an energy that's very calming.” (26:56-27:46)

• Boxing and Community: Boxing as discipline, craft, and family.

  “People think it's anger. It's not. No, it's a place of, like, control. It's a craft. It's beautiful to watch.” (27:51)

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9. Friendship, Trust, and Vulnerability

• Friendship Value:
  Keoghan cherishes his tight circle, citing a difficulty to trust and the comfort of being understood without words.

  “There's no, you haven't chatted to me here. … It's more like, is he okay? How is he doing? There's a protection within my circle.” (29:21)

• On Trust:
  “When I let you in, then you're in. I give you my heart, I show you my whole heart on my sleeve, and … sometimes I feel I'm going to be hurt. It's. Yeah, I'm walking through trust. I really am.” (30:08)

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10. Music: “Canter” by Gerry Cinnamon

• Why It Matters: Keoghan played this song during his son Brando’s birth.

  “And the lyrics, this is the beginning of the rest of your life as he comes out. And every time I play Gerry, that song, it just reminds me of Brando coming into the world.” (32:22)

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11. Possession: Bracelet with His Mum’s Name

• Story of the Bracelet:
  By chance, he picked up a bracelet with the name “Debbie” (his mother’s) from a props table while making the movie Bored, and hasn’t taken it off since.

  “It was just a little sign of, again, horror, showing me that she's there.” (33:03)

• Carrying Memory:
  Barry also treasures a Dalmatian teddy (named Timmy by his mom) which kept his mother’s scent and provides comfort. (34:32)

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12. Reflections on His Mother and Loss

• On His Mother’s Struggle:
  Barry describes brief, final encounters with his mother through the lens of compassion, not anger.

  “I have no feelings of, she shouldn't have done this. … Especially my mom, who was closer to. I just how tough it must have been for her, you know, it's a struggle, it's a sickness…” (34:39)

• Anecdote:
  The last time he saw his mother, she was knocking for money for drugs—an echo of a powerful scene from Basketball Diaries. (35:40)

• Unopened Notebook:
  Keoghan has never read his mother’s notebook, saying he feels it belongs to his grandmother, her mother, and wants to wait for the right moment. (36:19)

• Coping with Judgment:
  Addresses social media misconceptions about his parenting:

  “People are quick to judge. And I'm like, if you only knew just a day or two in the life of me growing up as a kid. You take it back.” (37:56)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | 04:38 | “I remember the first time and I couldn't like look at him. First of all, he's so tall. But he was like, relax, it's all good. I was like, no, this is not real.” | Barry Keoghan | | 06:10 | “I was just fascinated with their behaviors back then, how, you know, they exchanged and dialogue. And it was different.” | Barry Keoghan | | 08:01 | “It's in the title there, the cool kind of composer he has throughout the film. There's this sort of no breaking about him.” | Barry Keoghan | | 13:09 | “I was looking for traits of being a man.” | Barry Keoghan | | 15:45 | “I don't want a plan B if I have a plan B, I don't have a plan A.” | Barry Keoghan | | 21:37 | “I want to keep learning. I want to keep watching and observing in that class.” | Barry Keoghan | | 23:20 | “I felt like it was the only place that existed at that time.” | Barry Keoghan | | 24:28 | “Banshees was the chance to be that naive… And then I looked at Saltburn, which was a bit more of a nasty demeanor … I wanted to show range.” | Barry Keoghan | | 26:56 | “He just has a heart of gold and he's been on a lot of movies with me … He's just one of these people that has an essence and an energy that's very calming.” | Barry Keoghan | | 27:51 | “People think it's anger. It's not. No, it's a place of, like, control. It's a craft. It's beautiful to watch.” | Barry Keoghan | | 29:21 | “There's a protection within my circle. Everyone wants to look after me, and I'm very, very grateful for that. I don't have 20 friends. You know, I have a small group because I don't trust a lot. I just have this bubble, and that's my bubble.” | Barry Keoghan | | 32:22 | “Every time I play Gerry, that song, it just reminds me of Brando coming into the world.” | Barry Keoghan | | 33:03 | “It was just a little sign of, again, horror, showing me that she's there.” | Barry Keoghan | | 37:56 | “People are quick to judge. And I'm like, if you only knew just a day or two in the life of me growing up as a kid. You take it back.” | Barry Keoghan |

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Barry’s Childhood & Foster Care: 09:39–13:09
• Discovery of Acting: 13:31–15:45
• Paul Newman & Film Influence: 05:19–08:47
• On Acting Instinct & Learning: 20:25–22:19
• Place: Achill Island / Banshees Filming: 22:29–24:15
• Preparing for Roles: 25:24–26:49
• Person: Michael Bossman & Boxing: 26:56–29:00
• On Friendship and Trust: 29:00–31:00
• Music: “Canter” by Gerry Cinnamon: 31:58–32:52
• Possession: Bracelet, Memories of Mum: 32:58–37:56

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Final Thoughts

This episode peels back the layers of the public persona to reveal a raw, honest, and deeply reflective Barry Keoghan. His stories of hardship, resilience, friendship, and parental love are told without self-pity, instead infused with gratitude, humor, and determined optimism. For fans and newcomers, the episode offers new dimensions to his artistry and a memorable lesson in finding hope, meaning, and purpose against the odds.

James Corden’s thank you sums it up:

"We may not have been friends at school, but I hope we'll be friends. We are in the future. Thank you for sharing this life of yours. I'll never forget it." (38:03)

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Transcript

[James Corden]

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[Lemonada Premium Announcer]

Lemonade.

[James Corden]

You can listen to every episode of this Life of Mine ad free with Lemonada Premium. You'll get access to a quick fire round of questions with this week's guest. And I mean quickfire really quick. Like two minutes or less. Just tap that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe on any other app. That's lemonade premium dot com. Hello and welcome to this Life of Mine, the show where our guests pick the places, people, possessions, music and memories that have made them who they are. My guest today is an actor hailing from Ireland who is surely one of the most in demand names in the industry right now. His work on Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and Yorgos Yanthimos's the Killing of a Sacred Deer introduced him onto a global stage. But it was his Oscar nominated and BAFTA award winning turn in the Banshees of Inisherin that really catapulted him to fame and onto a leading role in what was without question the most talked about film of 2023, Saltburn. His journey into acting has been far from ordinary and perhaps that explains his success in bringing extraordinary roles onto the screen. I am genuinely excited that he's here on the show today. Are you ready?

[Barry Keoghan]

Who is it?

[James Corden]

Oh, take us away.

[Barry Keoghan]

I'm Barry Keoghan. Welcome to this life of mine.

[James Corden]

We've met before. We have met before. We met in New York.

[Barry Keoghan]

In New York at the meet.

[James Corden]

Some crazy party.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah, I remember we had a really nice chat. Yeah.

[James Corden]

I mean, obviously we're very different in age, but I thought you reminded me a lot of my friends from home and I thought if we'd have gone to school together, I think we'd have

[Barry Keoghan]

been mates, would have been in trouble. We would have got kicked out. You know, I'm telling. I kind of know that. But yeah, that was, that was crazy. That night I was bumping into so many people and you know, I get starstruck in that as well.

[James Corden]

Like, you know, most starstruck you've been.

[Barry Keoghan]

Do you think I met the Rock? I remember the first time and I couldn't like look at him. First of all, he's so tall. But he was like, relax, it's all good. I was like, no, this is not real.

[James Corden]

Oh shit.

[Barry Keoghan]

And then I got his number and we were chatting and actually have it a rock emoji, say beside his name. It's quite funny.

[James Corden]

What are you in the Rock?

[Barry Keoghan]

Texting about this, going back when Eternals was coming out and he was just wishing me luck on the whole, like, you know, movie scale of it all. And I was quite nervous as well and he was just kind of giving me advice. He's such a legend.

[James Corden]

Well, today we've asked you to pick a person, a place, a memory piece of music. We've also asked you to pick a movie, and we're gonna start there.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

Tell me the film that you've chosen to want to talk about on the show today.

[Barry Keoghan]

Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman, Lucas Jackson here. Kevin. Maliciously destroying municipal property while under the influence. What was that? Cutting the heads off of parking meters, Captain. We ain't never had one of them before. Where'd you think that's gonna get you? I guess you could say I wasn't thinking, Captain. I just love that movie. And you know, when you. When there's these movies that you watch, when you're going through a hard time or, you know, you just kind of want to be alone and you throw it on for ambience. And Cool Hand Luke is that movie, and he's great.

[James Corden]

Paul Newman, what age were you when you watched it, do you think?

[Barry Keoghan]

First time. I think I was like, 14.

[James Corden]

Was that a thing that you loved doing, watching old films as a kid?

[Barry Keoghan]

It is. You know, and I grew up, my granny, from 12, 13, and I'd watch old movies, you know, on the Waterfront and Brando movies and James Dean and Paul Newman. And I'd wait for my granny and my aunt to go up to bed and I'd throw them on and she'd come down and I'd be sitting there, like hours, like up until like 3am watching these black and white movies. And she'd be like, what are you doing? Like, she'd be giving out to me, you know, she'd be like, your grandfather used to watch these movies. Like, why are you watching them? I was just fascinated with their behaviors back then, how, you know, they exchanged and dialogue. And it was different. I know it's the movies, but there was just different mannerisms and attitudes that I was more interested in than modern cinema.

[James Corden]

I mean, Paul Newman, his presence. Yeah, his presence on screen is, I mean, the most viable. Yeah.

[Barry Keoghan]

You know, you see me icing there. I was trying to get these blues a bit more bluer, but go on,

[James Corden]

explain to people what that means, what you were doing just 15 minutes ago.

[Barry Keoghan]

The icing comes from.

[James Corden]

So icing is what? Tell me what that is.

[Barry Keoghan]

When you stick your. Your face in a bucket of ice or a sink of ice.

[James Corden]

So Barry came in, filled a sink with ice cubes and water.

[Barry Keoghan]

I did. I went, hey, James, how are you? Sorry.

[James Corden]

You were down there a long time.

[Barry Keoghan]

I was. I actually stopped reading for a second. But no, I do that because I was on. I remember being on Dunkirk and I remember Christopher Nolan, I think There was. My eyes were quite puffy.

[James Corden]

Right.

[Barry Keoghan]

I remember the team on Dunkirk saying he should ice his face. And as soon as I'd done it, they just brightened in that. So it started from that and then you just kind of get addicted to it and that. But now they have face masks, like the cryo face mask and stuff like that. But I love the old school kind of tradition of dunking your face.

[James Corden]

Is he a hero of yours, Paul Newman? He is about him, you admire, it's.

[Barry Keoghan]

It's in the title there, the cool kind of composer he has throughout the film. There's this sort of no breaking about him. And to me, that sort of reminds me of help the image people put on these days of, you know, this composure of nothing's going to break me, you know, and nothing does break him until his spoiler alert. I mean, the movie's way older, so you should have seen it by now. But it's when he. When his aunt dies and he has a moment of just dropping the head, little sniffle, and then back to being Cool Hand Luke. And everyone in the prison loves him and he just always has a buried smile, if you get what I'm saying. Like, there's a smile there without a smile. And that film has a lot to teach.

[James Corden]

It really leads us in very nicely, actually, to your memory that you chose for us today.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

Tell us the memory that you've chosen to talk about on the show.

[Barry Keoghan]

Watching movies at my granny's house.

[James Corden]

Tell me about watching movies at your granny's house.

[Barry Keoghan]

You know, to paint the picture, it was this sort of silhouette y backdrop behind the TV that I was more fascinated by. And it was like the inner city, Dublin and the old chimney pots. And it just reminded me of like the movies I was watching, you know, on the waterfront and Dublin being down with the Docklands and that working class sort of area and eating bowls or Rice Krispies till all hours, man, I cannot go through a whole bowl, man. Like, literally, you know, she'd give out the next morning going, you're not the only one in the house.

[James Corden]

Can you tell me a bit about your upbringing? How it was that you came to be living at your grands?

[Barry Keoghan]

So my granny, my mom's mom and my aunt who lives with my granny, you know, they took me into care when I was like 10, 11, and they fought very hard because, you know, to take kids into care, you have to be vetted and to go through a whole process. And in around 1011 is when. When we got talked, but we were in Foster care from five or six, me and my younger brother. And we went through a lot of homes and, you know, very nice families. And my granny found out because my mom was a bit embarrassed, you know, she was sick. She was addicted to drugs and heroin. So she couldn't look after us to be straight up, but she wouldn't tell my granny because she was sort of ashamed and embarrassed. And so my granny found out then somehow and fought for us to get into full care. And there was a problem with that because they live in council flats, my granny, my aunt and her daughter. There was only two bedrooms. My cousin had to give up her room and move into the bedroom with my granny and my auntie and sleep in the same bed for many years with our mother just to give me and my brother a room. So there was a lot of that, you know, and a lot of, like, you don't have the space for them or this area isn't necessarily the safest area. And so it was a whole process, man, that we didn't know about until I got a bit older. You know,

[James Corden]

for anyone listening who doesn't quite understand what foster care is, what's the longest or the shortest that you'd spend in different families over that sort of five or six year period?

[Barry Keoghan]

Two years was one. And, you know, as a kid, you don't know what's going on. You're basically attaching to anyone who'll show you some sort of, you know, these people are taking you in because they want to look after you and help your journey, but they become your family. You have no kind of gauge on this is a process. And we're gonna go to the next home. You arrive and like, this is it. And then you get talking, you go to another one, and that starts to affect you, you know, as you grow

[James Corden]

up and wherever, going in what way.

[Barry Keoghan]

Trust issues, you know, you don't trust the process of anything. You have a problem with attachment and abandonment. All of these things that I've been working on for many years with several therapists. You know, all these moments in your life, like being a father and growing up and having your first movie premiere and all these things, it just comes back and knocks on the door. Yeah, I had a lot of problems with trust. Never trusted love. Never trusted that someone wanted to know me, or let's say, be a friend, for instance, or, you know, I always kind of questioned it, you know, your hard work differently. You have to really be aware and be honest and be brutally honest with yourself and, you know, to work on These things and then having a child myself, like, you know, these things come into play and, like, what do I show my child?

[James Corden]

Yeah.

[Barry Keoghan]

You know, usually people have something to draw from.

[James Corden]

Sure.

[Barry Keoghan]

You know, they have a blueprint or they have some sort of experience from their father.

[James Corden]

Sure.

[Barry Keoghan]

But none.

[James Corden]

Do you think that's why when you think about this memory, watching movies at your granny's house, do you think film. And you talked about them watching films into the night, do you think they became. I mean, listen, film is a place of escape for all of us. Do you think that's what it was on a kind of massive level for you?

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah, I think watching these figures, as I've mentioned, like Paul Newman and Brando and all of these men, and when I say behavior and how they talked, and I was looking for traits of being a man.

[James Corden]

Yeah.

[Barry Keoghan]

I've always got close to men figures in my life and they became sort of father figures to me. Colin Farrell and people like that that have massive hearts and look out for you. And I tend to lean towards them a lot because I hadn't got that same with women as well, like. But I had that base of three strong women. Raised me since I was 11, 12, wherever.

[James Corden]

So when did acting start to sort of come into your peripheral vision?

[Barry Keoghan]

When I moved into my granny's, I was about 14.

[James Corden]

In school.

[Barry Keoghan]

I'd done a stage play and I wanted to get off class. You get this time off. I was like, yeah, yeah, let's do that. Anything to get out of history. I went and done that. And we'd done a massive Christmas production. 506 people watching mics, everything. The light shining on you. And I said something, my first line, and everyone started laughing. I was like, oh, wow, people like me, that sort of thing.

[James Corden]

Yeah.

[Barry Keoghan]

And just with that confidence, literally in that moment came. And I just loved it. And I loved that idea of being someone else.

[James Corden]

What was the show?

[Barry Keoghan]

My Babysitter is an Alien. It was like, yeah, it was a crazy little show, but, like, the rehearsal, the. The makeup for it, everything, it was a proper production. Then they stopped me from doing it because it was misbehaved. Now, when I say misbehaved, I mean a mess around wherever. But they took the Christmas play thing away from me.

[James Corden]

It's nuts when schools do that.

[Barry Keoghan]

I is just like, nurture that. Correct what I'm saying?

[James Corden]

Schools. I mean, look, I wasn't a perfect student by any stretch at all. But the idea that if you're looking at a kid who's going, yeah, this kid isn't motivated to do anything. It's a new. And then there's one thing over here that they are motivated.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

Don't strip that away.

[Barry Keoghan]

Take his hand or her hand and

[James Corden]

push kids towards that and go, look. Yeah. I had a teacher called Mrs. Hatfield and she said to me, listen, every teacher in this school wants you to be banned from the end of year musical.

[Barry Keoghan]

Oh, man.

[James Corden]

I have told them that you are going to be a model student.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

From now to the end of the year.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

One slip up, they take it. They're going to take it away. I want you in this show. I was politeness personified.

[Barry Keoghan]

My homework.

[James Corden]

Here it is. Yeah, exactly.

[Barry Keoghan]

We didn't give homework, James. Anyways, I done it.

[James Corden]

So when did that happen? When did you make that jump from after the play. I can do this as a career, though. When were you thinking, oh, this is what I'm going to do.

[Barry Keoghan]

I remember I asked my granny for a line of money. I want to leave school and, you know, move away and become an actor. And she's like, don't be silly. You know, try finish school. Not a lot of us have finished school. I say, no, no, I want to become an actor. And I remember telling the career guidance teachers, they were like, okay, we're going to send, like, you know, this is school for acting. I was like, but you can't teach it. I remember being very clear on that. I was like, I can go and learn about Shakespeare. I can go learn about all that. But I don't want to go to be taught how to act. Like, I don't want that, you know? And then them also being like, okay, that can be your plan B. I was like, but I don't want a plan B if I have a plan B. I don't have a plan A. And that's the attitude. I have the Force TV series I got, the Unibase was on the schoolyard. I remember walking back in going, hey, so can I use the toilet? And he just looked at me and was like, you fucking bug. And like, you know, it was good nature and good. Like, you know, they were never that bad.

[James Corden]

How old were you when you were

[Barry Keoghan]

cast in between the canals? I think it was like 15, 16. That was like, just show up with a dirt bike, you know, And I was growing my hair.

[James Corden]

How did you get that part in that film?

[Barry Keoghan]

There was a local boxing club close to there and a local youth club that I used to go to, both of them. And I remember they were looking for kids who never acted. I remember seeing €120 on the sign, I think, and being like, I can do that. And like, it was in and around school time, I was like, and I get off school, I just done a play, you know, this is it. And I took the number and rang up my granny's phone because I didn't have a phone then. She had a little Nokia. And I remember the director going, yeah, we're waiting for finance. And then he rang me back months later and was like, have you got a door bike? I went, yeah, yeah, I've got like a 125. He's like, bring that along. And brought that along. And that was it. It was just easy. I'm not saying I was so brilliant. What I'm saying it was a felt effortless.

[James Corden]

Wow.

[Barry Keoghan]

No, it was all foreign to me, all this kind of stuff. I was like, what's that? And what's that? You know, on the craft tables, like, wait, this food is free? In that case, hey, lads, you know what I mean? But that action and court, there's something there that's. Even though it's scripted, it's unpredictable and I love that. I love that.

[James Corden]

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[Barry Keoghan]

There is. I know exactly what you mean. I really do, and I'm glad you said that. And it's about nurturing that and it's about protecting that. You know, there's actors out there for the first time, they've never acted. And I love watching them. I'm like, I hope they stay like that. But they read articles, they get this thing of actress or actor and they go and get this pressure of shit, I should know how to act. And they ruin it. And they go down this line of like, learning how to project and enunciate. And I'm not saying that's bad, but they take away all of that instinctive behavior and it just makes them like everyone else. So I was aware of that while I was in school and that's why I said I didn't want training. Now I'm in LA and I'm like, taking Stella Adler beginning acting classes.

[James Corden]

Are you?

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah. I don't know. Serious? Yeah, Yeah. I don't know. When did you start that? I started that in about four or five months ago.

[James Corden]

Hang on. Right, so you walk in there as a Bachelor Award winner.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

Academy Award nominee. What's the reaction?

[Barry Keoghan]

Honestly, they're like, mate, what are you doing here? I was like, I don't know. And then they asked me to get up on stage in class and I was like, I'm nervous. I can't.

[James Corden]

Sure, yeah, I understand that.

[Barry Keoghan]

And it was just.

[James Corden]

There's real honor in that, though, Barry.

[Barry Keoghan]

To me, there's endless ways of this and the more I know, the better and the more I can take care. And there's no, oh, I know how to act, or I. For sure, I want to keep learning. I want to keep watching and observing in that class, you know, it was. I was learning how to project, to learn how to enunciate all the things that I didn't want, but I wanted to go there and know how to do that as well. You know what I mean? I didn't have an ego being like, I'm this or I'm that. I was watching for, like, little things that just like, why that person made that choice or, you know, behavior. And yeah, it was just amazing. It was actually Mark Ruffalo who. Who put me onto it.

[James Corden]

Wow.

[Barry Keoghan]

He started there. Yeah.

[James Corden]

It's an amazing thing to want to keep learning.

[Barry Keoghan]

It is.

[James Corden]

Props to you for that, man. Seriously. Let's move on to your place. Tell us the place that you've chosen to talk about on the show today.

[Barry Keoghan]

Achal island in County Mayo.

[James Corden]

Tell me about Akal island and County Mayo.

[Barry Keoghan]

We filmed Banshees of Innochiringdale. A very, very magical place. But that shoot, for me was also a turning point. You know, got to live with Colin Farrell and done his absolute head in. Getting up at 3am, eating chocolate, leaving trails of crunch, you know, everywhere. Milk spilling. He actually described me as a raccoon. You know, when a raccoon or like, you know, you come down in the morning and there's milk and there's a perfect little puddle on the floor and. And they put the plastic back in the crunch, you know, and it's empty. I was doing that. But for me, it was a. It was a place of. That didn't. I didn't have a sense of time there. I'm going to say selfishly, I felt like it was the only place that existed at that time.

[James Corden]

Wow.

[Barry Keoghan]

And I think that's a credit to the island and what it holds. But, like, I was just so present. It was a place where I was diagnosed with adhd, you know, it was a real, real turning point. I don't believe in luck, but I did feel very. Something lingering that protected me and got me through that.

[James Corden]

Because am I right in thinking that Martin McDonagh wrote the part of Dominic for you?

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

That's nuts, man.

[Barry Keoghan]

And it's such a part that you wouldn't picture me in. Well, you know what I'm saying?

[James Corden]

But although, obviously you had these two huge movies back to back, right. By anyone's estimation. And nuts, 24 months, you're cast as Dominic in the Banshees. You have these health issues, adhd, shoot the movie, the movie comes out, you win a bafta. You then go on to play Oliver in Saltburn.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

And. But what I find interesting about these two characters is that they are both outsiders.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

They are really both victims of their own loneliness.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah, yeah, very true.

[James Corden]

There is a real thread between the two. Are you attracted to those characters? Do those characters get attracted to you?

[Barry Keoghan]

I think so. There's something to be said about the outsider of it all. And Banshees was a chance to be that naive and that innocent and that lovely fecking character. And then I looked at Soulborn, which was a bit more of a nasty demeanor and an overall objective that was fucking horrible. But I wanted to show range. I just wanted to go look at these two in the space of that. You know what I mean? And that's all you want to do. You know that, James, as an actor, you just want to go for stuff and play parts that you wouldn't necessarily see. As you know, I've started to work with an acting coach right now as well, working on approach. You know, I do a lot of study beforehand. I have my mole skins. I have. It was the character walk. It was the character sound with the voice. What does the character wear? Do all of that go away for two weeks beforehand to an Airbnb or whatever, and then throw it all away on set?

[James Corden]

But where did you learn that?

[Barry Keoghan]

I done that on a movie called Stay with Aiden Quinn and Taylor Schilling. I remember them saying, we want Barry for this, but he's two in our city because the part was. He's from west of Ireland, Right. So I went away with two weeks without having the part. We're even auditioning. I went away for two weeks to west of Ireland on my own own money and walked into the town, a little town in Roundstone, Connemara, and got talking to the local lads in the shop. I said, lads, can I hang out with you for two weeks? Probably thought I was crazy. And they're like, hi. I'm like, yeah, yeah. I just. I'm down here, I'm researching something, wherever. Learned how to walk like them with the hands behind the back. Learned little mannerisms, took it all away, went home to the BNB every night, wrote it down, went back, got that audition, done it on tape. And the director was like, wow, we're sorry about that. So from that moment. And that was called Stay that Movie. From that moment, I've always done the research and kind of a camp before a role to get into character.

[James Corden]

Wow. Yeah, like a sort of boxing camp.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah, like a boxing camp of just everything in the world is revolving around that. And that was just of my own accord. You know, people like, why is he going to go away? He's a weirdo. Roundstone, like, lovely place, but like a Dublin in a city. Lad down in Roundstone. I was going into the houses, meeting their moms, having dinner. They were lovely. It was crazy.

[James Corden]

But let's move on to the person that you wanted to talk about. Tell me who the person is.

[Barry Keoghan]

The person is Michael Bossman.

[James Corden]

Who's Michael Bossman? And is that a real name?

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah. You know, everyone says that Michael Bossman is like one of my best friends, if not my best friend. And he's just been there, you know, he's one of those people that you don't have to, you know, you don't have to say anything and just looks at. He's like, I know. Or wherever. He's one of those lads. He started off as my trainer. The lad is in impeccable shape, but he just has a heart of gold and he's been on a lot of movies with me. Soulborn. He's been there when my boy was born. He's just one of these people that has a essence and an energy that's very common. And I'll sit with you and not judge you.

[James Corden]

And he's a boxing trainer, right? Is that right?

[Barry Keoghan]

Boxing trainer?

[James Corden]

Boxing's been a big part of your life.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah. No, boxing's been a real. Here's the thing with boxing for me, I love watching it. I love skipping, I love hitting the pads. I love the relationship you have with your opponent. I love the relationship in the. In the gym. It's such a place of. People think it's anger. It's not. No, it's a place of, like, control. It's a craft. It's beautiful to watch. It's like, there's a respect you get,

[James Corden]

but if you had, like, proper fights, as in.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah, yeah. Amateurs growing up, man. And also. Yeah, and. And I moved down the countryside and I started fighting for a different club and I had my amateur card and going around different boxing clubs down south and sparring with them and fighting with them. And then I was supposed to do a cup and then my hand was bow jangled and I couldn't basically compete in the cup. So I drew the line with competing then. But I've always, like, I'll go to LA, just unFortune's gym and I'll spar with the lads there, the pros there, and wow. You know, obviously they'll gauge it and they'll shoot a little wherever. But I'm straight In. I just love it. It's a community. It's a. It's like a little family, like always in the club.

[James Corden]

And we talked about your family life, your upbringing.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

At the start of the show. And I imagine when you talk about someone like Michael, you're talking about, you know, the first thing you said is, there's no judgment. You don't need to tell him everything. He knows what's going on. How important are your friendships like that in your life as it is right now?

[Barry Keoghan]

My friends understand me on a level like, you know, I know friends put up with you for an amount of time and your antics and wherever, but they just get me. There's a communication there I can pick up with them after a month or wherever. I'm back and forth between so many places. There's no. You haven't chatted to me here. I haven't chatted there. It's more like, is he okay? How is he doing? There's a protection within my circle. Everyone wants to look after me, and I'm very, very grateful for that. I don't have 20 friends. You know, I have a small group because I don't trust a lot. I just have this bubble, and that's my bubble.

[James Corden]

You mentioned trust a lot in the show. How have you been able to find those ways to trust people in your life?

[Barry Keoghan]

It's time. Time answers everything. It's not that I sit there and go, I don't trust this person. It's not always for a bad reason. It's sometimes just I'm quite guarded. And when I let you in, then you're in. I give you my heart, I show you my whole heart on my sleeve, and. And sometimes I feel I'm going to be hurt. It's. Yeah, I'm walking through trust. I really am.

[James Corden]

When you came, when you arrived today, we were chatting and I said, oh. I said, whereabouts you live in now, Barry? And you said, I'm not really living anywhere. And you were telling me that you'd found a place somewhere and these sorts of things. And you said to me, because of my upbringing, I'm very, very comfortable. And perhaps at my happiest when I'm just not in one place for a very long time and I'm moving around. How much of your life is essentially carrying a huge amount of hurt?

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah, I think we all are, you know, for sure. This not to reflect, to rebound about. No, no, I think we all are. But I think I've reached a stage where I'm like, nah, yeah, you Know what? Because it's. That whole idea of this is good, it's going to be took, or this is steady, something's not right. And we all suffer with that imposter or sabotage, self sabotage kind of thing. But for me, it's a bit more like, I'm starting to now go. I'm a lot more present and powerful when I'm isolating on my own. And I tend to put the focus inwards rather than touching onto this or looking for, like, you know, attention here or. I'm starting to find a lot more comfort in that now. And that's why I've got an apartment now and in la and, you know, I'm starting to do those sort of things. And it's okay to chill and be on your own and. Yeah.

[James Corden]

Let's move on to your piece of music that you wanted to talk about. Tell us. Tell us the song or piece of music you've chosen today.

[Barry Keoghan]

Jerry Cinnamon. Fucking love Jerry Cinnamon man. Jerry right back, will you on Instagram, hit Europe.

[James Corden]

Which song is it? Which?

[Barry Keoghan]

Jerry Cinnamon Cantor.

[James Corden]

Tell me about this song. Why do you love it so much?

[Barry Keoghan]

I played it when my boy was being delivered, you know. Yeah. Wow. On a speaker. I was like, lads, how do you

[James Corden]

connect to this Bluetooth?

[Barry Keoghan]

Wrong place, wrong time, but the connection's not coming up. And I had him playing in the corner. And the lyrics, this is the beginning of the rest of your life as he comes out. And every time I play Jerry, that song, it just reminds me of Brando coming into the world.

[James Corden]

Let's move on to your possession. I'm excited to hear you talk about this. Tell me the possession that you've chosen.

[Barry Keoghan]

This possession is a bracelet with my mom's name on it.

[James Corden]

Tell me about this bracelet.

[Barry Keoghan]

So this, when I filmed the movie board, you know, when you go into costume and they're like, you know, would your character have jewelry? I don't know, maybe like a gold chain or a bracelet. And they're like, okay, there's the jewelry table. And I went over and I picked this up. I was like, why does. Why does this have Debbie on it? And they're like, oh, we don't know. I was like, that's fucking weird. Debbie. There's not a Debbie in the movie. And the whole movie itself is sort of like being a parent. And it's called Bored. And boards for me symbolize spirits and symbolize the afterlife. And. And the time I was going through was. Was tough, you know, and. And I just had Debbie and I just have not took it off ever since, man. Now on the back of it, it has happy 18th. But I don't read the back, I read the front, you know. But it's just a little sign of, again, horror, showing me that she's there. It's sort of like the movie Stay. When I landed that movie, it was like one of my first big movies. And I landed it on the day of our anniversary, the 4th of May. And it was, you know, little things like that for me. It's presence. I'm a bit faith and stuff like that. She also has a teddy bear, like, that's 20 years old almost. And it's a Dalmatian that I carry everywhere. And she named it Timmy. She used to call me Timmy for some reason. And this Dalmatian, this Timmy Dalmatian, still holds the smell of the hospital and. And I carry it everywhere with me.

[James Corden]

When you think about your mum, Debbie, what is your abiding feeling?

[Barry Keoghan]

You know, she was young. She was in her Tories, like, 21 when she passed away. Really young, 21, 32, just like, you know, God bless. I have no feelings of, she shouldn't have done this. She shouldn't have done that. Same with my father, you know, he passed away. I don't hold that either. But especially my mom, who was closer to I, just how tough it must have been for her, you know, it's a struggle, It's a sickness, heroin. It's a. You know, there's a scene in Basketball Diaries that's very, very on the bone for me. And it's a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio goes to the door and is knocking on the door and asking his mom for money. And she knows what the money's for, and she slides money under the door. And that for me, that moment was one of the last moments I had with my mom coming to my granny's door. And we were upstairs and she was basically crying for money and knocking on the door. And that was one of the last times that I heard her.

[James Corden]

How old would you have been at that point?

[Barry Keoghan]

Near my confirmation, like 12, 13? Almost. Yeah. When I think of her, I just think it a struggle for her. I think of, she was so pretty, you know, she was almost 6 foot, black hair, brown eyes. She was gorgeous. You know, I'd have people in the area going, oh, your mom, she was so gorgeous. And we used to love playing Kiss Chase. And I'm like, all right, lads, get out of here, will you? We know stuff like that. And she carried around a notebook that I've never read, but my granny has it and she used to write down a lot of stuff and I really want to see that one day.

[James Corden]

What's your reason for not reading it?

[Barry Keoghan]

I don't want to ask my granny for it as much as she's my mum, that's my granny's daughter. It's also someone's sister. And when the time is right, I'll read it. But, like, there's scribbles in there and stuff in there that probably won't make sense to anyone, but, you know, it could make sense to me.

[James Corden]

It's inconceivable to me that your mum isn't extraordinarily proud. I'm serious, man. I really am.

[Barry Keoghan]

This way you try and make me cry.

[James Corden]

No, not at all. No, not in any way. But it's inconceivable to me. And not just the career stuff.

[Barry Keoghan]

No.

[James Corden]

Because that's one thing.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

Hearing you talk about your discipline for your work, love for your son.

[Barry Keoghan]

And these things, James, are like things that can be took away from you and things that can be judged so quick. And, you know, I always say, like, before someone rushes the judgement, you know, especially online, you know this, like, it's like there's hatred online towards everyone. The negative comment becomes the most popular comment. And there was something there I said earlier about the blueprint of being a father. I remember I said that in the past of an interview. And with that comes, like, deadbeat father, you know, oh, my God, he's not there. I never said anything to make excuse of not being there because I am there. I just don't post about it online. I don't want to give people that kind of information. But people don't understand and people are quick to judge. And I'm like, if you only knew. Just a day or two in the life of me growing up as a kid. You take it back.

[James Corden]

Yeah. Barry Keoghan, your movie is Cool Hand Luke.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yep.

[James Corden]

Your memory is watching movies, watching films, Granny's house. Your place is Achill Island. Your person is your great friend Michael Bossman. Your music is Canter by Jerry Cinnamon, and your possession is a bracelet with your mum's name on it. We may not have been friends at school, but I hope we'll be friends. We are in the future. Thank you for sharing this life of yours. I'll never forget it.

[Barry Keoghan]

Cheers, bro. Thank you very much.

[James Corden]

Next week is this.

[Lemonada Premium Announcer]

I'm Kerry Washington. Welcome to this life of mine. In my neighborhood growing up, we were considered rich. And then I went to Spence. And people had like, heliports on their homes in the Hamptons. And I remember feeling how come nobody that looks like me lives in the Spencer building? I thought that the ways that I was behaving, like, I never put my finger down my throat. So therefore I don't have a real eating disorder. I would sort of mess around with the rules so that I could still think of myself as normal. You'd have, like two kids, and one of them is like, you really need to ask your boyfriend to wear a condom. Well, I don't know how to put a condom on. I'll show you. And then we'd role model that to the audience. Hey, you guys, this new movie, like, into the woods, like, what is it about? And I had all these like six foot tall guys in the Bronx being like, yo, it's dope. There's like this witch, then Little Red Riding Hood and then the wolf, yo. Like, it was so great to hear them know.

[Barry Keoghan]

Yeah.

[James Corden]

If you haven't subscribed to Lemonada Premium yet, now is the perfect time. You can listen to this Life of mine completely ad free. Plus you'll unlock exclusive quickfire rounds of questions with all of my guests. They're all in two minutes or less. Just tap that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or head to lemonadepremium. Com to subscribe on any other app. Or you can listen ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. That's lemonadepremium. Com. Don't miss out.