Barry Keoghan Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ

Barry Keoghan breaks down a few of his most iconic characters from ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer,’ ‘Saltburn,’ ‘Eternals,’ ‘The Green Knight,’ ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘The Batman.’

00:00 Barry Keoghan’s Iconic Characters
00:14 The Banshees of Inisherin
02:21 The Killing of a Sacred Deer
03:46 Saltburn
07:31 Eternals
08:32 The Green Knight
10:12 Dunkirk
11:35 The Batman

Director: Graham Corrigan
Director of Photography: Francis Bernal
Editor: Graham Mooney
Talent: Barry Keoghan
Senior Producer: Elizabeth Halberstadt
Creative Producer: Jean-Luc Lukunku
Coordinating Producer: Sam Dennis
Line Producer: Jen Santos
Production Manager: James Pipitone
Production Coordinator: Tania Jones
Talent Booker: Ernesto Macias, Dana Mathews
Camera Operator: Matthew Dinneny
Gaffer: Vincent Cota
Sound Mixer: Gabe Quiroga
Production Assistant: Ashley Vidal
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds

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– It’s not normal. It’s not a normal thing to see. But it’s a normal thing to do, because I know we all do it at home. Every single one of us. We all dance around naked. [upbeat music] “The Banshees of Inisherin.” – What happened to you? – Me daddy discovered the poteen situation.

– Ah, Jesus, Dominic! You poor thing, you! – What the hell was he hitting you with? – The kettle was the final thing. I wouldn’t have minded, but for the spout. Yeah, it’s Martin McDonagh’s first movie in Ireland, isn’t it? It’s a piece of history there, I think.

It’s just having that just whole Irish crew, cast. Irish crews are amazing. They just go, “Yeah, that’s that. Yep, yep, we got it, yeah,” and it’s just short and sweet. Dominic reminded me of, there was a character in Martin McDonagh’s play called Bartley, “The Cripple of Inishmaan.”

It kind of reminded me of, I think it’s Arnie in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” So there’s a bit of that going on as well. There’s a lot of characters I could pull from. – Well, maybe this whole thing has just been about getting you to try a new tack,

Start standing up for yourself a bit. – Do you think? – Yeah, and be less of a, you know, whiny little dull-arse! You know, there’s no, really, takes that we do the same thing, and that, again, is just down to being comfy with one another. And so, that has its advantages.

And then it has its disadvantages when you live with ’em and [laughs] you get too comfy with ’em. It’s like that thing of “lift up the toilet seat,” you know? Them kinda little things. Yeah, like, “Who left the fridge door open?” I was like, “It’s not me.”

He’s like, “You’re the only one here.” [laughs] Yeah. No, I didn’t think so. Just thought I’d ask on the off-chance. You know, like “feint heart” and that? [Siobhan laughs] [Dominic chuckles awkwardly] Well, there goes that dream. [laughs] “There goes that dream.” Oh, man. It’s funny, because that take,

I was rushing off to catch a plane. I was like, “Oh, we got it?” I was like, “Let me just…” I was trying to get out and go and get an answer. “Gimme the answer. Okay?” Well, anyways… And that was the last take of the movie as well for me.

Well, it’s a credit to Martin McDonagh. He’s one of the best writers out there. [upbeat music] “The Killing of a Sacred Deer.” Hi. – Hi. – Sorry to keep you waiting. All right, did you eat? – I just had some apple pie.

– Do you mind if I go grab something to eat before we go? I’m starving. Martin. What a name, Martin. [laughs] He’s such a weird little freak kid. That’s the freakiest character I think I’ve played. ‘Cause I don’t know if he had a superpower

Or some stuff like that, which I never found out. But I remember Colin saying, “You’re gonna probably play the Joker one day after this character.” I remember him saying that to me in the hotel. He’s like, “This is one of the most evilest villains. You will play the Joker one day after this.”

I think she likes you. I mean, she’s attracted to you. But she says that’s not true. But it is, I’m sure. And to be honest, I think you’re perfect for each other. You’d make a great couple. He doesn’t really ask to keep it monotone or anything like that,

But I remember he did say, “Stop acting.” I was like, “All right, I get it. I get it now.” Because Yorgos wants a certain way he wants his dialogue delivered, and you can’t really animate it or put any color on it, really. You kinda have to strip it all back.

But he has his way, he has his method, and it works. And I’m always up for going along with trying new stuff. [upbeat music] “Saltburn.” – Drug addicts. I can’t actually understand- – And here he is now. We were just talking about you. – Don’t be silly!

Farleigh, you just make up the most awful things! Of course we weren’t! Hello, Oliver, darling. – That I had a lot of fun with, because we wanna trick the audience into thinking he’s sweet, and then it’s what’s his motive, and then, voom, it just turns.

Emerald, I mean, she’s an amazing person, first of all, always checking on everyone, making sure our set is good and the energy is good, so you have kind of a safeness to roam about as the character. Ah, she loves Oliver! She’s like “I love him!” [laughs]

I had five notebooks for that, five Moleskine notebooks, instead of one or two. Each notebook would represent personalities, you know, different acceleration, different motives, different tone, how is he different from here to Oliver Three, just reminding you. You know, not too, too much, either. You don’t want a whole bible of it.

‘Cause you go in and you’re just stiff then, I think. You know, you just have to have a looseness about it, and just, “All right, I know where to go.” Just taking these back to the library. Take my bike. No, no, no. I couldn’t. I mean, it looks like rain. I wouldn’t wanna-

– Honestly, it’s no big deal. I mean, I’ll just get it from you later. You’re at my college, so… – Am I? – Yeah. With Jacob, I was just getting used to them and just hanging out with them, but they were staying elsewhere, while I was staying here.

Now, I’ve got my baby here, my baby boy. I was making hot milk and changing nappies, and they were at this hotel and they were just hanging out a lot, so I kinda felt left out. So I was like, “I’m gonna get youse.” [laughs] In the movie, obviously. “I’m gonna get youse.”

[water swirls down drain] The bathtub scene is he’s submitting to this obsession, and trying to figure out what it is he’s chasing, and almost like a sacrifice in how he lowers himself into the bath, physically. And then when he gets down there, he’s just confused

And helpless and sick, you know, to do that. [Barry laughs] Ugh! But you can’t judge that as you’re playing him. I can judge it as a spectator, but when I’m playing him, I’ve gotta see justice to it and see that it’s the right thing to do. [choir sings hymn]

The grave scene, the same thing. I just wanted to explore and grow with the character, and figure him out, and see when… You know, I asked for a closed set. I said, “I wanna try something.” I just wanted to see what I’d do as Oliver when “Action” happened, and where I went.

And to me, he just went to a place of being totally heartbroken and lost and confused. That’s where the books helped me out, because it reminded me of where I’m at and how to feel, basically, what mood to be in. It was totally improv, that. It was crazy.

I just said, “Play the music, and I’ll do it.” Nah, that was choreographed by Polly Bennett. She’s brilliant. You know, you gotta hit some steps. And I think it was gorgeous to look at. I figure that roaming that manor, dripping in money and paintings from the 1700s, and to move so freely.

It’s not normal. It’s not a normal thing to see. But it’s a normal thing to do, because I know we all do it at home. Every single one of us. We all dance around naked. So it’s probably the most relatable scene in the movie to everyone watching. [upbeat music] “Eternals.”

When I left, I thought about taking over the minds of every human on this planet. Violence, fear, greed, all gone. – He mind-controls everything. So I’d love to see just a movie of him playing about mind-controlling everyone. [laughs] No, really, motive, just mind-controlling for the sake of it. [laughs]

Prep for that is, you’re doing superhero movies, so you gotta humanize them. Don’t play the superhero. Try and bring the the human side of them out. Chloe just kinda let me be me, and wanted me to kind of be still. And Chloe kept referencing Hayden Christensen,

His character in “Star Wars,” to be a bit more, she just wanted me to be a bit more still, very chin high. And that was the only, really, prep I kinda done, was to learn to walk a bit slower. And I tried to mind-control people, and people go, “What are you doing?

Why are you staring at me?” [upbeat music] “The Green Knight.” – Who are you? – Just a traveler, friend. – You look like a knight! – Just passing through. – Ah. I take it you want some of the share, so, huh? – Of what? – All of this! [crow caws]

Do you know what the Scavenger reminds me of? Sort of an Artful Dodger kind of character. You know, he’s got a trick up his sleeve, or, you know. He’s a tagalong. That long shot was, my boots kept coming off, ’cause it was in the mud.

We had to get it where I walked through, and that was one shot, obviously, as well, which is really, you had to kinda finish all the dialogue up until a certain point. But my shoes kept coming off, so I’d end up, at the end of the day, with no shoes on.

– T’weren’t enough. Just t’weren’t enough! [Gawain gasps] – “T’weren’t enough.” [laughs] I didn’t think [indistinct] would kinda freak out at anything. [laughs] So I could say anything or do anything. Having the bucked teeth as well, was just, it added a lot to the character. Just I could play around.

Being in my own accent as well, you kinda have a bit more freedom to improv. And the coin was really useful, added another layer to him, that trickery thing to him. And then the ax was just, I mean, that’s what the whole movie is about, isn’t it?

But yeah, you can really play around with props. I love getting a prop. It’s almost a little character of itself, isn’t it? [upbeat music] “Dunkirk.” “Dunkirk.” That was a massive moment. I mean, just the sets, and what Chris Nolan does on the water. He’s got real feckin’ planes coming towards you

That take a half an hour to reset. You don’t really need to act. I remember the plane coming towards me, and sorta just zoned in on the plane. I was like, “Oh my God.” And he was like, “Tell him to get lower,” and the plane was getting lower, then, towards our boat.

I remember then looking at it going, “Oh, fuck, man!” And then he was rolling. He’s like, we’re rolling. I was like, “Oh, shit.” He’s like, “Half an hour to reset.” – Turn it around! Turn it a… [men scuffle] – Calm it down, mate! Calm it down, mate!

– The fight with me and my fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy, yeah! He wouldn’t do that in real life, but anyways, it got messy. [laughs] Nah, that was quite tricky, because when I fell back, I had to kind of duck my head as well,

So I didn’t really feckin’ hit my head and go blind. Poor George, killin’ the sweater, that little tea-cozy sweater. Do you remember that? That was a statement, that! I wanted more with Cillian, though. I wanted to do more. Me, him, and Chris, ’cause Chris has some Irish relatives

And that, we were just chatting about Ireland and stuff like that, and, “Where’s the best Guinness in Dublin?” and… [upbeat music] “The Batman.” Have you read this file? You two have so much in common! Masked avengers, huh? Originally, there was no audition. I just made myself an audition tape

’cause I seen an article saying that they wanted the Riddler and the new Batman. I was like, “Oh, yeah, I’d love to play that.” I just made a tape. I said, “Feck, I’ma buy a cane and a hat, just find myself a corridor and film myself walking down it,

Add some little bit of a swag to it, and a bit of music, and let’s see, will that get me an audition?” So I done that, yeah. And they said, “No. But would you wanna play the Joker?” I was like, “Yep!” I think you don’t really care about his motives,

Whether he loves or hates you. That took six hours to to to get into that, and it was like, oh, man! I couldn’t sit still for six hours. I really couldn’t. And then I remember we were on five hours, and then someone came in and went, “We’re shutting production down. There’s COVID.”

I was like, “Huh? Really? What? What happened?” There was this steel thing that went… God, that was like slicing in. I was like, “I’m really gonna be left with a scar here.” So I was like that, and Rob was in the Batsuit, and I’m like “Ha-ha,” and he was like, “Ha-ha-ha.”

I’m like, “No, ha-ha-ha you.” So we couldn’t move. We literally couldn’t get up and move. I were looking at pictures of asylums, and I remember seeing this thing in this asylum picture, and I always saved it on my phone, and around the Batman, the Joker,

It said, it was spray paint of an old asylum room, and it said, “Hell was more fun.” And I was like “Whoa-ho. That is crazy.”