Barry Keoghan Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ

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. The Banshees have been assuring. What happened to you? My daddy discovered the poaching situation. Oh Jesus, Dominic, you poor thing, yeah. What the hell was he hitting you with? The kettle was the final thing. I wouldn't have minded but for the spot. Yeah, it's Martin McDonagh's first movie in Ireland, isn't it? It's a piece of history there, I think. It just happened out. Just whole Irish crew cast. Irish crews are amazing. They just go, yeah, that's that, yeah, yeah, we got it, yeah. And it's just like short and sweet. Dominic reminded me of, there was a character in Martin McDonagh's play called Bartley, the crippled diminished man. It kind of reminded me of, I think it's Ernie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. So there's a bit of that going on as well. There's a lot, a lot of characters I could pull from. Maybe this whole thing has just been about getting you to try and attack, start standing up for yourself a bit. Do you think? Yeah, and be less of a, you know, money little dollars. 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. So that has its advantages. And then it has its disadvantages when you live with them. And like, you get too comfy with them. It's like that thing of lift up the toilet seat, you know, them kind of little things. Yeah, like you left the fridge door open. I was like, it's not me. I was like, you're the only one here. Yeah, no, I didn't think so. Just thought I'd ask in the off chance, you know, like, faint heart and that. Well, there goes that dream. There goes that dream. Oh, man. It's funny because that take, I was like rushing off to catch a plane. I was like, oh, we got it. I was like, let me, you know, let me just, you know, I was like trying to go and get an answer. Give me the answer. OK, well, anyways. And that was the last take of the movie as well for me. Well, I'd say it's a credit to Martin McDonagh. He's one of the best writers out there. The killing of a sacred deer. Hi. Sorry to keep you waiting. Why, 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. He's such a weird little freak kid. That's the freakiest character I think I've played. You know, because I don't know if he had like a superpower or some stuff like that. Which I never found out. But I remember Colin saying you're going to probably play the Joker one day after this character. Remember him saying that to me in the hotel. He's like, this is one of the most evilest villains. You'll play the Joker one day after this. I think she, 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. All right, I'll get it. I'll get it now. Because Jorgis wants a certain way he wants his dialogue delivered and can't really animate it or put any colour on it really. You kind of 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. Salt porn. And here he is now. We were just talking about you. Don't be silly. Harley, 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 want to trick the audience into thinking he's sweet and then they say, what's his motive? And then just turns. Emerald, I mean, she's an amazing person. First of all, I was 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. Oh, she loves Oliver. She's like, I love him. I had five notebooks for that. Five Moleskine notebooks instead of one or two. Each notebook would represent personalities, different acceleration, different motives, different tone. How is he different from here to Oliver Tree? Just reminding you. You know, not too, too much either. You don't want a whole Bible of it. Because 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. Taking my bike. No, no, no, I couldn't. I mean, I mean, it looks like rain. I wouldn't, I wouldn't want to. Honestly, it's no big deal. I mean, I'll just get it from you later. With Jacob, I was just, you know, getting used to them and just hanging out with them. But they were staying elsewhere while I was staying here. Now, I 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 kind of felt left out. So I was like, I'm gonna get yous. In the movie, obviously, I'm gonna get yous. The bathtub scene is, he's submitting to this obsession and trying to figure out what it is he's chasing. And, you know, almost like a sacrifice in how he lowers himself into the bath, you know, physically. And then when he gets down there, he's just confused and helpless and sick, you know, to do that. But you can't judge that as you're playing. I can judge it as a spectator. But when I'm playing him, I've got to see justice to it and see that it's the right thing to do. 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 want to try something. And I just wanted to see what I'd do as Oliver when action happens and where I went. And to me, he just went to a place of, you know, 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, I'll do it. Nah, that was choreographed by Polly Bennett. She's brilliant. You know, you've got to hit some steps. And I think it was gorgeous to look at a figure like that Roman, you know, that manner, you know, dripping in money and paintings from the 1700s and, you know, 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. 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 him, be just a movie of him playing about mind control and everyone. No really motive, just mind control for the sake of it. Prep for that is you're doing a superhero movie. So you got to humanize them. Don't play the superhero. Try and bring the human side of them out. Chloe just kind of 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 kind of done was to learn to walk a bit slower. And I tried to mind control people and people like, what are you doing? Why are you staring at me? 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. Of what? All of this. Do you know what The Scavenger reminds me of? Sort of like the kind of an Arthur Dodger kind of character. You know, he's got a trick up his sleeve or, you know, he's a tiger long. That long shot was, my boots kept coming off because it was in the mud. You know, we had to get it where I walked through. And that was one shot, obviously, as well, which was really, you had to kind of finish all your dialogue, you know, up until a certain point. Well, my shoes kept coming off. So I'd end up at the end of the take with no shoes on. Twerrant enough. Just twerrant enough. Twerrant enough. Anything I'd done kind of freaked Dev out. Anything. So I could say anything or do anything. You know, having the bucked teeth as well. Yeah, it was just, it added a lot to the character. Just that I could play around being in my own accent as well. You kind of 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 axe 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? Dunkirk. That was a massive moment. I mean, just the sets and what Chris Nolan does on, you know, on the water. He's got real fecking planes coming towards you. They take a half an hour to reset. You don't really need to act. I remember the plane coming towards me and so 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 and going, fuck, man. And then he was rolling. He's like, we're rolling. I was like, oh shit. It's like half an hour to reset. The fight with me and my fellow Irishman, Cillian Morphy, yeah. He wouldn't do that in real life. But anyways. No, that was quite tricky. I mean, because when I fell back, I had to kind of duck my head as well. So I didn't really fucking hit my head and go blind. Poor George killing 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, because Chris has, you know, some Irish relatives and that. And we'd be just chatting about Ireland and stuff like that. And where's the best Guinness in Dublin. The Batman. Have you read this file? You two have so much in common. Masked Avengers. Originally, there was no audition. I just made myself an audition tape. Because 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 it. I'm going to buy a cane and a hat. Just find myself a corridor and film myself walking down it. Add some, like, little bit of a swag to it and a bit of music. And let's see will that get me an audition. So I've done that, yeah. And they said, no. Would you want to play the Joker? I was like, yep. That took six hours to get into that. And I 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 now. I was like, huh? Really? What? What happened? It was like this steel thing that was slicing in. I was like, I'm really going to be left with a scar here. So I was like that. And Rob was in the bass suit. And I'm like, ha ha. And he's like, ha ha ha. I'm like, no, ha ha ha, you. We couldn't move. We literally couldn't get up and move. I was 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, like the Joker. And it said, it was spray paint of an old asylum room. And it said, hell was more fun. I was like, whoa. Like, that is crazy.