Irish actor Barry Keoghan has shot to fame over the last few years and we couldn’t be more delighted for him!
Just last weekend he picked up his very first BAFTA win for his breathtaking performance in The Banshees of Inisherin.
However, that doesn’t mean it was all smooth sailing for the Dublin native. Barry worked hard to get to where he is today after securing his first acting gig in the crime film Between The Canals, thanks to director Mark O’Connor.
Chatting to Ray D’Arcy on RTE Radio 1, Mark reminisced on the actor’s rise to fame, revealing that he had everything to make it big.
“I kind of expected it in a way,” shared Mark. “Like, you know when you work with certain people, you can kind of see it… just by their ambition, their drive, you they are great actors.”
At the beginning of his career, Barry also secured some smaller parts in the hit Irish soap, Fair City, but when it came to him being offered a bigger role on the show, Mark advised against it.
Sharing: “He said to me what do you think about this? And I said no, no Barry. You have to be selective, you got to choose your scripts.”
While Mark praised the soap, he felt as though Barry would get “pigeonholed” or “stuck” if he took on the role – never really achieving his full potential.
“Barry was always moving,” added Mark.
“He was very curious and I found that the most interesting thing.”
As it turns out, Mark was right, with Barry even being tipped to win Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars next month.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, g’wan the Irish!
