Barry Keoghan slams 'absent father' claims and says 'deadbeat dad' taunts sicken him

Oscar-nominee Barry Keoghan has hit back at social media claims about his relationship with his son, stating they're being used as "ammunition" against him.

The 32-year-old Irish actor, who has a child named Brando with an ex-partner, has been open about his challenging upbringing, which included growing up in foster care and losing his mother to drug addiction. Speaking on Spotify’s The Louis Theroux Podcast, Keoghan said: "If I didn’t have tough skin or the strength to have, I wouldn’t be sitting here.

"Of course, (my childhood is) going to affect me being a father when I had no blueprint to take from." He continued: "People just read that (as) laziness and go, ‘Oh, that’s no excuse to be an absent father’. I’m not an absent father." He also expressed his frustration at people using his son as "ammunition", leading him to post less about his child online as he gains more public attention.

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He added that his son’s absence from his social media leads people to label him an 'absent father' and 'deadbeat dad', among other things he wouldn't repeat. "Just the audacity of some people, man. It sickens me, makes me furious," he added. "I’ve been off it (social media) because when I’m going through a role, I’m getting into character. I stay away from the internet."

The Saltburn star opened up about the darker side of fame, saying: "But, again, when I’ve got a bit of time, I am a curious being like all of us and you want to know what (people are saying online) especially when it’s slander and when it’s bad comments attacking my appearance or attacking me as a father."

He also shared his personal struggles, revealing he's "just trying to make a living, trying to get a good body of work and create safety for my child". The actor, who bagged the Bafta best supporting actor award in 2023 for The Banshees Of Inisherin and was Oscar-nominated for the same role, spoke candidly on a podcast about his family's battles with addiction.

He described his mother as "gorgeous, almost like six-foot, dark hair, just beautiful", but sadly noted that drug addiction "caught her". Keoghan reflected on the impact of addiction in his community, saying, "It’s sad to see the deterioration of people around the area and see people kind of struggle with it and the recovery they’re in now," and added, "It caught my mum, it caught my uncle who died of it and caught my father as well."

Despite his challenging past, which included more than 10 foster homes before settling with his grandmother, he doesn't "blame" his mother and admits the experience "kind of haunts me still". The Dublin-born talent emphasised his desire for his story to inspire young children rather than be viewed as a "pity story". His performance in Saltburn became an internet sensation, particularly for the scene where he dances naked in a luxury manor to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s hit 'Murder On The Dancefloor'.

Keoghan revealed that his nude scene wasn't initially in the script, but after a chat with director Emerald Fennell, they "got to that place". He confessed, "My hesitation was (the) dancing, I don’t like dancing," but he's willing to step out of his comfort zone for a role. But if it’s required, when it’s the character, again, this is this kind of thing of when it’s not you you’ll do it, and if it feels right and if it kind of moves the script and the story forward."

Fans can catch him on the Louis Theroux Podcast, now streaming on Spotify.

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