Barry Keoghan Admits He Trolled People with Cillian Murphy Joke, Then Got Choked Up Watching Jessie Buckley
If there’s one thing you can always count on Barry Keoghan for, it’s keeping us guessing. The Dubliner has been on an absolute rollercoaster this week—first getting the whole country talking by playfully taking a dig at our other national treasure, Cillian Murphy, and then proving he’s got a heart just as big by getting visibly emotional at the theatre. You really couldn't make this stuff up.
The guy who just loves to stir the pot
It started, as most good banter does, with a joke. Keoghan, who’s never been one to take himself too seriously, made a passing comment about Cillian Murphy that had the internet doing exactly what he intended: getting worked up. "Sure, I only said it to wind people up," he reportedly shrugged afterwards, with that classic cheeky look in his eye we’ve all come to know and love. Whether it was about who’s the better actor from Dublin or something else entirely, the reaction was pure textbook Barry—he knows exactly which buttons to push, and he hits them with all the subtlety of a kid in an elevator.
From class clown to softie in seconds flat
But just when you think you’ve got the Dubliner figured out as the resident jokester, he flips the script. Over the weekend, he was spotted at a performance of Hamnet in Dublin, and it wasn’t his usual mischievous self on display. Sitting in the audience, he was caught on camera wiping away tears, completely moved by Jessie Buckley's stunning performance. The Cork native, who’s been getting rave reviews for her role in the stage adaptation, clearly struck a chord with Barry. It’s a solid reminder that underneath the bluster and the banter, there’s a guy who feels things deeply—and isn’t afraid to show it.
A career built on keeping us on our toes
That emotional depth is exactly what’s made Keoghan one of the most exciting actors to come out of Ireland in years. From his breakthrough in Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of a Sacred Deer, where he played a teenager whose creepy stillness could make your skin crawl, to the heartbreaking The Banshees of Inisherin, where he quietly stole every scene as the lad who just wanted to be remembered, Barry has never taken the easy road. And it’s not just the big-screen stuff—rumour has it he’s been circling a project based on Don Winslow's Crime 101, a novella that’s been optioned for a film adaptation. If that happens, we’re in for another masterclass in tension and vulnerability.
Why we can’t get enough of him
There’s a reason Barry Keoghan has become a household name here, and it’s not just the Golden Globe nod or the Oscar buzz. It’s the fact that he’s unmistakably one of us—a Summerhill kid who made good, who still shows up at the local pub, who’ll wind up Cillian Murphy one day and tear up watching Jessie Buckley the next. He embodies that classic Irish contradiction: the laugh that hides the ache, the pride that won’t let you see the hurt until the lights go down.
Here are just a few reasons why we’re all secretly (or not so secretly) obsessed:
- The banter: He’ll roast our other icons without breaking a sweat, and we love him for it.
- The vulnerability: From The Killing of a Sacred Deer to the Hamnet tears, he’s never afraid to go there.
- The range: He can go from unsettling to heartbreaking in the same breath—just rewatch The Banshees of Inisherin.
- The loyalty: He keeps coming back to Dublin, supporting the arts, and reminding us he’s still the same guy.
So here’s to Barry Keoghan—the man who makes us laugh, makes us cry, and makes us damn proud to be Irish. Whatever he does next (and I’ve got my fingers crossed for that Crime 101 adaptation), you can bet we’ll be watching. Just maybe keep some tissues handy.