Barry Keoghan reveals what acting alongside Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is REALLY like - and why he's given up boxing for The Beatles film
He's become one of the most sought after upcoming actors in the film industry having starred in Dunkirk, The Batman and Top Boy in recent years.
Now Barry Keoghan, 32, is gearing up for the release of the new and highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man.
The feature film, which is likely to come out with the next year, will see the infamous Shelby family of cut-throat gangsters transition into the Second World War.
Described as 'one for the fans' to conclude the much-loved series, Barry is set to feature alongside Dune actress Rebecca Ferguson, Adolescence writer Stephen Graham and of course star of the show Cillian Murphy.
And in a recent interview with The Mirror, the Saltburn actor revealed exactly what it takes to live up to Cillian's high standards.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
'There is no slacking for him,' Barry said: 'And it's not in an intimidating way. It is in a way that he does not settle for less. He has an athlete's approach to it. Cillian is such a legend.
'He does not say anything, but you feel it.'
Recalling the moment he first pulled his Peaky Blinders costume on, Barry told of Cillian's reaction: 'He (Cillian) was more excited to see me in my costume. He was like, "Ah man, look at you."'
The Immortal Man isn't all Barry has to look forward to however, with it recently being confirmed that the 32-year-old will star in four upcoming biopics about The Beatles.
With the movies planned for release in 2028, Barry will be playing Ringo Starr - who he was so nervous to meet that he couldn't look at the drummer.
After being asked by Jimmy Kimmel whether he was able to 'study' Ringo when they met, Barry replied: 'I was.. and when I was talking to him, I couldn't look at him.
'I was nervous, like right now. But he's like, "You can look at me."'
Despite his nerves, Barry did stress that Ringo was 'absolutely lovely' and that they sat in the garden 'chatting away.'
The Top Boy actor is about to go into 15 months of filming for the movies, but has had to sacrifice one of his true passions for the role - boxing.
Barry, who has 'boxed for years', revealed he's been forced to give up his beloved sport because the film's producers 'will kill him' if he breaks his hand and can't play the drums during filming.
Despite all of his success in the film industry, the Irish actor suffered a particularly difficult upbringing.
He lost his mother when he was just 12 to a heroin addiction and spent the following years in foster care before being brought up by his grand mother.
Both Barry and his brother have also struggled with addiction, with the actor admitting he has spent time in rehabilitation.
In a poignant interview with Hollywood Authentic, he spoke about an old diary of his mother's which he cherishes.
Quoting one entry, he said: 'Well, tonight went okay for me so I hope I have the strength to not touch anything tomorrow.'
He added: 'I got to read that at Christmas. I sent a picture to my brother, because he was in rehab over Christmas. I sent him that picture of her last page. I said "Just look at that. You've got a chance now." You can feel the pain in this.'
As well as losing his mother at a young age, Barry's uncle passed away after battling a drug addiction, while various other family members including his father also suffered with the vice.
Barry said: 'I had an uncle, Alan – he passed away. Heroin.
'He was my nannie's boy. He was very present for us for a good few years. He was my mum's brother. But he passed away. He was only 40, he had an overdose.
'I'm not in denial anymore. I understand that I do have an addiction, and I am an addict. You know, when you accept that, you finally can move on, and learn to work with it.
'My father passed away as a result of similar and I lost my mum to it. I've lost two uncles and a cousin to drugs.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
12 minutes ago
- The Sun
90 Day Fiance UK series four line up revealed with two age-gap couples, secret Mormon and proposal after single meeting
90 Day Fiance UK series four cast has been revealed - including age-gap couples, a secret Mormon and shock proposal. The hit show will be returning to screens from July 13 on discovery+. Its premise follows seven Brits who have been navigating long distance relationships. Over the course of 90 days, the couples will decide whether they're ready to spend the rest of their lives together. Adnand and Shorna The first couple taking part this series is Adnand (25) and Shorna (45). Londoner Shorna met Albanian golf buggy driver Adnand while on holiday with her daughter in Greece. Having been in a long distance relationship ever since, Shorna has a surprise in store for Adnand. Shorna has converted to Mormonism since they last saw each other, meaning she can longer have a physical relationship with Adnand. She has put off revealing this - believing Adnand won't take the news well. Only if they become man and wife could they revisit physical intimacy. Shannon and Mete 7 Shannon, 25, from Liverpool, went on holiday to Marmaris, Turkey in 2023. She met hotel entertainer Mete, 32, from Istanbul, with an attraction sparking into a relationship. Watch the awkward moment woman jets to Jordan to meet her husband for the first time AND marry him in the same day Since then, Shannon regularly makes return trips to Turkey to see Mete - but he is very jealous. With her nearly-all male circle of friends at home causing tension, what will happen next? Arrah and Andy 36-year-old Andy, from Watford, admitted to 30-year-old Arrah, from The Philippines, about his disability when they began talking. Andy told her: "I have a disability. I've got brittle bones. I've broken over 200 bones in my life." To which Arrah replied: "I don't care, it's what's inside that counts." Having only spoken for a month over the phone, Andy has flown to the Philippines to propose - but is this the right decision? Phin and Sandra Phin, 33, from London and Sandra, 33, from Brazil have a love story dating back several years. However, life took them in different directions - with Sandra getting married and had a family. By 2022, with both single, Sandra accidentally called Phin and the pair reignited their bond. Incredibly, 15 years after having first met, the pair finally became a couple. But will Phin be able to embrace the role of stepfather? Ebrima and Zena Zena, 65, from Oxted, holidayed in The Gambia two years ago. While there, she caught the eye of Ebrima, 44, a local waiter. Ebrima wooed her with flowers and sweet talk, with the pair having been in a long distance relationship ever since. However, Zena's family are concerned that Ebrima's intentions are financial. Sarah and Marco Following a painful break-up, Sarah, 31, from Kent, went to Italy with a friend for some R&R. While swimming in a lake, Sarah bumped into local hunk Marco, 37. The pair have now officially been together for a year - and visit each other's country at least one a month. Unbeknown to Sarah's friends and family, the couple have recently got engaged. But having been engaged before, Sarah is nervous to share the news with her loved ones. How will they react upon finding out? Sam and Ali Rounding out the line-up are Sam and Ali, who are returning from series three. Sam, 30, from Newcastle met 24-year-old Turkish girl Ali on a holiday resort in 2022, falling in love quickly Although Sam was concerned about Ali's intentions, the couple married in Turkey and have been long distance. Having found it difficult to save for a visa, Sam tries his hand at living in Ali's rural Turkish hometown. But this is much to Ali's frustration, as she dreams of a new life in the UK. 90 Day Fiancé UK series four is available to stream on discovery+ in the UK & Ireland from Sunday 13 th July.
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Jesy Nelson shares sweet insight into her life as a new mum as she posts snaps with newborn twins after finally coming home from hospital
Jesy Nelson has shared a sweet insight into her life as a new mum as she posted adorable pictures with her newborn twins on Friday. The former Little Mix singer, 34, and rapper Zion Foster, 26, welcomed their first children, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, in May after suffering months of complications. And appearing every inch the doting mother, the star looks to have settled into motherhood well as she posted an array of family pictures to Instagram. In one snap, Jesy can be seen cuddling one of her babies as they slept on her chest. Zion also appeared to enjoy fatherhood as he was seen entertaining the little ones with a fun dance. Another snap saw one of the newborn resting in a singular hand while wrapped up in a white baby grow. Alongside the snaps, Jesy penned: 'Have never ever felt more lucky and blessed in my whole entire life.' Her updates comes days after she revealed she is finally home with her newborn twins after three months in hospital. Jesy took to social media to share the major update with her fans. She simply wrote: 'My babies made it home for my birthday.' Fans were left delighted by the milestone, and flooded Jesy with compliments and well wishes. Ocean Jade and Story Monroe were born at just 31 weeks old, after Jesy was diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) - a rare condition that can put one or both babies at risk. Before being released from hospital the twins had been receiving treatment in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Jesy recently opened up about their premature births, telling fans: 'Nothing or no one will ever be able to prepare you as a parent for NICU. 'It's the most scary overwhelming feeling of emotions not being able to feel like you can protect your babies. 'Naturally as a mother you just want to hold them and comfort them when they cry but you can't because there are what feels like a million wires coming out of them and tubes and masks in the way with people poking and prodding them it breaks your heart into a million pieces. 'Having them reunited for the first time ever today was the most magical feeling I will never be able to describe. The strongest little girls I've ever known who really do have the most inspiring story to tell'. In March, Jesy had to undergo an emergency procedure after suffering complications and was advised to remain in hospital until she was at least 32 weeks into her pregnancy. Throughout the ordeal, her partner Zion admitted he and Jesy, who was seven months pregnant at the time of her procedure, had ' grown to understand each other on a deeper level '. He told OK!: 'I think it's at these times when you really, really know what love you have and what your relationship means. 'And I think for me and Jess, this has just taken it to a whole other level of us knowing we are literally made for each other.' He said the couple had also tried to make the hospital as much of a home as possible. 'There's a couch that turns into a bed that we pushed next to the hospital bed, so we've made our own double bed. 'And it's like we've moved in. The nurses just said, "Oh, my God. It looks so nice in here. It looks so homely".' Jesy announced she was expecting twins with her boyfriend Zion back in January after rumours they had split. Originally from South London, Zion was born and raised in a Nigerian household by his mother and grew up listening to Gospel music. It was his football coach who then introduced the star to rap influences as he began listening to Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Usher. Zion then decided to pursue music as he began recording his own music and sharing it online via SoundCloud.
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
The King and Idris Elba team up for new Netflix documentary film
The King and British actor Idris Elba have teamed up for a new Netflix film about the charity that 'changed' the star's life. The film will explore The King's Trust – a youth charity set up by Charles when he was the Prince of Wales, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary – to highlight how the charity has helped young people around the world, documenting 'the power of believing in young people'. The Luther star, who was a beneficiary of a grant from the trust, will accompany the King as he shares insights into his support for the charity. Elba said: 'The King's Trust gave me an opportunity that changed my life. 'At a time when I didn't have the resources to pursue my ambitions, they offered real, practical support — including financial help — that helped me take those first steps to advance my career. 'Around the world, millions are still waiting for that one door to open. This documentary is about shining a light on what's possible when it does — and why the work of The King's Trust remains so important.' Formerly known as The Prince's Trust, the charity was set up by Charles to help disadvantaged young people overcome challenging circumstances, get into employment or launch their own businesses. It has since become one of the UK's leading youth organisations and has helped more than 1.3 million young people to date with celebrity ambassadors including former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate and presenters Ant and Dec. Jonathan Townsend, UK chief executive of The King's Trust, said: 'At its heart, this is a documentary about the power of believing in young people. It's about an idea, driven by a young Prince who was determined to make a positive difference, that when young people are supported to succeed, we all succeed. 'Almost 50 years on, the momentum behind this idea has seen more than 1.3 million young people supported in over 20 countries around the world, including more than a million in the UK alone, through the work of The King's Trust. 'Nobody understands the impact of this work better than those who have experienced the support we offer first hand. As a long-term supporter and former beneficiary of The Trust himself, Idris will undoubtedly bring a unique perspective to this groundbreaking documentary as he peels back the layers of our story and shows how our life-changing work is as relevant today as it has ever been.' The film will be directed by Bafta-winning filmmaker Ashley Francis-Roy, with young people supported by the Trust helping the production team to build experience in film and television. The documentary is produced by 22 Summers, the production company co-founded by Elba, and due to be released in autumn 2026.
