Barry Keoghan has said he’s faced ‘a lot of abuse of how I look’.
The Irish actor, 33, began his career as a teenager but rose to fame in 2017 with roles in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
He then became a household name following his starring turn in 2022’s Saltburn, with other notable roles coming in The Banshees of Inisherin and the recently released Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Barry also gained significant attention three years ago when he started dating American singer Sabrina Carpenter after appearing in the music video for her song Please Please Please.
They then split the following year, with the actor then detailing how he was receiving significant backlash from his ex’s fans, including death threats.
Nearly two years on, he’s now spoken about continuing to face trolling – with many cruel online comments centring on his looks. Last year he also deleted Instagram due to relentless negative commentary.
‘There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look,’ he recently said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up.
Although he spoke about having an ‘incredible fanbase’ and said ‘people are so lovely out there’, there was also a ‘nasty side’ he’d experienced.
‘It’s also disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older,’ he added, referring to his 3-year-old son Brando, whose mother is Barry’s former girlfriend Alyson Sandro.
Barry then went on to share he’s now ‘removed’ himself from being online but had become anxious to even go outside due to the ongoing hate.
‘I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on,’ he said.
‘If I attend an event, or if I go somewhere, [I] want to see how it was received, and it’s not nice.
‘It’s made me shy away, it’s made me really go inside myself and not want to attend places, not want to go outside.’
He continued to say that it ‘was becoming a problem’. ‘I actually don’t go to places because of these things.’
Barry then admitted the criticism was now affecting his ability to act. ‘When that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don’t even want to be on screen anymore,’ he said.
Soon after he made the comments, many people rushed to Barry’s defence.
‘I actually think it’s horrible considering where he comes from in life and the fact this dude has had quite a bit of trauma before his success…he might seem annoying or cringe to some people but the abuse he’s getting is absolutely disgusting,’ user E_Tommy_l posted on X.
‘But why are people so cruel? I never understood the idea of commenting negatively on someone’s appearance, knowing that it might hurt them,’ HaleDynasty shared.
‘It’s heartbreaking that anyone has to experience this kind of abuse. Social media can be cruel,’ Carey commented.
‘Nobody should feel trapped indoors because of how they look and Barry saying it out loud takes courage. The cruelty people aim at public figures online is real and it has real consequences. Hoping he finds his way back out,’ Raba added.
‘People forget celebrities are human too. Stay strong, Barry Keoghan…your talent speaks louder than trolls ever will,’ hum_beparwaah wrote.
Meanwhile Gina declared: ‘You’re in Saltburn and dated Sabrina. You won!!!’
Barry has previously spoken about his difficult childhood in foster care and the death of his mother after struggles with drug addiction.
Following his breakup with Sabrina, he said some of her fans had been knocking on his grandmother’s door and ‘sitting outside my baby boy’s house intimidating them’.
Then, during an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast in November 2024, he discussed how ‘people sit there and make videos and be like “I don’t like his face, he looks weird, or he looks evil” and just pick you apart.’
He continued: ‘People kind of have a judgment on me as a parent. I’m like, well until you’ve walked a day in my shoes growing up as a kid, then you can’t comment. There’s a lot online.
‘If I didn’t have tough skin or the strength I have, I wouldn’t be sitting here.’
A few weeks later he deactivated his Instagram and posted a statement slamming trolls on X.
‘I can only sit and take so much. My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond to,’ he began.
‘I have to respond now because it’s getting to a place where there are too many lines being crossed.
‘Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.’
He then begged people to ‘be respectful’ after some had ‘crossed a line’ and ‘dragged his dear mother into it’.
Despite speaking about considering taking a step back from acting, Barry is currently filming Sam Mendes’ The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event.
Starring alongside Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal and Joseph Quinn, Barry will be playing Ringo Starr. The movies are set to be released in cinemas in April 2028.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.