In the new feature film by Martin McDonagh, Barry Keoghan gives the answer to three compatriots: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon. In addition to having the pleasure of playing in a film camped in his country, the Irish actor feels the exaltation of being part of the universe of the man he considers to be one of the greatest contemporary playwrights. Maintenance.
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He was first revealed to the international cinema audience by playing a troubled teenager in The Killing of a Sacred Deera film by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favorite) where, already, he gave the reply to Colin Farrell. Barry Keoghan was then recruited by Christopher Nolan to be part of the crew of a civilian boat going to the rescue of Allied soldiers in Dunkirk. In The Banshees of Inisherina new offering from filmmaker Martin McDonagh (In Brugge, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), he lends his features to the innocent young man from an isolated village on the west coast of Ireland in the 1920s.
“When Martin McDonagh contacted me to tell me he was thinking of me for one of the characters, I immediately said yes in my head, before I even knew what it was about, reveals the actor during a videoconference interview granted to The Press. In my eyes, Martin is one of the greatest playwrights in the world! »
PHOTO ANDY KROPA, INVISION, PROVIDED BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan recently reunited at the New York premiere of The Banshees of Inisherin.
A deeply Irish work
Filmed mainly in Inis Mór, a coastal island where time seems frozen, The Banshees of Inisherin tells a story written by one of the children of the country, camped in a place where barely a handful of inhabitants live and where the sense of community matters a lot. It turns out, however, that overnight, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) announces without warning to Pádraic (Colin Farrell), whom he has known forever, that their friendship no longer exists. The latter, demolished, does not understand. However, no unfortunate event occurred between the two men, no hurtful words were spoken either. For his part, Barry Keoghan slips into the skin of a young man considered a bit like the simpleton of the village, whose main concern is to finally attract the attention of a woman. Siobhan (Kerry Condon), Pádraic’s sister, perhaps?
There had to be something special about shooting this film in Ireland, in an Irish story, with a cast made up of compatriots. This film really resembles what this country is, and not something that has been artificially recreated elsewhere.
Barry Keoghan, actor
Born in Dublin into a family where artistic expression was far from a priority, Barry Keoghan was drawn into the game just over a decade ago. Thanks to a cast wild established by the production of Between the Canalsthe first feature film by Mark O’Connor, the young actor was thus able to learn about film sets.
“I had already done a bit of theater at school, without knowing too much, but there was something there that attracted me, without it really being the culmination of a dream since childhood, explains- he. I landed a small role in the film and it all went downhill from there. Through drama, I had the impression of finding a place that suited me and where I was accepted. Playing just made me happy. This feeling still drives me today! »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ENTRACT FILMS
In 2017, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan were already giving the reply in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (The Killing of the Sacred Deer), a film by Yorgos Lanthimos.
A universal character
Although he doesn’t see his performances as individual successes, Barry Keoghan, now 30, still had to see that The Killing of the Sacred Deer took him to a new level.
“I put everything I have into every role I play,” he says. It is true that with The Killing of a Sacred Deer, I felt that I was noticed, if only thanks to the visibility that the film had. People really reacted very strongly to this drama and I thought it was fantastic. That said, the job remains the same no matter what movie you’re in. In my view, it is above all the result of a collective effort. »
Since its presentation at the Venice Film Festival, where Martin McDonagh won Best Screenplay and Colin Farrell Best Actor, The Banshees of Inisherin is now one of those works that will probably still be talked about during the next awards season.
“I believe that the film touches people thanks to its universal character, launches Barry Keoghan. We could have set this story elsewhere, in our time, and it would no doubt have touched us as much. We’ve all been through this kind of breakup at one time or another in our lives. We all know what that feeling of loneliness is like. It is fundamentally human. Above all, we evoke a rupture of friendship which cannot be explained. It is very rare that this subject is broached in the cinema. In life either, for that matter. »
The Banshees of Inisherin (The Banshees of Inisherin in French version) hits theaters October 28.