Rags to Riches: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' Star's Rise to Fame

For those who loved Martin McDonagh's hit "The Banshees of Inisherin," it will come as little surprise that Barry Keoghan, the film's star, is in the Oscar lineup for best supporting actor.

However, his background makes him an unlikely guest at the glitzy ceremony in March. 

Keoghan overcame a troubled childhood to earn an Academy Award nomination. As the Guardian notes, the actor and his brother, Eric, were born in the disadvantaged Summerhill area of Dublin, where their mother fell victim to drugs.

The boys were taken into care and passed through 13 foster homes, and spent time living with their maternal grandmother, Patricia, who later revealed their mother's death to them. 

Keoghan was 16 when he left school with the hopes of pursuing an acting career. After the death of his mother, there seemed little else left to lose. 

"The only way is forward," he told the Guardian in recalling his decision.

His opportunity came in the form of a small notice in a shop window inviting hopeful actors to join a new film project. Keoghan did not immediately get the part, but after incessant audition requests to the film's director, he was cast three years later. That opened the door to his career, which was launched by the 2018 heist film "American Animals." 

Keoghan would later draw the attention of influential directors Christopher Nolan and Yorgos Lanthimos, who nurtured his talent with roles in "Dunkirk" and "The Killing of a Sacred Deer."

Several other roles came along, including one as Druig, a mind-controlling alien in Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao's Marvel movie "Eternals," and as Pavel, a nuclear contamination "liquidator" in the drama series "Chernobyl."

Keoghan is now looking to balance work and family life, after welcoming a son, Brando, with his partner, Alyson Sandro, last year. In an interview with GQ, Keoghan said Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was his inspiration. 

"I've seen the Rock do it," said Keoghan, according to the Guardian. "You've got to separate that. You've got work mode and family time."

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