Hey everyone! Last month at Fantastic Fest, I got to meet up with Barry Keoghan to talk about his new film THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER. The darkly strange morality tale is a must see for fans of director Yorgos Lanthimos, but I also highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good out-of-the-box thriller. To see what the fuss is about, check out my review here! I hope you dig my chat with the young actor as we discuss working with such notable directors as Christopher Nolan and Lanthimos, maybe stepping behind the camera himself someday, and having Alicia Silverstone play his mom. Enjoy!
Annette Kellerman: I'm so glad to meet you Barry. I saw the movie this morning, and all I can say is wow. It's intense.
Barry Keoghan: Yeah, it's pretty intense.
BK: No. Just normal lines. I love Yorgos endlessly since DOGTOOTH. So I was kind of familiar with the tone and the rhythms like people speak in his world. I just had that going in opposite Colin and he helped as well. No prep.
AK: No prep.
BK: Well, blocking, but that's it.
AK: Did you binge watch a bunch of stalker movies or anything like that? Where there any roles or films that you consider an inspiration for the role?
BK: No. I mean, I love the Joker in Batman- Heath Ledger. I love him for one reason- he says these lines, like he just puts them out there. He's not like mean or whatnot. He just says them like normal. I kind of had that in mind. But it's not like I went in there, like I'm going to do this like the Joker [laughs]. I just wanted to say [the line] like it was nothing.
AK: Your mom in the film is played by Alicia Silverstone, which as a 90's child pleases me to no end to see her in such a different role in this film.
BK: I know! She is a babe! [big laughs in the room]
AK: Did you know she was actually in a stalker movie back in the day? THE CRUSH.
BK: She was?! She was in Batman.
AK: Yes she was! Batgirl.
BK: She can be my Batgirl anytime! [more laughs]
AK: How does working with Yorgos differ from working with a director like Christopher Nolan?
BK: Well, each director I work with is very different but similar, like with different movies, like genres. Like Chris and Yorgos are very similar in terms of direction that is very simple and precise. When they ask you to do something, you never go, I don't really get that but I'll try it. Yorgos is, keep your head straight, do it a bit faster or slower. Chris is straight on it, like you know what he's saying. Very sharp, precise, and simple. They are masters of their own universe and they create these worlds for us, so going off DUNKIRK to this was really different yet also very similar in some ways.
AK: They both know exactly what they want.
BK: Yeah, and every director does, but...
AK: Maybe sometimes there's more left for interpretation?
BK: Yeah, I mean these are geniuses. Chris Nolan and Yorgos Lanthimos- these are geniuses.
AK: Obviously working with a smaller ensemble cast has its advantages. Can you talk about working with this cast?
BK: I went from working with one Irish man to working with another Irish man! From Cillian to Colin. Yeah, that was great for me. That was the highlight. And Mark Rylance. To go from that cast to this cast was just a pleasure. It was really nice. Especially with my own lads like Cillian and Colin- these are lads that I looked up to growing up. Lads from my neck of the woods, so it was just good to share the screen with them.
AK: And in this case working with Nicole Kidman must have been pretty cool as well.
BK: Yeah, Nicole- she's a master. They have a skill as well... ya know you have the two kids on set. I think it was Sunny's first. They just made it very relaxed for everyone. You see how inquisitive they are, and questions they're asking of all of us. It's just nice to see at that caliber. For a young actor especially, that's nice.
AK: Well, and both Nicole and Colin are parents in real life too so that perspective likely lends itself to the experience as well as performance.
BK: There was definitely that as well.
AK: This is clearly a genre film.
BK: A Yorgos genre film.
AK: Ha! A Yorgos genre film, no doubt. Do you have a particular genre you prefer most as a viewer? Is it different as a performer?
BK: As a viewer I like real stories, true stories. Documentaries. I'm really getting into horror lately. I watched THE WITCH- it was great!
AK: Yeah, that movie played [Fantastic Fest] a few years ago and I caught that first screening without knowing anything about it which was perfect.
BK: It's always good not to know too much. I had a feeling- it seems like a good fit with this festival. But as an actor what genre would I like to tackle? It's the filmmakers that I want to work with than whatever genre that movie happens to be. It's the filmmakers I want to work with.
AK: So you would consider just about any genre as long as it's with a filmmaker you believe in.
BK: Yeah.
AK: On that note, what is next for you?
BK: Next is...I mean we're seeing what's about now. I mean, you work with Chris Nolan and Yorgos Lanthimos- it's going to be hard to match that!
AK: I know!
BK: It's probably going to be ten years next time I work. [laughs]
AK: I doubt that very seriously.
BK: We'll see. I don't know what's next- we'll have to see what's good.
AK: How do you manage a duplicitous character like this? I mean, it's not like Martin ever rages, but he is definitely menacing.
BK: I think that's Yorgos' way. The way he was dealing with me. I was just saying the words. It's all down to that dialogue as well. Dialogue was heavy at points, and sometimes it was just- throw it away- he seemed a little bit more naive and innocent, but then at times he seemed like a god. It's down to that and Yorgos.
AK: Is there a big take away from THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER?
BK: It's all different take aways. Everyone I've spoken to have different opinions on it. So I'm happy that it's that kind of movie- like THE LOBSTER. Some people will really get it, and some will hate it. So that's the take away I hope people have.
AK: Has working with such incredible talent inspired you to write or do your own thing?
BK: Yeah. I'd love to be behind the camera. He got me a Nikon FM2, and Colin got me a digital camera. So, I came off of that movie with two cameras!
AK: Nice!
BK: Because I was interested in the camera work. He [Lanthimos] was interested in how I would frame it. Ya know, he is a really good dude, like I mean that. People think of him, like with these movies, "So, he must be real intense." He's not. He's very shy, and deep down wants to be an actor. You can put that in! He wants to be an actor. [everyone laughs]
AK: Well, that sounds perfect because you want to be a director!
BK: Yes! And I want Yorgos to be in it! [more laughs]
AK: And that is the perfect note to wrap this up on. Thanks so very much for hanging with me for a bit to talk about the film.
BK: Thank you.
And so ended my meet up with Barry Keoghan about THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER and his fascinating take on such a weird character. I hope you enjoyed our chat. I can't wait to see what's in store for such a talented young actor. The film opens nationwide on November 3- don't miss it!
Until next time,
Rebecca Elliott
aka Annette Kellerman
