Barry Keoghan makes candid confession about addiction: “I’m not in denial anymore”

Barry Keoghan has made a candid confession about battling addiction in a new interview, admitting he had struggled previously, but was “not in denial anymore”.

The Irish actor’s mother died when he was 12 due to a heroin addiction, and Keoghan and his brother spent several years of their childhood in and out of foster homes around Dublin.

The Saltburn star has long been open about his upbringing, and earlier this year joined forces with the British Government to help improve children’s social care, saying he was “grateful and appreciative to be able to use my platform to shine a light on the care system”.

In an interview with Hollywood Authentic, he visited one of his childhood homes and recalled being confronted with his mother’s addiction. “I remember being kids here and hearing my mum scream through the letterbox, asking for us, while she’s battling addiction, while she’s looking for money to score,” he said. “And we were just told to stay in bed. We weren’t to go down and hug her.”

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Despite witnessing her struggles, Keoghan admitted that his “curiosity” got the better of him later in life, but clarified: “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,” he continued. “I’ve lost two uncles and a cousin to drugs. That should be enough to go, ‘OK, if I dabble here, I’m fucked.’ But your curiosity is a powerful thing,” he said.

The Banshees Of Inisherin star went on to saythat  becoming a father in 2022 did not act as a deterrent for his curiosity surrounding drugs.

“Sometimes it’s beneficial, and sometimes it’s detrimental. For me, it was detrimental. Even my own son coming into this world didn’t stop me from being curious. You know, you go to LA, you go to Hollywood, wherever the big scene is.

“There’s an enormous amount of pressure, and a different lifestyle that is good and bad for you. You’re around the scene. You just happen to be the one that ends up doing it.”

He went on to show the interviewer the marks on his arms he’d sustained while high, saying: “I’ve got scars here to literally prove it. They’re a result of using. I’m at peace now, and responsible for everything that I do. I’m accepting. I’m present. I’m content. I’m a father. I’m getting to just see that haze that was once there – it’s just a bit sharper now, and colourful.”

Elsewhere, Keoghan was announced as playing Ringo Starr in one of the forthcoming biopics about The Beatles back in March. All four films are scheduled to be released in April 2028.

Earlier this month, Keoghan recalled how nervous he was to meet the drummer as part of his research for the role.

For help, advice or more information regarding addiction in the UK, visit the FRANK website. In the US, visit SAMHSA.

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